The UEFA Champions League is widely regarded as the trophy to win in football. A beautiful amalgamation of Europe’s various leagues, the tournament embraces and celebrates different cultures and multiple schools of the game.

As this is a festival of football that offers only the highest quality football, lifting the trophy is a matter of prestige for any club in Europe. It goes without saying that every match is played with unparalleled determination, as there is very little room for error.

Given the importance of this event, the rigours that participants face year after year and the enormous pressure, it is almost impossible for any single club to claim to have dominated it over the years.

And yet Real Madrid has achieved the unthinkable: it has won the cup 15 times, putting it light years ahead of AC Milan (7), Liverpool (6), Bayern Munich (6) and Barcelona (5).

While football has constantly evolved and changed over the years, The Royal have remained the eternal favorites of this event and are even defending champions.

As a new European Trophy season begins this week, we take a look at the club’s recent successes and its chances for the coming season.

2021/22: A season full of spectacular comebacks

Drawn in a group with Inter Milan, Sheriff Tiraspol and Shakhtar Donetsk, The Royal With five wins and only one loss, the team secured first place in Group D. However, the knockout round presented the team with great challenges.

They faced PSG in the round of 16, losing the first leg 1-0 and quickly conceding a second goal in the return. Trailing by two goals at home, a comeback seemed unlikely until Karim Benzema stepped up his game significantly.

The French star rose to the occasion and scored a superb hat-trick that put Real Madrid through to the next round and kept their season alive, but that wasn’t the only comeback they needed.

They won the quarter-final first leg against Chelsea 3-1, with Benzema scoring a hat-trick. In the second leg, the Whites conceded three goals and trailed 3-4 on aggregate. However, a late goal from Rodrygo and a header in extra time forced another comeback.

The semi-final was by far the most exciting, as Manchester City took a 4-3 lead after the first leg. An early goal from Riyad Mahrez in the second leg increased the score to 5-3 and all but sealed Real Madrid’s elimination.

Enter Rodrygo Goes. The Brazilian prodigy scored a stunning goal in the 90th minute and equalised on aggregate in the 91st minute, allowing Karim Benzema to score the winner in the 95th minute to take the team through to the next round.

The team came under a lot of pressure again in the final, but a goal against the run of play from Vinicius Jr. helped the team to the title. This was largely dependent on Benzema’s brilliance and did little to impress the team.

2023/24: Well-oiled machine with individual brilliance

Last season’s success was not nearly as dependent on individual brilliance, with different members of the team stepping in at different moments of need. Meringues.

Topping a fairly easy group, the Spanish giants ended up in the difficult half of the draw, along with Manchester City and Bayern Munich, both of whom they faced en route.

Real Madrid surprisingly did not dominate any of their games en route to the title and were in fact the team under pressure on almost every occasion.

This time, however, it was their solidarity, self-confidence and mental resilience that got them through, rather than the brilliant performance of one individual.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team beat RB Leipzig in the round of 16 and faced Manchester City in the quarter-finals. Both games ended in draws, but Pep Guardiola’s team had by far the better chances.

But the men in white held their nerve in extra time and forced a penalty shootout. Their unity and confidence helped them advance after the penalty shootout.

They were on the brink of defeat in the semi-final against Real Madrid when they were trailing 3-2 on aggregate with two minutes left in the second half. However, Joselu had other plans when he entered the field and scored a quick-fire double in the 91st minute to turn the game around.

Once again, Real Madrid were second for much of the UCL final, but were able to prevail thanks to their better finishing skills.

What awaits us in 2025?

Real Madrid have not always been the dominant team in UEFA Champions League matches, but they have managed to make the most of their available resources and distance themselves from the rest.

While it was individual brilliance in 2022, last year the team relied on its collective spirit and confidence even at its lowest depths.

As the new Champions League season begins, one has to wonder what kind of magical power Real Madrid has this time around. If the first six games of the season are anything to go by, there is not much to be encouraged about.

Finally, Real Madrid failed to win two of their five La Liga games this season, with almost 50% of their goals coming from the penalty spot.

Although the “Men in White” were able to strengthen themselves by signing Kylian Mbappe and Endrick, it now seems as if the changed dynamic has affected Vinicius’ quality and significantly weakened the attack.

Due to injuries, the team’s resources are limited, especially in defense, and only a long-term injury would result in the team not even having a first-choice defensive duo in the starting eleven.

The challenges this season are far greater than those the team has had to overcome in previous editions, and a new format only makes it more difficult as it brings more variables, a hectic schedule and less time to recover.

In the new league phase, Ancelotti’s team will have to compete against Stuttgart, Lille, Dortmund, AC Milan, Liverpool, Atalanta, RB Salzburg and Brest.

With games following one another so quickly and no time to catch your breath, the team doesn’t have much time to find its form again.

Real Madrid are once again the favourites and believe they have a chance to last until the end. After all, they still have time to get back to their best before the decisive knockout matches.

At the same time, however, their players do not seem to be in the form that would allow them to shine with individual brilliance, while their mental strength is being put to the test due to the pressure of expectations.

Injury problems and an extremely tight schedule mean that the road to triumph in the Champions League seems more difficult than ever.