Champions League final: What is Real Madrid's secret to sustained success in Europe?

Real Madrid have once again established themselves as the best football club in Europe. On Saturday, Real Madrid, who are being managed by Carlo Ancelotti, went onto lift their 15th UEFA Champions League trophy at the Wembley — the most by any team in the history of the competition. They beat German outfit Borussia Dortmund on the back of second half goals from Daniel Carvajal and Vinicius Junior.

Watch | Real Madrid players and coach Carlo Ancelotti celebrate record-extending 15th Champions League win

In the first half of that contest, Real Madrid looked somewhat on the backfoot after Dortmund were able to make inroads and create several chances to score. However, the Bundesliga side eventually failed to make use of those opportunities and ended up paying for those at the end of the contest.

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The Los Blancos have been an ever-dominant force in the Champions League ever since the inception of the tournament as the European Cup in 1955. In fact, Real Madrid remain the only team to win five consecutive editions of the European Cup, having won it between 1955 and 1960.

So, what makes Real Madrid a formidable side in Europe and what’s the secret behind their sustained success?

Core of the team

Real Madrid have been very well known to make legends out of almost every single player. Be it Cristiano Ronaldo, who was flourishing at the Bernabeu almost a decade ago, or German midfielder Toni Kroos, who played his final match for the Spanish giants on Saturday. Their faith in the core players of the team is one of those reasons that make Real Madrid a team who are in a league of their own.

Also read | Ancelotti, Bellingham and Carvajal react to Real Madrid's Champions League win

There was France international Karim Benzema, who had been with the club since 2009 till 2023, when he completed a move to Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. Then there’s Daniel Carvajal, who has also been with Real for the last 11 years, having joined in 2013 after rising through the club’s youth ranks.

And who can forget the famous BBC trio of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. This trio was famous for giving the opposition nightmares after nightmares, leaving no stone unturned.

Kroos and Luka Modric’s creativity in midfield over the last 10 years have been second to none. This duo is one of the main reasons why Real Madrid have gone on to become a goal-scoring machine.

Investment in youth

Apart from players who have come through the academy, investment in young, talented players has been another reason for Real’s continued triumph in Europe. Take Jude Bellingham for example. The England international came in from Borussia Dortmund in June 2023, and took the LaLiga by storm, netting 19 goals. The 20 year-old was named LaLiga’s player of the season, and was influential in helping them clinch their 36th league title.

If this season’s success is anything to go by, there will surely be more to come when France forward Kylian Mbappe joins the club anytime now. Mbappe left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the end of the season, and with anticipation of him joining Real Madrid increasing day by day, only bigger things can be expected from Reyes de Europa (Kings of Europe) next season.

Other players who have set the benchmark for Real Madrid as far as youth investments include Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Arda Guler, with Camavinga and Tchouameni having been at the club for two-three years.

Carlo Ancelotti’s philosophy of success

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti certainly knows a thing or two about winning big trophies. Even before his glory days with Madrid, Ancelotti been a well-established coach at AC Milan, where he guided them to two Champions League titles as well as a FIFA Club World Cup title. His continued success also saw him win the World’s Best Club Coach award in 2006.

Ancelotti is a coach who gives the freedom to players to be creative, so much so that he had even recently spoken about Bellingham potentially being used a striker.

“I think the mistake that new generation coaches make is that they give too much information about the system on the ball. I think old school coaches like me prefer not to give too much information and allow freedom for creativity. I give instructions off the ball. It depends on the creativity of the player, if Vinícius or Rodrygo feels creative on the ball, I’m not going to tell him what to do. It’s an interpretation of how to play on the ball and I don’t want to remove anybody’s creativity,” the Italian had said ahead of a LaLiga game against Las Palmas in September last year.

Much like his Manchester City rival Pep Guardiola, the 64 year-old believes in a winning mentality, and more so, the encouragement that the players receive from a manager like Ancelotti goes a long way in making Real Madrid an undisputed club in Europe.

The Champions League final on Saturday was a perfect example. Real’s defence was almost exposed in the first half, but in the second half, it was yet another tactical masterclass that set the platform for their win.

Although the Spanish outfit did not make their first substitution till the 85th minute, at which point both goals had been scored, Ancelotti knew that keeping possession of the ball and persuading Dortmund to chase the ball were key in the second half. Add to that, Real did not have a single shot on target in the first half, but turned things around incredibly with six in the second half. In contrast, three out of Dortmund’s shots on target had come in the first half.

The end result, Dortmund were outplayed almost completely in the second half, and the rest as they say, was history.