The duel between Atlético de Madrid and Arsenal guarantees that there will be a team that can lift the ‘orejona’ for the first time. An increasingly common trend, after the latest conquests of Manchester City and PSG, both against Inter Milan. With ‘colchoneros’ or ‘gunners’ in the final, Europe prepares the throne for a new heir, and could consolidate a trend that seemed impossible at the beginning of the century.
The difficult entrance to the court
For years, the Champions League has only been suitable for the ‘aristocracy’ of football. In fact, after Borussia Dortmund’s victory in 1997 against Juventus, The tournament experienced a drought of new faces on the throne of champions that lasted 15 years.
So far in the 21st century, the elite has dominated the competition. Only three clubs have managed to register their name for the first time among the champions:
- Chelsea (2012): They beat Bayern at their own home in an agonizing penalty shootout, with a stellar Drogba.
- Manchester City (2023): Rodri’s goal against Inter gave Guardiola’s team its first cup.
- PSG (2025): The 5-0 against Inter, being the final with the greatest goal difference, allowed Luis Enrique to win his second Champions League.
PSG celebrates its first Champions League.
These three teams have a common history, since the path to success was also marked by failure. The three most recent champions who debuted in the record share a curious pattern: they lost a final before winning it.
The ‘almost champions’
The challenge facing Arsenal and Atlético is not minor. Since the turn of the millennium, many applicants have tried it, among them, curiously, the two teams that compete in one of the semifinals: Valencia (lost finals in 2000 and 2001), Bayer Leverkusen (surpassed by Zidane’s volley in 2002), Monaco (defeated by Porto in 2004), Arsenal (lost to Barça in 2006), Atlético de Madrid (frustrated in 1974, 2014 and 2016) and Tottenham Hotspur (beaten by Liverpool in 2019) were left on the verge of glory in the Champions League.
Pellegrino and Zahovic, devastated after the defeat on penalties against Bayer.
For Simeone’s team, winning their first Champions League would be redemption after the injuries in Lisbon and Milan. He would even have the opportunity to take revenge on Bayern after the 1974 defeat. For Arteta’s side, confirmation that their project can now look the ‘big boys’ in the eye. One of the two will reach the final with the mission of demonstrating that the European hierarchy is no longer the same.
