Comparing Real Madrid's starting XIs from the 2014 and 2022 Champions League finals
Real Madrid consolidated their status as European royalty after they lifted their 14th UEFA Champions League title on May 28, defeating Liverpool 1-0. This was Los Blancos’ fifth Champions League title in the last nine years, which also includes an unprecedented hat-trick of titles between 2016 and 2018.
This outstanding era of domination started in 2014, when Real Madrid lifted La Decima, winning the competition after 12 long years. As many as eight players were a part of both title wins eight years apart.
Interestingly, Carlo Ancelloti was the man in Real Madrid’s dugout for the wins in both 2014 and 2022. However, only three players featured in the starting line-up both times.
On that note, this article will compare Real Madrid’s starting line-up in the 2014 and 2022 Champions League finals.
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas / Thibaut Courtois
Iker Casillas was the only player from the 2014 squad who had been part of their title-winning 2002 Champions League campaign as well.
The Spaniard departed from the club on a sad note in a teary press conference a year after lifting La Decima. He played for FC Porto for five years before being forced into retirement due to heart issues.
Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois arrived at Real Madrid in 2018 and had a torrid first season but bounced back to become one of the best shot-stoppers in the world. He made a record nine saves in the 2022 final, earning himself the 'Player of the Match' accolade in the process.
It is interesting to note that Courtois also played the 2014 final as Atletico Madrid’s goalkeeper.
2014: Thibaut Courtois loses the Champions League final to Real Madrid as an Atlético Madrid player
2022: Thibaut Courtois wins the Champions League final against Liverpool as a Real Madrid player
If you can’t beat them, join them. 😃 https://t.co/u61UAEfmNi
Right-back: Dani Carvajal / Dani Carvajal
One of the three players to maintain a starting spot nine years on, La Fabrica graduate Dani Carvajal has been a key man for Real Madrid in the last decade.
Back in 2014, he was a young 22-year-old defender who was playing his first senior season for Real Madrid. Carvajal had been bought back from Bayer Leverkusen after only one season in Germany.
Now in 2022, Carvajal is regarded as one of the best full-backs in the football world. He started last season poorly, but found his mojo towards the end and put in a great defensive shift in the final.
Right-center-back: Raphael Varane / Eder Militao
Raphael Varane had less than 1500 minutes to his name that season before the match but started after an injury to Pepe and put in a decent shift. He left Real Madrid for Manchester United in 2021 and endured a difficult first season.
Signed from Porto in 2019, Eder Militao stepped up admirably after Varane and Sergio Ramos left and did not let Real Madrid feel their absence. He is prone to occasional errors but has formed a generally reliable pairing with David Alaba. At just 24, he has time to iron out the chinks in his armor.
Left-center-back: Sergio Ramos / David Alaba
The man who provided one of the most iconic moments in the sport, Sergio Ramos immortalized himself in football history with his legendary 92:48 equalizer in 2014.
After seven more fruitful years that brought three more Champions League titles, Ramos left the club in 2021. He joined Paris Saint-Germain in what was an emotional farewell after they failed to agree on a contract extension.
On this day in 2014, Real Madrid trailed Atlético 1-0 in the 93rd minute of the Champions League final.
Then Sergio Ramos stepped up to inspire a comeback that led to La Décima 🥶
(via @ChampionsLeague)
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David Alaba was signed on a free transfer from Bayern Munich last summer and was handed Ramos' No. 4 jersey straight away. Alaba has aptly stepped up, establishing himself as the first-choice centre-back and not letting Los Blancos miss Ramos.
Left-back: Fabio Coentrao / Ferland Mendy
Fabio Coentrao did start the 2014 final but was hooked off after the hour mark for Marcelo after a disappointing showing. The Portuguese never managed to get regular game-time amidst injuries and left the club in 2018 after a couple of loan spells. He retired in 2021 at the age of only 33.
Signed in 2019 from Lyon for over €50 million, Ferland Mendy displaced Marcelo from the starting XI almost immediately after his arrival. He remains an integral part of the Real Madrid squad going forward.
Central-midfield: Luka Modric / Luka Modric
Joining Los Blancos in 2012, Modric established himself as a starter by 2014. He played over 50 matches that season.
Nine years and one Ballon d’Or later, the Croat, at 36, is still as vital to Madrid as he was back then. He played 45 matches last season, helping the club lift La Liga as well.
Central-midfield: Sami Khedira / Casemiro
Sami Khedira came into the line-up in place of the suspended Xabi Alonso. He was unsatisfactory and was taken off on the hour mark. He would, however, go on to become one of very few players to lift the UCL and the World Cup in the same year.
Casemiro, meanwhile, became the starting defensive midfielder in 2015-16 and continues undisputed to this day. Many potential replacements have come and gone after failing to uproot the tough-tackling Brazilian.
Central-midfield: Angel Di Maria / Toni Kroos
Naturally a winger, Angel Di Maria played a more midfield role in the 2014 final. He excelled in the unfamiliar position, providing an assist and being adjudged the 'UEFA Man of the Match'. Di Maria left in the following transfer window to Manchester United.
A bargain signing just after the World Cup, Toni Kroos became an integral part of Real Madrid’s epic European run. His partnership with Modric is regarded one of the best in modern football. Kroos played 44 games last season.
Right-wing: Gareth Bale / Fede Valverde
Barely a month after his iconic El Clasico goal in the Copa del Rey final, Bale was on the scoresheet in the 2014 Champions League final as well. He scored Real Madrid’s second goal, their first in extra-time, to give them the lead.
Injuries and attitude issues robbed him of his form later on as he was largely relegated to the bench at the Santiago Bernabeu. He exited Madrid in 2022 for MLS side Los Angeles FC amidst a frosty relationship with the club and fans.
On this day in 2014, Gareth Bale took off and scored an epic winner in the Copa del Rey final 💨
(via @realmadriden)
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A midfielder who played right-wing for tactical reasons, Fede Valverde has made a name for himself as a versatile player. Joining the Real Madrid academy from Penarol, Valverde became a part of the first-team squad in 2019, a year after his debut. At just 23, he is considered one of the stars to watch out for in the future.
He provided the assist for the only goal in the 2022 final
Center-forward : Karim Benzema / Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema was the most unheralded member of the BBC trio and had an ordinary outing in the 2014 final. As Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo hogged the entirety of the limelight, Benzema was no stranger to frequently being linked with an exit.
The 2022 version of Benzea is a complete makeover from the one nine years ago. No longer in the shadows, he is the talisman and captain of the side and a Ballon d’Or favorite. Benzema recorded an astounding tally of 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 appearances across competitions last season.
Left-wing: Cristiano Ronaldo / Vinicius Junior
Having won his second Ballon d’Or just a few months before the match, modern-day legend Ronaldo had a largely ordinary match in the 2014 final. However, he managed to get on the scoresheet by burying a last-minute penalty.
Ronaldo collected three more Champions League medals with Real Madrid before leaving in 2018 for Juventus
Picked up from Brazil as an 18-year-old, Vinicius had a frustrating first three seasons with Real Madrid. However, he turned over a new leaf under Ancelotti and produced great numbers in the 2021-22 campaign. He tallied 22 goals and 20 assists in 52 appearances across competitions.
He scored the only goal in the 2022 final in the 59th minute becoming one of the youngest players to do so.
52 games
22 goals
La Liga
We just witnessed the breakout season of Vinicius Jr🥵
Vini will be the king of a new Madrid era.🥶👑
👕52 games
⚽️22 goals
🤝20 assists
🏆La Liga
🏆Supercopa
🏆Champions League https://t.co/oZF5YrP00V
Read: Five youngest players to score a goal in the Champions League final