Spanish champions Real Madrid promise to be opposition of the highest calibre when City face them in this year’s Champions League.
Manager:
Jose Mourinho needs little introduction to English audiences after managing Chelsea for three years and masterminding Real Madrid’s La Liga title triumph last season.
A winner of the Champions League with Porto and Inter, Mourinho has yet to lift the trophy with Los Merengues, crashing out on penalties to Bayern Munich in last season’s semi-final.
Euro Pedigree:
The most decorated side in the competition’s history, Real Madrid have lifted the trophy on nine occasions, most recently in 2001/02 when Zinedine Zidane scored a breathtaking volley to secure a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Real’s most successful period in the competition arrived in the mid-fifties when they won the then-European Cup for five consecutive years – a feat never since repeated.
Star man:
Cristiano Ronaldo – an explosive showman who has scored a staggering 105 goals in the past two seasons, including 10 in last year’s Champions League.
His duel with Lionel Messi has proved to be one of the most thrilling subplots in recent footballing history and he’ll be desperate to add to his solitary Champions League medal secured in 2009.
Stadium:
The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, opened in 1947, can hold 85,000 and is one of the great theatres of European football, staging the 1982 World Cup final, as well as the Champions League final of 2010.
Initially named the New Chamartín Stadium, the decision was taken in 1955 to rename it the Santiago Bernabeu after the club President just before he ushered in the most successful period in Los Blancos’ history.
Our Official Travel Partner, Thomas Cook Sport, is offering trips to follow the team in the UEFA Champions League. More information here...
