UEFA Champions League: Top 5 Man Of The Match Performances In The Final Over The Last 10 Years
May 31, 2020 at 1:20 PM
UEFA Champions League, a competition where Ferraris race against Lambhorginis, is one of the most prestigious tournaments in world football, particularly club football. UEFA Champions League is the ultimate glory in European football and it is only a certain number of teams that make it into the competition every year.
Real Madrid have been the most successful club in the competition so far as they have managed to win a whopping 13 titles. Italian giants, AC Milan, follow Madrid on the second spot with 7 titles. Winning the Champions League is a matter of utmost glory in club football for any footballer. However, things get more illustrious when a footballer grabs a match-winning performance in the final of the tournament.
Today, we’ll take a look at the top-five man of the match performances in the UEFA Champions League final over the last 10 years.
Top 5 Man Of The Match Performances In The UEFA Champions League Final Over The Last 10 Years
5. Arjen Robben-2013 (Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund)
Arjen Robben has been a legend for Bayern Munich throughout his stint at the Allianz Arena. He has helped them win a plethora of matches and when he was at his prime, he was the second-best left-footed player in world football after Lionel Messi. 2013 had been a year of history for Bayern as they won the treble that year.
However, their most important win of the campaign was the UEFA Champions League title which they won beating arch-rivals, Borussia Dortmund in the final. Bayern won the dramatic final at the Wembley Stadium by 2-1 as Arjen Robben scored a late winner for the Bavarians to rejoice their title glory as Arjen Robben emerged as their saviour in the Der Klassiker final.
4. Didier Drogba-2012 (Chelsea vs Bayern Munich)
The 2012 UEFA Champions League Final was a lot more special for Chelsea. After having lost their first-ever final in 2008, it was only the second time that they were appearing in the grand finale. Opposite to them were Bayern Munich, the German machines, who incidentally had the advantage of playing the final at their home, Allianz Arena.
However, Chelsea ensured their first-ever Champions League title as they beat Bayern in the penalty shootout by 4-3. Bayern had taken an early lead initially in the regular time. Didier Drogba cancelled it out by scoring a thumping header in the dying minutes. Eventually, Drogba scored the winning penalty for Chelsea, making them the first team from London to win the prestigious trophy.
3. Lionel Messi-2011 (FC Barcelona vs Manchester United)
The 2011 UEFA Champions League Final took place at the Wembley Stadium in London between two of the most giant powerhouses in European football, FC Barcelona and Manchester United. It was a battle of the best managers as well because Pep Guardiola was facing Alex Ferguson on the other side.
However, FC Barcelona showed as to why they were the best team in world football under Pep’s reign and absolutely stormed past Manchester United. The goals from Pedro, David Villa, and Lionel Messi sealed the deal for Barcelona as they made way for a fourth Champions League title in their trophy cabinet.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo-2017 (Real Madrid vs Juventus)
The 2017 UEFA Champions League Final panned out between Italian giants Juventus and Spanish champions, Real Madrid. Madrid had won the competition twice in the last three years coming into the 2017 final held at Cardiff, Wales. Cristiano Ronaldo had been their talisman in their illustrious run in the competition.
He made sure that he didn’t disappoint his fans as he put on another stellar performance against Juventus in the final. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace in the final of the tournament and helped RealMadrid cruise past Juventus by 4-1, leading them to their second consecutive Champions League title in two years.
1. Angel Di Maria-2014 (Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid)
The La Decima title will forever be one of the most historic titles in Real Madrid’s trophy cabinet. This victory helped Real Madrid assert themselves as the leaders of world football. The final took place against Atletico Madrid, their Spanish derby rivals. The 2014 UEFA Champions League final is still one of the most entertaining finals in the history of the competition.
Atletico Madrid took an early lead in the first half of the match. However, Real Madrid bounced back through Sergio Ramos’ bullet header in injury time. After that, began the Real Madrid show. However, a lot of credit for Real Madrid staying in the game and winning it in extra-time goes to Angel Di Maria as he literally toyed with Atletico’s defence throughout the game and gave them no breathing space, helping Real Madrid win their 10th title.