Cristiano Ronaldo key behind Real Madrid's success in UEFA Champions League

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bengaluru, May 13: This has been a mixed season for Real Madrid. They have been exhilarating in Europe but have struggled domestically, most likely to finish third behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the La Liga. This has been a trend in the past few seasons where Real Madrid have been inconsistent domestically but have always come up trumps at the continental level.

So one may wonder what is the reason behind their unprecedented success in the UEFA Champions League? There is no story of any philosophy or pure footballing ideals like the Cruyffian school of thought at Barcelona or the laying down of a proper system to nurture and develop talent that led to the most recent footballing boom in Germany and Bayern winning the Champions league in 2013.

It is not even the Galacticos model of buying the best players and letting them loose on field that Real have themselves been known for in recent years. It could be a balance of all, this team has midfielders who have proved to be very shrewd signings, a quality goalkeeper bought for just 10 million euros, a battery of young bright attacking talent on the bench and to add to all this, a superhuman footballer in Cristiano Ronaldo, the best of his generation.

Since 2013/14, Real have won three Champions League titles, featuring in four of the last five finals, have had three different managers during that time and will be chasing their third title in a row and 13th overall against Liverpool on May 26.

The symbol of this team is not a philosophy or a certain style - it is Ronaldo. A player that plays, trains, performs and takes the ceiling of quality higher and higher such that it empowers his teammates to put out their best. Though he has certainly diminished, but in his late prime, Ronaldo has become a predator in the box, conserving energy to explode at the right time such that it makes some of his goals look superhuman.

His run of goals in 11 consecutive European games was halted in the semi-final first leg against Bayern. For winning this season’s Ballon d’Or and to beat Messi in that race, CR7 will have to lift his side to another title win in Kiev. He scored that stoppage time penalty to break Juve hearts in the quarter final and starred in all games before that.

The second leg against Bayern is an intriguing game to look back on; Bayern went all out at Madrid, playing a high defensive line, pressed hard and harried the Madrid defenders. The makeshift right-back Lucas Vazquez was restricted to defending against an in-form Frank Ribery, which limited Madrid’s attacks to the left, where Marcelo kept making those forward runs only to leave wide spaces for Thomas Mueller to run into.

If only Mueller’s finishing had been more clinical, Bayern could have been in that dream final under coach Jupp Heynckes. But once Madrid started to take a hold in the game again, where Marcelo’s runs were more of an attacking threat than a defensive gamble, the winning goal could be sensed showing that this team is confident to win even when they are having a bad game - a sign of true champions.

Zinedine Zidane has come under scrutiny by the Madrid faithful at times this season. Though he enjoys widespread support in the hierarchy to secure his place, the Madrid legend will have to secure silverware and his only shot at that is to win the Champions League final. Though the Madrid defence may look a bit brittle against the flying Liverpool attack, it is worth reminding of the pedigree and experience the Le Merenguies have on such occasions. The players and club believe in themselves to win such competitions not by chance but by right.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have been a revelation this season but going into the final, Real Madrid will certainly be the favorites.