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Real Madrid lifted the Champions League crown for the second time in three years by defeating bitter rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties. Can Real Madrid be the first team to retain the coveted European title?
Zinedine Zidane’s men held their nerve from 12 yards, allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to fire his spot kick past Jan Oblak to clinch the club’s 11th European title.
The triumph ensured that Real’s season was a success, which looked to be heading towards failure under the tenure of Rafael Benitez.
However, Zidane turned their campaign around with a strong challenge for La Liga’s title, and their eventual Champions League glory in Milan.
The Frenchman now faces the challenge of retaining their crown next season to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the competition was reformed in 1992.
Real are backed at 9/2 in the latest Bet365 Champions League odds to create history by winning their 12th crown in the Millennium Stadium in June 2017.
The Galacticos are in a strong position to achieve the feat due to the strength of their squad, led by the potent strikeforce of Gareth Bale and Ronaldo.
The Portuguese notched an incredible 16 goals during his side’s Champions League campaign, falling just one short of his own record in the competition set two years earlier.
Even at the age of 31 he is expected to continue to dominate, despite being affected by injuries towards the end of the season.
Should Ronaldo begin to show signs that his incredible scoring record is on the decline then Bale is more than ready to take the step up to replace him as Real’s shining light.
The 26-year-old has taken his game to new heights with Wales at Euro 2016 after recording his best term with Madrid, notching 19 goals in La Liga, although he only found the net once in the Champions League.
Real could be further strengthened in the final third with the signing of Paul Pogba from Juventus, who has been heavily linked with the club.
The Frenchman would provide a physical presence in the middle of the park along with his ability to find the back of the net, offering a good complement to the finesse of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Zidane’s men conceded just five goals in their 13 Champions League matches, keeping 10 clean sheets. They shipped only three strikes during the knockout stage, two of which came in the same game in their shocking 2-0 defeat to Wolfsburg.
Their three centre-backs Pepe, Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos show no signs of ending their strong partnerships at the back, although the Portuguese’s impact may decrease due to his advancing years.
Zidane guided Real back to their best in the final third, but they will once again have to be flawless in their pursuit of back-to-back crowns.
The Frenchman is blessed with one of the strongest squads on the continent and anything less than a surge into the latter rounds of the competition will be seen as a failure.
Zidane’s success flew under the radar and he will be determined to prove that he can be one of the game’s leading managers rather than a steward in the mould of Roberto Di Matteo, who accomplished a similar feat at Chelsea.
The football world will be watching and waiting to see if the Frenchman can deliver history at the Bernabeu.
Written by Sam Murphy
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