Real Madrid are mentality monsters, especially in the Champions League. Los Blancos believe the game is not over until the final whistle and are known for playing their hearts out till the last minute. This defiant spirit has shown itself many times in many different campaigns. It was evident in their quarterfinal matches against Man City last week. In the first leg, they had to come from behind twice to equalize 3-3 while in the second leg, they put in an excellent defensive shift to withstand the flurry of attacks Manchester City was throwing at them. They later won the game 3-4 on penalties and qualified for the semifinal of the competition.
Perhaps the time that this defiant, tenacious, and determined spirit that has now become associated with the Spanish club most expressed itself was in their 2021/2022 Champions League campaign. That legendary campaign was filled with so many Real Madrid comebacks that a lot of people started to attribute it to luck.
The comebacks started against PSG in the round of 16. The French giants won the first leg of the fixture 1-0 in their home thanks to a late goal from Kylian Mbappe in the 90+4th minute. The second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu saw PSG take an early lead as Mbappe scored in the 39th minute putting the French ahead 2-0 on aggregate. Despite the dire situation, Real Madrid did not give up. They continued to play with all their energy and hope defying the odds to defeat PSG 3-1 at the end of the match after Karim Benzema scored a second-half hat trick. The Madrististas qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition on an aggregate score of 2-3.
They faced Chelsea in the quarterfinal and this time, they led in the first leg by beating Chelsea 3-1 at home; another Karim Benzema hattrick. Chelsea brought the heat to the Bernabeu in the second leg as the English club and holders of the Champions League trophy at the time attempted a comeback in the second leg. Chelsea was 3-0 up in the 75th minute and it looked like Real Madrid was out of the competition. In the 80th minute, Luka Modric executed a beautiful Quaremaesque outside-the-boot pass that found Rodrygo in the Chelsea box. Rodrygo then slotted it past the Chelsea goalkeeper to bring the aggregate score to 4-4. Benzema scored in the 96th minute to bring the match score to 2-3 in favor of the visitors. Real Madrid lost the match but won the round on a 5-4 aggregate score and qualified to face Man City in the semifinals.
Los Blancos lost the first leg 4-3 at the Etihad Stadium but they were again able to pull a comeback against the Premier League Champions in the second leg. When Man City came visiting at the Bernabeu, Mahrez’s 75th-minute goal put them ahead 1-0 in the match and 5-3 on aggregate. Man City must have thought the game was over and they had secured their place in the finals but two quick goals in the 90th and 91st minute by Real Madrid’s Rodrygo dispelled such thoughts. Unfortunately for Man City, they conceded a penalty in the 90+5th minute that Karim Benzema promptly put in the back of the net. Real Madrid won the game 3-1 and qualified for the final on a 6-5 aggregate score; another amazing comeback.
In the final, they met treble hopefuls Liverpool and for most of the game, it looked like Liverpool was going to win. The Real Madrid team dug in, kept their spirit up, and kept working. They eventually won the match 1-0 clinching their 14th Champions League trophy thanks to a 59th-minute goal from Vinicius Jnr.
Real Madrid is a club with a rich history and culture of perseverance till the very end; a culture that served them well and delivered results when it mattered the most on multiple occasions. More than the skillful and star-studded squad Real Madrid always seems to have, perhaps it is their culture of perseverance on and off the pitch that best defines them.