Real Madrid Champions League History

Since its founding on March 6, 1902, as Madrid Football Team, the club has used a white home shirt. King Alfonso XIII conferred the honorary term real, which means "royal," to the club in 1920, along with the royal crown in the logo.

Since 1947, the club has played its home games at the 81,044-seat Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in central Madrid. Unlike other European athletic organizations, Real Madrid's members (socios) have always owned and managed the club.

During the 1950s, Real Madrid established themselves as a dominant power in both Spanish and European football, winning five European Cups in a row and reaching the final seven times.

This feat was repeated in the league, with the team winning it five times in seven years. Some in the sport believe this squad, which comprised Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Francisco Gento, and Raymond Kopa, to be the best of all time.

The club has won 67 trophies in domestic football. 34 La Liga crowns, 19 Copa del Reys, 12 Supercopas de Espana, a Copa Eva Duarte, and a Copa de la Liga are among

Real Madrid trophies

.

Real Madrid Champions League History:

has won a total of 26 trophies in European and international tournaments, including a record 13 European Cup/UEFA Champions League championships, two UEFA Cups, and four UEFA Super Cups. They have won a record seven club world championships in international football.

The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL) is an annual club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-tier European clubs.

It is decided by a round-robin group stage to qualify for a double-leg knockout format and a single leg final.

Real Madrid is one of the most prestigious football competitions in the world, as well as the most prestigious club competition in European football, and it is competed for by the national league winners (and, in certain cases, one or more runners-up) of their respective national associations.

Here in this article we look at the

Real Madrid history

in Champions league and the records which are held by them.

Santiago Bernabéu era and the club’s domination

In this part of

Real Madrid Champions League history

, let’s discuss about the origins of the club, Santiago Bernabéu. In 1943, Santiago Bernabéu was appointed as the president of Real Madrid.

It was during his tenure as president that the club, its stadium, and its training facilities, all of which had been damaged during the Spanish Civil War, were completely repaired and reopened to the public.

Aside from that, former Real Madrid Amateurs player Miguel Malbo built the club's youth academy, or "cantera," which is currently known as La Fábrica, in the 1950s.

His approach of acquiring world-class players from overseas began in 1953, with the most notable acquisition being Alfredo Di Stéfano, who became the club's most famous player.

When Gabriel Hanot, a French sports writer and editor of L'Équipe, introduced the concept of an invitation-only competition for champion clubs from throughout Europe in 1955, Bernabéu, Bedrignan, and Gusztáv Sebes acted quickly to put together what would become known as the UEFA Champions League in 1956.

While Real Madrid was under the direction of Santiago Bernabéu, the club established itself as an important power in both Spanish and European football.

Between 1956 and 1960, the club won the European Cup five times in a succession, the most recent of which was a 7–3 victory against

in the final at Hampden Park in 1960.

Following these five straight victories, Real Madrid was permanently granted the original cup, as well as the privilege to wear the UEFA badge of honor on their chest.

When they defeated Partizan Belgrade 2–1 in the European Cup final in 1966, they achieved a European Cup record for the sixth time, marking the first time that a squad of players of the same country had done so in the tournament.

This squad became known as the Yé-yé after its captain. Four members of the squad appeared for Marca and impersonated the Beatles, earning them the nickname "Yé-yé," which is derived from the "Yeah, yes, yeah" chorus from The Beatles' song "She Loves You."

In addition, the Yé-yé generation finished second in the European Cup in 1962 and 1964. In the 1970s, Real Madrid won five league titles and three Spanish cups, putting the club on the map.

 A rematch was required after the team fell 2–1 to English side

in the club's first European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1971.

 The death of club president Santiago Bernabéu occurred on July 2, 1978, when the World Cup was being held in Argentina. For the duration of the competition, FIFA has declared three days of mourning in his honor.

As a tribute to its previous president, the club hosted the inaugural edition of the Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu the next year.

Vulture's Cohort and modern era triumphs

Real Madrid had lost its grip on the Liga championship by the early 1980s, but a new generation of home-grown talents was able to restore the club's dominance in the domestic competition.

This generation was given the nickname, La Quinta del Buitre ("Vulture's Cohort") by Spanish sports writer Julio César Iglesias, which was taken from the nickname given to one of its members, Emilio Butragueo.

Real Madrid's youth system produced the other four members, who were Manolo Sanchs, Martin Vázquez, Michel, and Miguel Pardeza. All five players were graduates of the club's development program.

In the 1980s, Real Madrid had one of the best teams in Spain and Europe, thanks to La Quinta del Buitre (which was reduced to four members when Pardeza left for Zaragoza in 1986) and notable players such as goalkeeper Francisco Buyo, right-back Miguel Porlán Chendo, and Mexican striker Hugo Sánchez.

Real Madrid won two UEFA Cups, five consecutive Spanish championships, one Spanish cup, and three Spanish Super Cups during this period. La Quinta del Buitre was disbanded in the early 1990s when Martin Vázquez, Emilio Butragueo, and Mcchel quit the club due to personal reasons.

President Lorenzo Sanz hired Fabio Capello as the team's coach in 1996. Real Madrid were crowned league champions despite the fact that he was only in charge for one season.

Players such as Predrag Mijatovic, Davor Suker, Clarence Seedorf, Roberto Carlos, and goalkeeper Bodo Illgner joined the club to bolster a squad that already included the likes of Raul, Fernando Hierro, and Fernando Redondo.

So, in 1998, under manager Jupp Heynckes, Real Madrid (with the acquisition of Fernando Morientes in 1997) eventually ended their 32-year drought for a seventh European Cup by beating Juventus 1–0 in the final, with Mijatovic scoring the winning goal.

Vicente del Bosque assumed the role of head coach in November 1999. Even though it was the penultimate season of the century, the team was still captained by senior veterans like as Fernando Hierro, Fernando Redondo, Roberto Carlos, and

throughout the 1999–2000 campaign.

Morientes, Guti, and Iker Casillas are among the promising young players who have joined Real. They are joined by

and Nicolas Anelka from the English Premier League, as well as local prospects Michel Salgado and Iván Helguera, who have all joined Real Madrid.

Real Madrid won the Champions League for the ninth time in Del Bosque's first season in command, after a 3–0 victory against Valencia in the final, with goals from Morientes, McManaman, and Raul. As a result of this triumph, Real Madrid entered an era of unprecedented success in its history.

The Florentino Pérez era and Galácticos one time championship

Speaking about the

Real Madrid Champions League history

, we need to mention Florentino Pérez. He was named president of the club in July of 2000. During his candidacy, he pledged to pay off the club's €270 million debt and to upgrade the club's infrastructure.

But it was the acquisition of

from arch-rivals Barcelona that served as the key political promise that catapulted Pérez to victory in the election.

During the next year, the club rezoned its training facility and utilized the money to begin constructing the Galácticos squad by adding a worldwide star every summer, which featured players like as Zinedine Zidane,

, Luis Figo, David Beckham, and Fabio Cannavaro, among others.

It is questionable if the bet paid off, since the team failed to win a major prize for the following three seasons despite winning the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup in 2002, followed by the La Liga in 2003.

After winning the Liga championship in 2003, there was a flurry of controversy in the immediate aftermath of the victory. The first contentious choice was made by Pérez, who fired winning coach Vicente del Bosque after only one season.

Over a dozen players departed the club, including Real Madrid captain Fernando Hierro, while defensive midfielder Claude Makélélé refused to participate in training in protest at being one of the club's lowest-paid players, and he eventually joined Premier League rival Chelsea.

"That's a lot [of players departing], especially since the typical guideline is: never change a successful squad," Zidane said. Real Madrid, under the guidance of newly hired coach Carlos Queiroz, got off to a shaky start in the Spanish league after a hard victory over Real Betis.

In the beginning of the 2005–06 season, the promise of numerous new acquisitions was made, including Jlio Baptista (€24 million), Robinho (€30 million), and Sergio Ramos (€27 million) among others.

Real Madrid, on the other side, has had several disappointing outcomes, notably a 0–3 defeat to Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu in November 2005.

Wanderley Luxemburgo, the coach of Real Madrid, was fired the next month, and Juan Ramón López Caro was appointed as his successor. The first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Real Zaragoza ended in a 6–1 defeat for Real, bringing a short comeback to form to an abrupt stop.

The next season, Real Madrid was ousted from competition in the Champions League for the fourth time in succession, this time at the hands of Arsenal. Florentino Pérez resigned from his position on February 27, 2006.

After being elected club president on July 2, 2006, Ramón Calderón named Fabio Capello as the club's new coach and Predrag Mijatovi as the club's new sports director, among other appointments.

Real Madrid won the Liga championship in 2007 for the first time in four years, but manager Fabio Capello was fired at the conclusion of the season despite the achievement.

Real Madrid defeated Mallorca at the Bernabéu on June 17, but

and Sevilla, the other championship contenders, lost to Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Villarreal, respectively, on the same day.

Real Madrid were down 0–1 at halftime, while Barcelona had stormed ahead to take a 0–3 lead at Tarragona. Madrid, on the other hand, scored three goals in the last half-hour to seal a 3–1 victory and their first league championship since 2003.

The second Florentino Pérez era

Florentino Pérez was re-elected to the position of president of Real Madrid on June 1, 2009.

The Galácticos policy pursued during Pérez's first term continued with the purchase of Kaká from Milan for a world record-breaking (in pounds sterling) sum of £56 million and the subsequent breaking of another world record by purchasing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for a record-breaking sum of £80 million.

Although Real Madrid finished second in the league again in 2009–10, this time with 96 points, a new club record at the time, the team was eliminated from the Champions League at the hands of Lyon in that campaign.

In May 2010, José Mourinho took over as manager of Real Madrid. Madrid's resurgent campaign in 2010–11 saw them win on all fronts, including a match against a superb Barcelona squad that some consider to be the best team in the history of the sport.

the end, Real Madrid finished second in the league, four points behind their regular rivals Barcelona, beat them in the Copa del Rey final, and lost to them in the Champions League semi-final.

Furthermore, from the 16th of April to the 3rd of May, a once-in-a-lifetime event occurred when, for the first time ever, four Clásicos were scheduled to be contested in the period of only 18 days.

The first match took place on 16 April in the league campaign (which ended 1–1 after both teams were awarded penalties), the second on 20 April in the Copa del Rey final (which was won by Madrid 1–0 a.e.t., giving them their first trophy in the second Galáctico era), and the third and fourth on 27 April and 3 May in the two-legged Champions League semi-finals.

Real Madrid won La Liga for the 32nd time in the club's history in 2011–12, setting multiple club milestones in the process, including the achievement of 100 points in a single season, a total of 121 goals scored, a goal difference of +89, and 16 away victories out of a possible 32 victories overall.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player in Spanish league history to score 100 goals in the same season, becoming the quickest player to do it.

The Portuguese striker eclipsed the record of Real Madrid veteran

, who scored 100 goals in 105 games, by scoring 101 in 92 games.

Ronaldo established a new club record for the most of individual goals scored in a calendar year (60) and became the first player in history to score against each of the 19 opponents he faced in a season.

Real Madrid began the 2012–13 season by winning the Supercopa de Espana, a competition in which they defeated rivals Barcelona on away goals. However, despite their best efforts, they were unable to bring home any of the other trophies they were chasing during the season.

With 85 points, Real Madrid finished second behind Barcelona in La Liga, and they advanced to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the third year in a row, where they were ousted by Borussia Dortmund on aggregate after a 3–4 win over the Catalan club.

Also in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid qualified as early as the round of 32, when they embarked on an unforgettable run to the final, which saw them upset Barcelona in the semi-finals before falling to Atlético Madrid 1–2 after extra time on penalties.

The purchase of Luka Modri from Tottenham Hotspur for a sum in the region of £33 million was one of the most significant transfers of the season.

Following Real Madrid's defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, Pérez revealed that José Mourinho would be leaving the club at the conclusion of the season by "mutual agreement."

La Décima and three championships in a row

On June 25, 2013, Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as the new manager of Real Madrid, succeeding Jose Mourinho on a three-year contract.

was selected as one of Ancelotti's assistants.

The long-awaited transfer of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur was revealed on September 1, 2013, after months of speculation. The Welshman's deal was supposedly a world record signing, with the transfer fee estimated to be in the region of €100 million.

Real Madrid finished third in La Liga in Ancelotti's first season in charge (level on points with Barcelona and three points behind cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid), amassing a total of 87 points after winning the Copa del Rey – against rivals Barcelona – in April, with Gareth Bale scoring the game-winning goal.

In the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final, they beat then-recently-league champions Atlético Madrid 4–1 away from home to win their tenth European trophy (their first since 2002) and became the first club in history to win 10 European Cups/Champions League titles, a feat known as "La Décima."

Real Madrid's offensive three of Bale, Benzema, and Cristiano, nicknamed the BBC, scored 97 goals in all competitions this season.

Real Madrid recruited goalkeeper Keylor Navas, midfielder Toni Kroos, and offensive midfielder James Rodrguez after winning the Champions League in 2014.

The club defeated Sevilla in the 2014 UEFA Super Cup final, earning the club its 79th official title. Real Madrid sold two players who were important to the club's success the previous season during the last week of the 2014 summer transfer window:

to Bayern Munich and

to Manchester United during the final week of the summer transfer window.

"If I were in charge," Cristiano Ronaldo said, "maybe I would have done things differently." Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti admitted that "we must start from zero" in the aftermath of the club's decision to restructure.

In the 2014–15 season, Real Madrid went on a 22-match winning streak that included victories over Barcelona and Liverpool, breaking the previous Spanish record of 18 consecutive victories set by Frank Rijkaard's Barça in the 2005–06 season.

Real Madrid broke the record of 18 consecutive wins set by Frank Rijkaard's Barça in the 2005–06 season.

The club's winning run came to an end in their first match of 2015, when they were defeated by Valencia, leaving them two victories shy of matching the global record of 24 straight victories.

It took until the very end for Madrid to be in contention for the La Liga title as well as the UEFA Champions League.

However, the club came up short, finishing second in the league with 92 points, two points behind treble-winning Barcelona, and losing to Juventus 2–3 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals.

As a result, despite playing beautiful offensive football and being the best scoring club in Europe, Real Madrid concluded the season with just two trophies out of a possible six, which led to the firing of manager Carlo Ancelotti on May 25, 2015.

was appointed as the next Real Madrid manager for the 2015–16 season on June 3, 2015, after signing a three-year deal with the club.

On matchday 11, Real Madrid suffered a 3–2 defeat at the hands of Sevilla, ending their undefeated run in the league. After charges of unpopularity with spectators, dissatisfaction with players, and an inability to produce positive results against top-tier opponents, Bentez was removed of his responsibilities on January 4, 2016.

The announcement of Benitez's resignation coincided with the ascension of Zinedine Zidane to the position of head coach for the first time. During Zidane's tenure, Real Madrid finished second in the league, only one point behind winners Barcelona, with 90 points.

Real Madrid won its eleventh Champions League trophy on May 28 after defeating Atlético Madrid 5–3 in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw in the final. The triumph was dubbed "La Undécima" since it was the club's eleventh title overall.

Real Madrid opened their 2016–17 season, which was to be Zidane's first full season in control of the club, with a 2-1 win against

in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup.

On December 10, 2016, Real Madrid won their 35th consecutive match, tying a new club record and setting a new benchmark. On December 18, 2016, the team won the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Japanese side Kashima Antlers 4–2 in the championship game.

On 12 January 2017, Real Madrid earned a 3–3 draw at Sevilla in the second leg of the Copa del Rey round of 16, advancing to the quarter-finals on the basis of a 6–3 aggregate victory and extending its unbeaten run to 40 matches, breaking Barcelona's previous season's Spanish record of 39 matches unbeaten in all competitions.

Three days later, they suffered a 1–2 defeat away to the same opponents in La Liga, bringing their undefeated run to an end.

The squad was subsequently eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Celta Vigo, who defeated them 3–4 on aggregate. Madrid won the league championship for the 33rd time in a row in May of that year, marking their first win in five years and amassing a total of 93 points in the process.

Real Madrid became the first team to successfully defend their Champions League title in the UEFA Champions League era on June 3, 2017, when they defeated Juventus in the final.

They were also the first team to win consecutive titles in the competition since Milan in 1989 and 1990, when the competition was known as the European Cup. It was Real Madrid's 12th championship, extending the club's record, and their third in four years.

The accomplishment is often referred to as "La Duodécima." The 2016–17 season was the most successful season in Real Madrid history in terms of trophies won (four out of a possible five), an achievement that was later surpassed in the 2017–18 season. Real Madrid won the Champions League for the first time in their history during the 2016–17 season.

Real Madrid began the 2017–18 season with a 2–1 victory against Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup, the club's second consecutive and fourth overall success in the competition.

In the following five days, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3–1 at the Camp Nou in the first leg of the 2017 Supercopa de Espaa, and then defeated Barça 2–0 in the return leg, ending the Catalans' record of 24 consecutive match-winning performances in El Clásico matches and winning their second championship of the season.

Real Madrid defeated Brazilian club Grêmio 1–0 in the FIFA Club World Cup final on December 16, 2017, to become the first team in history to retain the title.

Madrid advanced to the final of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, where they defeated Liverpool 3–1 to become the first club to win three consecutive titles in the Champions League era, as well as the first team to win three consecutive titles in the European Cup/Champions League since Bayern Munich in 1976. Madrid is the most successful club in the history of the competition.

Madrid's fourth victory in five years, as well as their eighth straight participation in the semi-finals, was also commemorated with the trophy. On May 31, just five days after winning the Champions League final,

announced his resignation as manager of Real Madrid, citing the club's "need for change" as the reason for his decision to step down.

Years after treble

On June 12, 2018, Real Madrid announced the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as their next manager. Lopetegui is currently the head coach of the Spanish national team. It was reported that he will formally begin his managing responsibilities after the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russian Federation.

A day before the competition, however, the Spanish national team fired Lopetegui, claiming that he had entered into negotiations with the club without alerting them of the negotiations.

Later in the summer of 2018, the club started reshaping its roster, which included the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus for a reputed €100 million.

Atlético Madrid defeated Real Madrid 2–4 in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup to start the 2018–19 season for the Spanish champions. After Real Madrid's 1–5 defeat to Barcelona in the El Clásico on October 28, which left the team in ninth position with just 14 points after 10 games, Lopetegui was fired the next day and replaced by Santiago Solari, who was then the coach of Castilla at the time.

Real Madrid defeated Al Ain 4–1 in the FIFA Club World Cup final on December 22nd, so becoming the Club World Cup's all-time leading champion with a record-breaking four titles.

Barcelona defeated them in the Copa del Rey semifinals, 1–4 on aggregate, to knock them out of the competition at the semi-finals stage. Real Madrid were beaten 1–4 (3–5 on aggregate) by Ajax at home on March 5, 2019, sending them tumbling out of the Champions League at the round of 16 stage following eight successive appearances in the semi-finals.

Real Madrid fired Solari as head coach on March 11, 2019, and Zidane was restored as the club's head coach the following day.

During the summer of 2019, Real Madrid recruited Eden Hazard, Luka Jovi, Éder Militia,

, Rodrygo, Reinier, and other players for a total of more than €350 million, including transfers from Chelsea and Manchester United.

To win their eleventh championship, Real Madrid defeated cross-city rival Atlético Madrid in a penalty shootout in the Supercopa de Espaa final on January 12, 2020.

After a three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, La Liga resumed in June, with Real Madrid winning ten consecutive games to win the league for the 34th time and collect a total of 87 points.

Real Madrid played their home matches at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium from the start of the tournament in June until the completion of the 2020–21 season, since the Santiago Bernabéu was undergoing substantial renovations.

On May 27, 2021, Zidane announced his departure from the team for the second time, with Ancelotti taking over as head coach for the 2021–22 season.

Real Madrid Champions League records

In this part of

Real Madrid Champions League history

, let’s discuss about the club’s Champions League records. Real has all of the main Champions League records. Los Blancos have a long and illustrious history, with the most victories and draws, the most matches played, and the most appearances.

Several world-class names have graced the side, and they have all contributed significantly to the club's success. Real Madrid holds the record for winning the most European Cup/Champions League titles (13).

Real Madrid has been the

Champions League winners

in 2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16, 2013-14, 2001-02, 1999-2000, 1997-1998, 1965-1966, 1959-60, 1958-59, 1957-58, 1956-57, 1955-56, 2001-02, 1999-2000, 1997-1998, 1965-1966, 1959-60, 1958-59, 1957-58, 1956-57, 1955-56.

Real has also finished third three times, giving them the team with the most final appearances (16).

Real has the most appearances in the competition's semi-finals (30). From 2011 to 2018, they advanced to the semi-finals eight times in a row.

Real Madrid holds the record for the most consecutive European Cup and Champions League appearances.

They have played in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages for the most straight seasons (24).

Real has a tie for the largest margin of victory in a Champions League group stage match (8-0 vs Malmo). Real also hold the highest single match margin of victory in the knockout phase's semi-finals in the Champions League's history (4-0 vs Bayern).

Real Madrid's history was written by Zidane. Zinedine Zidane joined the likes of Liverpool's Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti in the exclusive ranks of managers who have won the UCL three times after winning the 2017-18 edition. The Frenchman, on the other hand, became the first manager to win it three times in a row.

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