The world was a different place on February 15, when Real Madrid lost the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match in Paris. Russia had invaded Ukraine by the time the second leg was played. Football had lost its luster. Those who witnessed Real's stunning turnaround of the game, though, will never forget it.
The Champions League final is taking place this year at a time when Europe is at war. Because Russia, the aggressor, has been excluded, it has been relocated to Paris. Putin's autocratic battle is reshaping the entire world.
In these melancholy days of spring, it is the Real Madrid team that is diverting Europe. They beat last year's finalists, Chelsea and Manchester City, in a similar stunning fashion to their win over PSG, on their path to the final. Real weathered difficult times and then stunned their opponents and the football world with great moments while their opponents dominated the games.
Real came back from a two-goal deficit in the 90th minute to win the semi-final against City. It reminded me of Bayern Munich's agonizing loss to Manchester United in 1999, or Chelsea's triumph in the 2012 "Finale dahoam," my own Waterloo. In the Premier League, on the other hand, City transformed a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the final five minutes to win the title. The unexplainable is a part of football's allure.
Real Madrid, the 13-time champion, will now face Liverpool, the six-time champion. All eyes are on Karim Benzema to see if Real can pull off another miracle. The best striker in the world embodies everything Real stands for: talent, genius, instinctive understanding of the game, and self-confidence. He scored three goals in 17 minutes against PSG. In the six games of the knockout rounds, he scored ten goals. He's tied Cristiano Ronaldo for most Champions League goals in a season and has a chance to surpass him in the final.
Benzema's off-field gaffes make it difficult to admire him without reservation. He is, nevertheless, one of the greats. He has won the Champions League four times already. In Paris, he might join Luka Modric, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos (who won the first of his four titles with Bayern) in matching Alfredo Di Stéfano's legendary winning streak from 1956 to 1960.
Karim Benzema celebrates his Champions League semi-final goal against Manchester City in the second leg.
Discipline is not something that comes to mind when thinking of Benzema. To keep a player like him on track, he needs a coach who knows who he's up against at a club where every footballer wishes to play. Carlo Ancelotti, the first coach to reach the final five times, is the ideal fit for Real at the moment. In 10 minutes against City, he switched Kroos, Modric, and Casemiro. Gut instinct is required to recognize the proper moment for such a coup de grâce. And, like Ancelotti, anyone who obtains the players' permission for his judgments on the field enjoys complete credibility.
For more than half a century, the galácticos have been a tradition in Real. They are the best of each generation's best. They are primarily from Spain and South America, with a few exceptions from Europe, most notably from the great footballing nations of France, England, Italy, and Germany. City, particularly PSG, are copying Real and vying for a piece of that glitz. They have not been able to catch up in a decade. They're still knockoffs, and Real, even if they didn't get Kylian Mbappé, are still the real deal.
Liverpool is a fork in the road. Physicality, pace, and forward drive in practically all positions are the deciding characteristics in their football. The majority of teams choose to play in this manner. Eintracht Frankfurt won the Europa League final in a thrilling match against Rangers. No one, however, comes close to Liverpool's brilliance; the period's style is well suited to the port and working-class metropolis.
Jürgen Klopp and his players have formed a bond over the last seven years. He is successful in transferring Liverpool's underdog mentality on the playing field. Liverpool, like all great teams, has built a distinct identity that has led them to their third final in five years. Barcelona was more than just a club, Bayern was "mia san mia," and Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Sadio Mané were never alone at Liverpool.
The group is more important than the individual.
Philippe Coutinho, formerly Liverpool's top player, was unaware of this. He played for Aston Villa after failing to make it at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Mohamed Salah, on the other hand, became a local celebrity in Liverpool. He spent four hours every day by bus to training in Egypt as a 12-year-old, and he is now in the hall of fame. Liverpool is defined by its ambition, by its desire to assert oneself. The contrast between Real and Benzema is unmistakable. That is why I am so excited for this game.
Of course, football can't be taken lightly, and the war can't be ignored. It has ramifications for Europeans, particularly Ukrainians. Real Madrid lost at home against Sheriff Tiraspol of Transnistria in the group stage. Yuriy Vernydub, their coach, quit the team soon before the Europa League match against Braga on February 24 to defend his homeland of Ukraine. He won at the Bernabéu a few months ago, and now he is fighting alongside his compatriots on the frontlines with a gun in his hand. In the year 2022, a football narrative is told.
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