Regarded by many as the 'kings of Europe', Real Madrid are no strangers to the biggest fixtures on the continent and have celebrated plenty of success in their illustrious history.
Los Blancos have won a total of 15 European Cup/Champions League titles, more than any other team in history, and they most recently claimed the prestigious prize in 2024 under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti, who boasts a record five European trophies to his name as a manager.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at Real Madrid's record in the European Cup/Champions League final.
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Since the European Cup was formed back in 1955, and later rebranded as the Champions League in 1992, Real Madrid have played in a total of 18 finals - the most of any team in history.
Los Blancos have triumphed in 15 of their 18 finals to date, winning six European Cups and nine Champions Leagues, while they have lost in the showpiece event on just three occasions.
Real Madrid were the winners of the first five European Cup finals between 1956 and 1960, before losing in two of the next four finals to Benfica (1962) and Inter Milan (1964). Los Blancos then beat the latter en route to winning their sixth European crown two years later, securing a 2-1 victory in the final over Partizan Belgrade.
The early dominance of the Spanish giants dried up during a 30-year-old period between the late 1960s and late 1990s when they reached just one European Cup final, losing 1-0 to a strong Liverpool outfit in 1981 - Los Blancos have since never lost in the final to date.
Real Madrid eventually reclaimed Europe's top prize in club football in their first Champions League final in 1998, edging past Juventus by a 1-0 scoreline in Amsterdam courtesy of a second-half strike from Predrag Mijatovic.
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That triumph was the first of three over a five-year period - also beating Valencia (2000) and Bayer Leverkusen (2002) during this run - before they got their hands on 'La Decima' in 2014 after winning a pulsating final against city rivals Atletico Madrid by a 4-1 scoreline after extra time.
Los Blancos edged past Atletico again just two years later, winning on penalties in the 2016 final, and this was the first of three consecutive triumphs, followed by a 4-1 win over Juventus and a 3-1 victory over Liverpool, under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane.
Real Madrid celebrated winning their 14th European title in 2022 when they secured a slender 1-0 victory over Liverpool in Paris thanks to a second-half goal from Vinicius Junior.
Ancelotti then steered the Spanish giants to their 15th European triumph in 2024 when second-half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior sealed a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.
Across their 18 European Cup/Champions League finals, Real Madrid have scored a total of 43 goals - netting at least twice on 12 occasions - and have conceded 23 goals. Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas have scored the most goals for Los Blancos in the final with seven each, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Hector Rial are next on the list with three each.
Oliver Thomas
