Win with epic. Believing themselves superior and capable of everything. Even coming back from the most complicated games, as happened against Bayern at the Bernabéu in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, without it being a surprise. Their competitive style and the necessary dose of luck accompanied by some referee controversy never leaves them. White dominance in Europe is solid and consolidated for a decade against a dwindling Barcelona that has not contested a European final since Berlin 2015.
To date, Barça has lifted the top continental title five times. On June 1, Real Madrid will seek its fifteenth title against Borussia Dortmund. He will do it at Wembley. In its seventh final in this 21st century. And without losing any of the five of the last 11 years.
Madrid’s love affair with the Champions League finals seems to have no end, although after beating Bayer Leverkusen in Glasgow in 2002, a Barcelona cyclone arrived. The Barça of Rijkaard, Eto’o and Ronaldinho beat Arsenal in Paris in 2006. Excellence came in 2009, a year that is history for the achievement of the Blaugrana sextete. The Barça of Messi, The cycle ended in the final of Berlin 2015. A Champions League that meant the club’s second treble. It was signed by Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez under the direction of Luis Enrique. Four finals in 10 years. All won.
Then came two consecutive slaps. On May 7, 2019, the team fell 4-0 in the Champions League semifinals against Liverpool at Anfield, unable to defend the 3-0 lead at Camp Nou. The crisis was fully evident the following year with the 8-2 defeat against Bayern in Da Luz in the quarterfinals. Barça has made its darkness coincide with the clarity of its rival. Since then, Atlético, in 2014 and 2016, Juventus, in 2017, and Liverpool, in 2018 and 2022, have been its victims. It doesn’t matter who is up front on the bench. Or the stars that pass. The Real Madrid shield commanded by Florentino Pérez is above world figures such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Ramos, Benzema or the injuries of Courtois, Militão or Alaba.
Quite the opposite of Barcelona. The League and the Super Cup won by Xavi’s team last year were an ephemeral illusion for a club that will play on loan in Montjuïc while Laporta’s board puts its assets up for sale by activating levers and pressures the workers of the Turkish construction company Limak to The new Spotify Camp Nou will be a reality (at 60% of its capacity) at the end of 2024. Then it will be time to look for new income and return with interest the 1,450 million euros of the agreed financing operation. Real Madrid, for its part, already has the new Bernabéu, a stadium it built during the pandemic when football was played behind closed doors, ready with a roof and a large video scoreboard.
The drought of Barça titles has also affected the professional sections – basketball, handball, indoor soccer and roller hockey – when they compete abroad. As a result of the complicated economic situation, the board took out the scissors and this year cut between 15 and 20% of their budgets. Some cuts that have been reflected in the results. This year they have all skated in Europe. Except handball, which is qualified for the final four in Cologne.
The only blaugrana light among so much disappointment is the Barça women’s team with four consecutive Champions League finals and two in their showcases. He will look for the third on May 25 in Bilbao against the almighty Lyon. And your future? It is about to be written. But they will surely do it without the architect Markel Zubizarreta, now in the Federation, and without Jonatan Giráldez who will change the Barcelona bench for one in the United States. The future of players like Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and Mariona Caldentey is up in the air.