Although the two sides have only met in the Champions League/European Cup finals twice before, in 1981 and 2018, they have combined for a total of 25 appearances in the competition since its debut in 1955-56 – nine for Liverpool and 16 for Madrid.
The Reds have won six times, making them the most successful English club in the competition's history, and they are now tied for third place in terms of wins overall. Los Blancos, on the other hand, have firmly established themselves as Europe's monarchs, having won the cup 13 times in the 66 seasons since its inception. Both clubs will be seeking to add to their win totals when the final whistle blows at the Stade de France on Saturday.
From Istanbul's Ataturk stadium to Glasgow's Hampden Park, both clubs have been engaged in some very memorable final victories around Europe.
Real Madrid and Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw (5-3 on penalties) Atletico Madrid, San Siro (Milan), 2016.
This was just the second time both Champions League finals were held in the same city, following the 2014 final featuring the same two teams, but that didn't stop the 2016 final from being tedious. Apart from Sergio Ramos' rough 15th-minute goal and Yannick Carrasco's 79th-minute equalizer, the same catalyst failed to materialize in 2016, as a scrappy and unpleasant encounter generated little entertainment of note for 120 minutes. Los Blancos' Cristiano Ronaldo netted the game-winning penalty kick, extending his team's winning streak in the competition to 11 games. (Highlights)
Real Madrid 2-0 Stade de Reims, 18. Neckarstadion (Stuttgart), 1959
In a replay of the inaugural European Cup final from 1956, Real met Ligue 1 winners Reims, but this time in West Germany rather than France. Los Blancos were without star signing Ferenc Puskas due to injury, but Enrique Mateos and Alfredo Di Stefano scored goals either side of halftime to give the Spanish giants an easy victory. (Highlights)
Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1-0 at Parc des Princes in Paris in 1981.
Although Liverpool's triumph is noteworthy, the first European Cup final between these two teams is far from spectacular. The Reds eked out a slender and ordinary victory over the six-time champions thanks to a goal from Alan Kennedy eight minutes from full-time. (Highlights)
In 1998, Real Madrid defeated Juventus 1-0 at the Amsterdam Arena.
Real won their first European Cup/Champions League trophy since 1966 thanks to a single goal by Predrag Mijatovic shortly after the hour mark, a result more notable for its historical significance than the game itself. Due to a calf injury suffered by the Yugoslavian winger, Mijatovic's participation was in doubt prior to kick-off. Despite this, he began against the Bianconeri and, with a delightful stroke of agility, scored the game-winning goal in the 67th minute. (Highlights)
In the year 2000, Real Madrid defeated Valencia 3-0 at the Stade de France in Paris.
In the first Champions League final of the twenty-first century, Real Madrid trounced its compatriots without breaking a sweat, marking the first meeting of two clubs from the same country. With Fernando Morientes' opener, Steve McManaman's magnificent scissor volley, and Raul putting the icing on the cake 15 minutes from time, Madrid easily eliminated Los Che, who were making their first appearance in the final. (Highlights)
In 1957, Real Madrid defeated Fiorentina 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Bernabeu was packed to the rafters with 124,000 fans to watch Real compete in their first European Cup final on home soil. Di Stefano and Francisco "Paco" Gento scored for Los Blancos, however the first goal was controversial since Dutch referee Leo Horn ignored an offside flag and then awarded a penalty for a trip on Enrique Mateos that occurred outside the penalty area. (Highlights)
Real Madrid defeated FK Partizan 2-1 at Heysel Stadium in Brussels in 1966.
With much of their legendary team from the late 1950s and early 1960s gone, a young and inexperienced Real side upset the apple cart in the semi-finals, defeating back-to-back European champions Inter Milan to get to the final against Partizan. While playing in the shadow of the fanciful Atomium building, the Yugoslavians took the lead in the 55th minute, but Real rallied back to win the cup for the sixth time in 11 years with to goals from Amancio Amaro and Fernando Serena. They had no clue, however, that it would be their only European Cup victory in 32 years at the time. (Highlights)
12. In 2017, Real Madrid beat Juventus 4-1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Real became the first team in the Champions League era to defend the title after a relatively easy victory against Juventus in the Welsh capital in the first-ever European final played under a closed roof (i.e. after 1991-92). Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Casemiro, and Marco Asensio scored for Real Madrid, while Mario Mandzukic of Juventus scored the game's best goal with a spectacular overhead kick. (Highlights)
Liverpool defeated Club Brugge 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in London in 1978.
The enduring image of Liverpool's second European Cup victory at "Anfield South" was Kenny Dalglish leaping over the advertising boards to celebrate scoring the winning goal against Ernst Happel's Brugge, cementing his status as a full-fledged star in the process. Even if the game itself was not a classic, King Kenny's wonderful dinked finish, the general sense of occasion, and the fact that the Reds had successfully defended their European championship at Wembley made it one of the most memorable moments in Liverpool's history. (Highlights)
Real Madrid defeated AC Milan 3-2 at Heysel Stadium in Brussels in 1958.
To achieve a hat trick of trophies, Real had to go the distance against Milan in the third European Cup final ever, and the first to require extra time. Pepe Schiaffino gave the Rossoneri the lead after an hour, but Real were quick to respond, and the score was knotted at 2-2 at the end of normal time. Paco Gento, the great Paco Gento, scored the game-winning goal in the 107th minute.
Tottenham Hotspur defeated Liverpool 2-0 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on March 9, 2019.
Despite suffering through hell and high water to get through Manchester City and Ajax en route to the final, Tottenham were unable to find any more magic in their first appearance on the grandest European platform as old hands. Liverpool easily dispatched their Premier League rivals. The Reds took the lead thanks to a Mohamed Salah penalty after just 106 seconds, but it took Divock Origi's goal in the 87th minute to seal the triumph.
In a 2-1 win at Hampden Park in Glasgow in 2002, Real Madrid overcame Bayer Leverkusen.
Real, who had been finalists for the previous twelve years, were heavy favorites against Leverkusen, who were making their first appearance in a European Cup/Champions League final. Raul put the Spanish giants ahead with barely eight minutes remaining, and victory appeared to be a sure conclusion. Leverkusen, on the other hand, rallied with a stunning equalizer from Brazilian defender Lucio six minutes later. Then, almost on the stroke of half-time, Zinedine Zidane produced a match-winning volley — widely regarded as one of the best goals ever scored in a European final — to put Los Blancos back in front.
Liverpool was in the lion's den in the 1984 European Cup final, as ESPN's Steve Nicol puts it, facing Roma in front of a hostile 69,000-strong crowd in the Italian capital. The Reds were playing in their fourth European Cup final, while Roma were playing in their first, despite the fact that the former still felt like underdogs due to the hostile atmosphere. After 120 minutes, the sides were tied at 1-1 after to goals from Phil Neal and Roberto Pruzzo, necessitating the first-ever European Cup final penalty shootout. Roma's fourth penalty was taken by Francesco Graziani after Ian Rush had placed Liverpool 3-2 up. Graziani was about to take his team's first penalty kick, but captain Agostino Di Bartolomei publicly pushed him aside, and Di Bartolomei took it and scored. Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, sensing a weakness, utilized his now-iconic "spaghetti legs" routine on the goal line to try to frighten Graziani. The weird knock-knee ploy paid off, as the Roma forward blasted his penalty high over the bar, allowing Alan Kennedy to win the shootout with the next ball kick. (Highlights)
Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 4-1 in the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon in 2014.
Real, keen to win "La Decima" (their tenth Champions League), came within seconds of losing to their cross-city rivals when Diego Godin put Atletico ahead in the 36th minute. With 92 minutes remaining and stoppage time looming, it appeared that Diego Simeone's seasoned squad would hold on for the victory. They hadn't anticipated Ramos' aerial prowess, as he utilized his last remaining energy to thump home a Luka Modric corner and force extra time. Real went on a three-goal spree in the half-hour that followed, with goals from Gareth Bale, Marcelo, and Cristiano Ronaldo. (Highlights)
Borussia Monchengladbach defeated Liverpool 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in 1977.
As Terry McDermott, Tommy Smith, and Phil Neal scored goals to help Liverpool win the European Cup final for the first time, the Stadio Olimpico was flooded with red-and-yellow flags. No British team had won in Europe since Manchester United's success in 1968, but Liverpool's victory in Rome ushered in a new era of English domination. After a back-to-back double for Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980, Liverpool won the trophy three times (1977, 1978, 1981), and Aston Villa's victory in 1982 made it six seasons in a row for English clubs.
Real Madrid won 4-3 at the Parc des Princes in Paris in 1956, and at the Stade de Reims in Reims in 1957.
Real Madrid's renowned 1950s club won the first of five consecutive European Cups. They were down 2-0 against Reims in the first-ever final after just 10 minutes, but goals from Di Stefano, Hector Rial (2), and Marquitos saw the defending LaLiga champions fight back to win the championship. What would have occurred if they hadn't made that comeback? Who knows what the Champions League's and modern football's histories would have been like if they hadn't. (Highlights)
Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev in 2018.
In what was probably the last truly great Champions League final, Real Madrid and Liverpool fought head-to-head in an uncompromising heavyweight match that had it all. Salah had to leave the pitch in tears following a 25-minute brawl with Ramos. After an astonishing clanger from Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius, Real took the lead five minutes after the break. Karim Benzema ricocheted the ball into an empty net. Liverpool's Sadio Mane came close to equalizing before Bale came on as a 61st-minute substitute and totally transformed the game's trajectory. Bale gave Real the lead just 120 seconds after entering the game, volleying Marcelo's cross into the net with an incredible overhead kick volley. The Welshman added a third for Real in the final ten minutes when his speculative shot from 40 yards went straight through Karius and into the Liverpool goal, securing Los Blancos' fourth European title in five seasons, coach Zidane's third in as many years, and the club's 13th overall.
2. Real Madrid 7-3 Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park (Glasgow) in 1960.
With a resounding thrashing of Frankfurt, Real Madrid's dominance came to an end with a fifth consecutive European Cup victory. Over 127,000 ecstatic fans packed the stadium to watch Los Blancos thrash their German opponents by a margin that still remains as a record, while an estimated 70 million people watched on. Di Stefano and Puskas scored Real's goals, making them two of just three players in European Cup/Champions League final history to achieve a hat trick (or more) (the other being Pierino Prati of Milan, who scored three against Ajax in the 1969 final). (Highlights)
3-3 in Liverpool's favor (3-2 penalties) Milan, Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, 2005
The adjective "pulsating" often overused in the context of fairly normal football matches, but the 2005 final had an almost incomprehensible intensity and drama. Liverpool appeared to be doomed after falling down three goals at halftime. Kaka orchestrated Milan's ruthless display, which saw Paolo Maldini score in the first minute and Hernan Crespo add two more goals before halftime. Following that, one of the greatest comebacks in modern football history occurred, with Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer, and Xabi Alonso scoring three goals in the second half to force extra time. Milan continued to have the upper hand, but Liverpool stood firm, and penalties were awarded soon after. Smicer (who was aware that this was his final game for the club) kept his cool to give the Reds a crucial advantage before Jerzy Dudek stopped Andriy Shevchenko to complete the most amazing reversal.
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