'Kings of Europe' – Real Madrid's 11 Champions League semi-finals in 13 years may never be beaten
Los Blancos are through to the last four once again after beating Chelsea this week
“Kings of Europe,” their fans sing. And whatever your feelings are about Real Madrid, it is hard to deny that truth. No other club can match Los Blancos’ heritage in the old European Cup or the more modern Champions League.
When Real Madrid beat Liverpool to claim the trophy last season, it was their 14th. To put that into perspective, the second-highest on the list of all-time winners is AC Milan with seven European Cups. Exactly half. And Tuesday night’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge sealed a place in the semi-finals of the competition again this term.
That, in itself is a new record: 11 semi-finals in 13 seasons. Since 2011, Real Madrid have only missed out on the last four of the competition twice – in 2019 and 2020. It is an unbelievable run, one which underlines their superiority and impressive consistency at the highest level in Europe for more than a decade.
It is hard to believe now that Los Blancos did not even make it to the last eight of the competition for six seasons prior to that. Between 2005 and 2010, the Spanish giants were eliminated in the last 16 every time. It seems like a long time ago now.
Even though he did not win the trophy while at Real, there was a significant shift with the appointment of José Mourinho as coach in 2010. The Portuguese led Los Blancos to three straight semi-finals and made Madrid competitive again in Europe.
Following Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival as his replacement in 2013, Madrid won their 10th European Cup after a 12-year wait: La Décima. Zinédine Zidane then won three in a row between 2016 and 2018, before Ancelotti added another last year. And the Italian has reached the semi-finals in each of his four seasons as Real coach across two spells.
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Madrid have also played in the knockout rounds 32 times, which is more than any other team in the competition’s history. In the semi-finals this time, they will face Manchester City and Europe’s most in-form forward: Erling Haaland.
A number of analysts, including former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and Spanish TV’s international football specialist Julio Maldonado ‘Maldini’, believe City are favourites to beat Madrid on this occasion. They were last season, though, and Real somehow came through that tie.
In last season’s semi-final, City led 5-3 on aggregate going into the last minute of the 180 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Then Real Madrid scored twice and again in extra time to advance to the final. Never rule them out.
There is an element of fortune involved in such comebacks, along with plenty of belief, and Madrid might have used up all their luck in last season’s series of incredible turnarounds. Either way, they never know when they are beaten in Europe and that is a very useful quality to have in this competition.
Whatever happens in the semi-finals this time around, their record in the Champions League over the past 13 years is extraordinary and it may never be repeated, let alone beaten. The next generation has a lot to live up to.