CHAMPIONS | Real Madrid – Manchester City: anthology of the great European classic of the 21st century

Again. And here they go, with this Wednesday, 15 direct confrontations in the history of the Champions Leagueall of them from 2012. For the fifth consecutive season, sixth time in the last seven seasons, Real Madrid y Manchester City They see each other in a European Cup match. A duel marked by the future of Xabi Alonso, which this time will have a single episode (for now, they could cross paths again) that has already become the great European classic of the 21st century.

City is now the fifth rival that Madrid has met the most times in the European Cup, one match away from Dortmund y Milan (Bayern with 28 and Juventus with 22 they top the list) and already ahead of classics like Ajax, Liverpool, Inter, Manchester United, Barça, PSG, Chelsea… An anomaly if one takes into account that, until 2011, the Mancunian club only participated once in the top continental competition, in the 1968-69 season, being eliminated after only two games.

But what is truly striking is that the crossing has been repeated in the last five editions of the Champions League, in six of the last seven. Something that turns Pep Guardiola is the coach who has faced Real Madrid the most times in the history of the tournamentwith 14 games to date: two with Barça, two with Bayern and 10 with City. We review the five crosses between the white club and Guardiola's City.

The recent saga begins in the pandemic season, in an edition that would end with the victory of Bayern de Hansi Flick in the final eight in Lisbon. The covid caused almost six months to pass between the first leg of the quarterfinals, played in February, and the second leg, played in August with the national leagues already resolved.

The match started with a 'Citizen' victory at the Bernabéu (1-2) and was resolved in August with another victory for the team. Guardiola at the Etihad (2-1), after two serious mistakes by Early. It was the first time that City eliminated Madrid and also the first Champions League tie that they lost. Zinedine Zidane as a coach.

The 2020 Manchester City-Real Madrid match was played behind closed doors due to the pandemic. / Nick Potts / POOL / EFE

After a season without seeing each other, in which Chelsea defeated Madrid in the semifinals and City in the final, the rivalry was resumed in the semifinals of the 21/22 Champions League. The first leg in Manchester was resolved with the match with the most goals in the history of their confrontationswith a 4-3 that left the whites with the feeling of having gotten out of there alive.

What happened in the second leg is already Champions League history. Madrid reached the 90th minute needing to score two goals to force extra time. At minute 95, Rodrygo had scored two and Benzema another, a penalty, to achieve the impossible comeback at the Bernabéu (one of them) and qualify Madrid for a final in which they were going to defeat Liverpool.

In 2022, Madrid experienced one of its most magical nights against City. / Rodrigo Jiménez / EFE

City was going to find revenge just one season, again in the semifinals. This time, the Bernabéu hosted the first leg, resolved with a controversial 1-1, given that Real Madrid complained that the ball had left the field in the play of the goal. De Bruyne.

There was going to be no room for complaint in the return duel. Manchester City qualified for their second Champions League final (this one, against Inter, they were going to win) after overwhelming the team led by Carlo Ancelotti.

In 2023, City took revenge and ended up winning the Champions League. / Rodrigo Jiménez / EFE

The most unlikely of the 15 European Cups in Real Madrid's record also had Manchester City as a supporting actor in the quarterfinals. The first leg at the Bernabéu was a festival of six goals (3-3) that sent the tied tie to the Etihad Stadium, where Guardiola was going to coin one of his most memorable phrases: “What a hell of a way to lose!”

Because what happened eight days later didn't make any sense. The match and extra time ended with 1-1 on the scoreboard, despite the fact that City shot at Lunin's goal 33 times (Madrid did it eight times), a siege of the era. In the final round, the Ukrainian emerged as a hero, stopping two shots and qualifying Ancelotti's team for the final against Dortmund. That they won, of course.

Lunin saved two penalties in 2024 to qualify Real Madrid to the Champions League semi-finals. / EFE

The last precedent is the least epic of the recent series, as it took place in the round of 32 or 'playoff' round. There they crossed paths a Real Madrid that was exhausting the glorious 'Ancelotti era' without remedy and a Manchester City in tatters, football collapsed after Rodri's serious injury.

Guardiola's men resisted in the first leg, although Madrid achieved a deserved victory in the final stretch (2-3). In the return, without Haaland in the equation, Mbappé had his best game in white to date, scoring a hat trick (3-1). The current champion eliminated Atlético on penalties in the next round, but Arsenal punished their decline in the quarterfinals.