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Real Madrid, arguably the most prestigious club in World football, have produced some of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport. With a record 33 La Liga titles and 12 Champions League trophies, Los Blancos have been a dominant force in Europe for decades.
Voted by FIFA as the 'Club of the Century', Real Madrid began the new millennium as the greatest of all time. With legends of the game such as Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo, Beckham and Raul all playing for Los Merengues, the Real Madrid badge is one that footballers all over the world aspire to represent.
The last 17 years have seen the best players on the planet move to the Spanish capital, and add to the club's glorious history.
Here are the top 5 Real Madrid moments, so far, in the 21st century:
#5 El Clasico 2012
Undoubtedly the greatest rivalry on the planet, El Clasico is the most entertaining fixture in the sport. A clash between 2 of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid and Barcelona, El Clasico is viewed by millions around the globe.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the finest players of their generation usually go head-to-head in this classic tie that has produced some of the most magical moments of all time.
The El Clasico tie in April, 2012 was the most awaited fixture of the season. The result of the tie would go on to play a huge role in the outcome of the Spanish League. Los Blancos travelled to Barcelona with a 4 point lead.
A loss would mean that the advantage would be reduced to a single point. Pep's Barcelona were unbeaten at home in their last 55 games, and had turned the Camp Nou into what seemed like an impenetrable fortress. But this was no ordinary fixture, and no ordinary opposition.
3 minutes into kick-off, the league leaders created the first chance of the game as a Cristiano Ronaldo header was tipped over the bar. The Catalan side seemed to enjoy most of the possession but Los Blancos seemed more lethal with the ball.
In the 17th minute, Pepe met Angel Di Maria's corner with a firm header at the back post, drawing a one-handed save from Valdes. The ball fell to Puyol but the veteran Barca captain hesitated inexplicably and Khedira was able to bundle over the line. 20 minutes into the game, Real scored a crucial early goal to put Barcelona on the back foot.
After 53 minutes of suffering, the Catalans finally managed to convert an attack into a goal through the substitute Alexis Sanchez. A deflection from the feet of Arbeloa resulted in Sanchez getting an opportunity to slot home a sitter from close range.
A scrappy goal, but an equaliser nonetheless. The Camp Nou was at its feet, as the Chile International gave the Blaugrana the much-needed lift.
3 minutes later, however, Cristiano Ronaldo would give the club one of the most unforgettable moments in its history. A magical through ball from Mesut Ozil gave CR7 just the space he needed as the Portuguese ace beat the Barcelona defence, drew Valdez out and netted one of the biggest goals in his career.
The Real Madrid number 7 then gave the world the infamous 'Calma' celebration as he silenced the Camp Nou and indicated to them to stay calm as any cause for celebration seemed to be over for them.
The iconic celebration left the Camp Nou shattered as the man they hated and criticized had just openly mocked them in the most ruthless way imaginable.
Real Madrid won the game 2-1 and increased the lead to 7 points. Jose Mourinho's men would go on to win their first La Liga title in 4 years and mark the beginning of a new era in Real Madrid history.
#4 The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo
On the 26th of June 2009, Real Madrid broke the world record fee and completed the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.
The young boy from Madeira would now be the most expensive player in the history of the sport. A fee that seemed astronomical would prove to be the bargain of the century as the investment in the Portuguese international would give mind-blowing returns.
The former Sporting CP winger was brought to Old Trafford when he was only 19. It took the boy a single touch and a crafty turn to get the crowd off their feet as the teenage sensation took the Premier League by storm.
The winger won everything there was to win with the English Club, and also lifted his first Ballon d'Or. The highlight of his United career was winning the UEFA Champions League, beating their arch-rivals Chelsea in an 'All English' final.
The young Cristiano had caught the attention of clubs all over the world and when Los Blancos came knocking, the Portuguese star couldn't resist. In April 2009, Ronaldo made the move to his dream club, and nothing would be the same again.
The Red Devils had once again lost a key player to Los Blancos, and there was nothing they could do about it. Cristiano was Real Madrid's next Galactico, and undoubtedly their best.
A team that seemed to be a shadow of its former self, was about to be rejuvenated by arguably the greatest of all time. The glory days would return for the Spanish Giants as they would go on to win everything in the next few years and go back to being a dominant force in club football.
Real Madrid won 3 UEFA Champions League titles, 3 Club World Cups and 2 La Liga titles since the signing of their biggest Galactico. Cristiano also went on to win the Ballon d'Or 4 more times and the Golden Boot thrice as a Real Madrid player.
Scoring the decisive penalty against local rivals Atletico in the final of the Champions League, Heading home a cross against Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey Final, scoring a hat-trick in the Club World Cup final, netting 10 goals in 5 matches in the final stages of the Champions League 2016-1017 that included a brace in the final, were some of the few invaluable contributions made by the winger.
8 years later, one can undoubtedly claim that the future of Real Madrid could be very different if not for the world-record signing of the Portuguese. The deal that got Cristiano to the Bernabeu played a very crucial role in the club's history.
If not for the man who would go on to become the club's top scorer, Real would have achieved perhaps only a fraction of what they actually did.
The 5-time Ballon d'Or winner has played some magical football at his dream club, and seems very likely to retire there, and widely hailed as Madrid's finest signing of all time.
#3 Copa del Rey 2014
It was Real Madrid that scored the first goal of the match through the in-form Angel Di Maria. Barcelona found themselves outclassed by Real's pace as they executed a perfect counter attack. A Gareth Bale pass found Karim Benzema out wide who then placed the ball perfectly for the Argentinian.
The match, however, wasn't close to over as Barcelona found the equaliser through a Marc Batra header that hit the top corner. The Catalans were back, and it was all square at the Mestalla. Bartra scored his first goal of the competition, and at the perfect time, but the Barcelona defender was about to be remembered for a whole different reason.
With a few minutes on the clock, Coentrao passes the ball out wide to Gareth Bale, for what seems like a routine through ball, but Bale lit up the Mastella with absolute class. The Welshman sprinted with the ball all the way from the half, beat Marc Bartra for pace, managed to bring the ball in, and slid it past the Barcelona keeper, to drop the Mestalla into a fit of chaos.
Real Madrid's record signing shows his worth as he single-handedly produces a world-class run, and scores one of the most iconic goals in the history of the competition. The former Spurs man left Barta humiliated as he outclassed the defender and ran all the way, before he slotted home the winner.
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#2 Zidane's volley - UEFA Champions League final (2002)
In 2002, Los Merengues were back at Hampden Park to play a Champions League final. All eyes were on Glasgow for the biggest game of the season. Bayer Leverkusen were about to play their first ever CL final, whereas Real Madrid were looking to win Europe's most elite competition for the 3rd time in 5 years and for the second time in the Scottish capital.
Bayer Leverkusen had beaten Sir Alex Fergusen's Manchester United in the semi-final to deny the manager a homecoming at Glasgow. Los Blancos fielded a legendary team with the likes of Figo, Salgado, Roberto Carlos and Zidane.
Leverkusen were relying on the abilities of a young Michel Ballack and Lucio. It took the game 8 minutes for its first goal as Raul slid the ball past the keeper to give Vicente Del Bosque's men an early lead. But the German opposition hit back in no time through Lucio, who headed in the equaliser.
It reminded all square until the 45th minute, when Zidane produced a moment of magic. The French midfielder found himself at the end of a lobbed ball most footballers wouldn't even care to attempt.
Zidane was about to give the club one of the most unforgettable moments of all time. Swinging his let foot the legendary maestro hit the ball perfectly as it found the top corner and once again put Real in the lead.
The French Galactico scored the goal of the season and what a stage he chose to score in on. Real Madrid went on to win the game 2-1 and won their record 9th UEFA Champions League. Los Blancos had established themselves as the best in Europe and the best of all time.
They were on a high, winning everything, beating everybody. Little did the team that won 3 Champions Leagues in 5 years, know that they would have to wait more than a decade before they achieved European glory again.
#1 La Decima
12 years after that unforgettable night in Glasgow, Real Madrid had finally made it to a Champions League final. Being eliminated in the semi-final stage of the competition for over a decade, Los Blancos would give everything to win La Decima - their 10th UEFA Champions League title.
Beating the holders Bayern Munich in the semi-final on a 5-0 aggregate, Real Madrid travelled to Lisbon with momentum on their side. They would play the grand final against their local rivals Atletico De Madrid.
Los Rojiblancos had beaten Barcelona in the semi-final and had a breathtaking season, winning the Spanish league title. They had beaten Real Madrid twice in the league, but had also been knocked out by them in the quarterfinal of the Copa del Rey.
Diego Simone's men had suddenly become one of the strongest clubs in the continent, after producing a year of breathtaking football. The rivalry between the two clubs was about to hit new levels as they went head to head for the biggest trophy in club football.
Hoping to win his first Champions League with Real Madrid, Cristiano was eager to win the competition on home soil, but Atletico was ready to turn the Portuguese capital into hell. Scoring the first goal in the form of a header by Diego Godin, meant that Atletico would get an early lead in a crucial game.
The error from Iker Casillas would prove to be extremely costly as Real would go on to draw blanks for the major part of the game.
As the 90th minute fast approached, Los Blancos could see the title slip out of their hands, as La Decima seemed to have eluded them once again. The script, however, was about to be torn apart, as a Modric's cross was headed strongly into the back of the net by Sergio Ramos, as the Real Madrid captain gave the club one of the most important goals of all time.
A 93rd-minute equalizer flipped the tie on its backside, as Real Madrid subsequently stole the trophy from the grasps of their local rivals.
As the game went into extra time, Real started to dominate a broken Atletico. The first half ended with no changes in the scoreline, but everything was about to change in the next 15. A mindblowing Di Maria run helped him beat the Atletico defence and let fly a shot on goal. Courtois managed to keep it out, only to let it fall perfectly for Gareth Bale to head it in.
The third for Real came thanks to a penalty won by Cristiano, who scored cooly from the spot to finish it all off in Lisbon. To add insult to injury, Marcelo found space between a physically and mentally destroyed Atletico and ran straight and true to beat the Belgian keeper and make it 4-1 on the night.
La Decima was finally a reality, and Carlo Ancelotti's men lay hands on the greatest prize in football. Sergio Ramos' late equalizer will forever go down as the most crucial goal in the history of the club, and maybe even the tournament.
