We are only hours away from the 2016-17 Champions League final where the team who have scored the most number of goals in the tournament with 32 (Real Madrid) will be up against the team who have conceded the least number of goals with 3 (Juventus) at Cardiff.
While reigning champions Real Madrid’s home leg win over Atletico Madrid proved to be enough to guide them to the final, Juventus completely outplayed Monaco in both legs to reach the final. The last time the Bianconeri reached the Champions League final, they were thrashed 3-1 by Barcelona thanks to goals from Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez, and Neymar.
However, this time, the team look solid with the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, and of course their own BBC – Bonucci, Barzagli, and Chiellini. Both sides will be coming into the final after winning their respective league titles and the match is expected to be a humdinger.
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The final will be huge for players from both teams but particularly Gareth Bale who will be playing in his hometown. If Real Madrid win the Champions League final, then Bale will become the sixth player to win the Champions League in his hometown. Here are the other five who have achieved that feat.
#1 Enrique Mateos, 1957
Enrique Mateos was among the first two players to win the Champions League (European Cup back then) in his hometown when he represented Real Madrid during the 1956-57 Champions League. The 1956-57 season was a brilliant season for Mateos as he scored 14 goals in the La Liga from 21 matches.
During the European Cup, Mateos scored two goals in the first leg of the quarter-finals against Nice at the Bernabeu and followed it up by scoring a goal in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Manchester United in the first leg of the semi-finals.
Real qualified for the final by winning 5-3 on aggregate where they came up against Fiorentina. The final was at the Bernabeu, Mateos’ hometown and birthplace. In front of a crowd of 120,000, Real Madrid retained their title by beating Fiorentina 2-0 thanks to goals from Alfredo di Stefano and Francesco Gento.
#2 Miguel Munoz, 1957
One of Real Madrid’s greatest players during the 1950s and Real’s first goal scorer in the Champions League, Miguel Munoz was the skipper of the Real Madrid team when they won the inaugural Champions League (or the European Cup, as it was known back then) in 1956.
The midfielder played six matches throughout the tournament and alongside Jose Maria Zarraga, dictated the flow of the game as Los Blancos retained their Champions League crown at the Bernabeu after defeating Fiorentina 2-0 in the final. Munoz would later coach the Real Madrid team from 1960-1974.
#3 Alex Stepney, 1968
One of Manchester United’s greatest goalkeepers, Alex Stepney was born in Mitchum which is located in South-West London. After Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967, Manchester United had the opportunity to become the first English club to win the tournament when they reached the final the following season. The final was at Wembley and they were up against the Eusebio-led Benfica.
Throughout the final, Stepney was alert in goal and made a number of brilliant saves, the best of them being holding on to a close range shot from Eusebio when the scores were tied at 1-1. This impressed the Portuguese to the extent that he stood for a few seconds to applaud Stepney.
The Red Devils eventually won the match in extra-time 4-1 and thus, became the first English club to lay their hands on the European Cup.
#4 Angelo di Livio, 1996
Nicknamed Little Soldier, Angelo di Livio achieved Champions League success with Juventus in 1996 at his birthplace, Rome, where Juventus defeated reigning champions Ajax in the final at the Stadio Olimpico.
Di Livio scored once in the tournament during a group game against Steaua Bucuresti at Turin. He was not named in the playing XI in the final but came on as a substitute in the 57th minute, replacing Paulo Sousa. At that point, the scores were level at 1-1. The game went into penalties where Juventus goalie Angelo Peruzzi made two fine saves to win the match for his side.
#5 Nicolas Anelka, 2000
The last instance of a player winning the Champions League in his hometown was in 2000 when Nicolas Anelka lifted the trophy in 1999/2000 with Real Madrid. Madrid had a very strong team with the likes of Raul, Roberto Carlos, Fernando Morientes, and a young Iker Casillas all present in the squad.
Anelka scored two goals, one in each leg of the semi-finals against Bayern Munich. In the final at the Stade de France at Paris, Real were up against Valencia who were led by Gaizka Mendieta, one of the finest European midfielders of his time.
The Blancos opened the scoring in the 39th minute courtesy of Fernando Morientes. Steve McManaman and Raul added two more within eight minutes to help Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 and win the Champions League yet again.
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