Whether they admit it or not, there is no doubt that Real Madrid consider themselves favorites to beat Borussia Dortmund on Saturday and lift a record 15th Champions League trophy.
Not just because the German side are shocking finalists, but simply because the kings of Europe would feel the same regardless of the opposition.
Another triumph on the biggest stage would be the perfect demonstration of his power and prestige for superstar striker Kylian Mbappe, who will arrive from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
Real Madrid plays with the conviction that it will win, but also with the humility of knowing that to do so, flexibility in the “how” is necessary.
They demonstrated this in the quarter-final against champions Manchester City, keeping their backs to the wall and advancing on penalties.
They pulled off a last-minute punch at Bayern Munich and reached the final after falling behind, with substitute Joselu scoring two late goals for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
It is precisely at this moment that Madrid, specialists in recovery, attack – precisely when their opponents begin to believe that they cannot do it, that they are finally defeated, that they are eliminated.
“We are not thinking about whether we are favourites, but about playing against a team that deserves it too,” Real Madrid coach Ancelotti told reporters on Monday.
“We know we will have to suffer and fight like in every final.”
Madrid has established surprising European hegemony, with five triumphs in the last decade.
The next closest team to Los Blancos in overall wins is AC Milan with seven, their most recent 17 years ago.
Ancelotti pointed to one of the main reasons for Real Madrid’s dominance: the club’s president.
“Here there is a captain and his name is Florentino Perez,” said the Italian at the beginning of May. “The rest of us are sailors.”
The boss has been the constant in Real Madrid’s most recent era of success, although his love affair with the European Champion Clubs’ Cup began long before his reign.
The competition began in the 1950s when Santiago Bernabeu was the club boss, and Real Madrid took to it like a duck to water.
They won the first five editions of the tournament, between 1956 and 1960.
“Madrid’s history was born in the 1950s, in this competition,” said Ancelotti.
“It’s a competition where you concentrate more, you become more focused.”
Real Madrid reached sixth place in 1966, but had to wait more than 30 years for seventh, achieved in 1998, after defeating Juventus.
An eighth soon followed in 2000 with a comfortable victory over Valencia, shortly before Perez became president of Real Madrid.
– Stars and cutlery –
The construction magnate led Real Madrid into the Galáctico era, with Zinedine Zidane’s superb strike the highlight of the 2002 final, his ninth victory.
It established Madrid as the most glamorous club in the world, allowing them to continue to attract football’s biggest stars.
Although the early 2000s were underwhelming in terms of trophies, it laid the foundation for Real Madrid’s future success.
With Perez reappointed as president in 2009, Ancelotti and Zidane, now coach, led them to many more glories, with strikers Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale as vital components.
They achieved ‘La Decima’ – the much sought after 10th place finish – in 2014 against rivals Atlético Madrid, the first of their recent run of success.
Ronaldo became the top scorer in Champions League history with Real Madrid, and his appetite matched the club’s thirst for glory.
Its new stars are Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, young players eager to write their names in the club’s history books and continue Real Madrid’s legacy of dominance.
Vinicius scored the winning goal in Real Madrid’s most recent triumph, beating Liverpool 1-0 in the 2022 final in Paris.
Perez is always looking ahead, planning how Real Madrid can continue to expand their dynasty.
The club’s renovated Santiago Bernabeu stadium will provide abundant sources of revenue, while Real Madrid have rejuvenated their squad.
– Message from Mbappé –
The next star to arrive is expected to be PSG striker Mbappe, arguably the most devastating striker in the world.
Victory in London against Dortmund would be a well-timed flex of muscle before Mbappe’s move is sealed.
That would make it obvious to the French striker that he is not needed to turn them into the biggest club in the world – they already are.
With some concerns among fans about how well Mbappe will potentially gel with his teammates, demonstrating the club’s power would set the perfect tone.
Mbappe has tried unsuccessfully to bring the first, coveted Champions League trophy to Paris for the past seven years.
Arriving at an institution completing 15th would certainly keep any ego in check.
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