They have done it. Real Madrid capped off a miracle season by defeating Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League Final, becoming 14-time champions to increase their all-time lead of the world’s most prestigious club footballing competition.
Madridistas were nervous with all the pressure the world-class Liverpool side put them under, and they were incensed by the disallowed goal against Karim Benzema.
But in the end, the Merengues won 1-0, thanks to a clinical goal from Vinicius Jr. and a whole lot of world-class keeping from the best in the world, Thibaut Courtois.
Here are the player ratings from the triumph at the Stade de France.
GK Thibaut Courtois
If you do not think Thibaut Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world now, then spare me your football opinions. Please. Shot after shot, Courtois parried, and he did so with the presence of mind to always send the ball to complete safety. Madridistas have been telling the world he is the best on the planet for months, yet their cries have been ignored. Now, in the Champions League Final, Courtois definitively proved he is the best. My apologies to Mohamed Salah. You simply did not stand a chance.
Rating: 10
LB Ferland Mendy
97.2 percent of his passes completed. Why was I so worried about him against Mo Salah and the Liverpool press? He stepped up.
Rating: 8
CB David Alaba
Quietly did his job an elevated everyone around him, as he always does. It was so good to have David Alaba back in the Real Madrid XI for the Champions League Final. He wins wherever he goes, and it was beautiful to see his emotional reaction to winning this one. Alaba had four tackles, two interceptions, and a jaw-dropping three blocked shots. And who can forget the should-have-been-goal-created for Karim Benzema?
Rating: 9
CB Eder Militao
Monster. Some Madridistas were worried about his recent mistakes, but Eder Militao showed why he has been one of the best young center backs in Europe this season. Scratch that, he has been THE best. Militao showed the heart of a lion, channeling his Sergio Ramos in every tackle, putting his body on the line against one of the best forward trios in the world.
Rating: 9
RB Dani Carvajal
Another stalwart performance from Dani Carvajal, who was right there with Thibaut Courtois as one of the Men of the Match (though, obviously, the nod goes to the Belgian affectionately called a giraffe by Madrid fans). Carvajal put everything on the line and proved that he is far from a liability. Against the best right back in the world in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Carvajal showed that he is still the king.
Rating: 9
CM Toni Kroos
Man, where would we have been in this game without Toni Kroos? Somehow underappreciated by the mainstream crowd, Kroos’ masterful execution against Liverpool will likely get overlooked again by the bloviating pundits, too ignorant to understand Kroos’ vision and ability to maintain control. Liverpool’s press was great, but Kroos was even better.
The 30-year-old midfielder completed 92.7 percent of his team-high 82 passes and was inches away from an assist to Casemiro. Kroos also added three tackles, proving he can still contribute to the team in a positive manner defensively despite prior criticism and some struggles vs. Manchester City.
Rating: 9
DM Casemiro
The 9’s continue with the 6, as Casemiro made up for any slow decisions on the ball or bizarre plays in the opposing penalty area with the kind of defensive performance that should be considered a clinic to anyone wanting to play this position.
Casemiro is the epitome of unselfishness in so many ways. The 30-year-old matched David Alaba with four tackles and three interceptions, though it felt like he had double those interventions with the amount of ground he covered and the amount of fires he put out against a brilliant Liverpool side. You cannot tell the story of this Champions League-winning season without praising Casemiro effusively.
Rating: 9
CM Luka Modric
The basic stats will make you think that Luka Modric was invisible, but anyone who watched this game will tell you the exact opposite. Like his long-time partner Toni Kroos, Modric was indispensable in Real Madrid beating Liverpool’s press and surviving a difficult first half.
Still the world’s most complete midfielder, Lukita did so much dirty work and ball-carrying for the team, ensuring Real Madrid were never overrun despite purposefully observing massive amounts of early pressure from Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Rating: 8
LW Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius Jr. is becoming a Real Madrid legend already. At 21, Vini has contributed 10 goals to the Champions League winning campaign, including the winner in the final. And he is used to contributing winning goals, whether against Chelsea, Barcelona in a decisive title-winning Clasico, or even Sevilla with a wondergoal all on his own.
This goal was more of the clinical/boring variety, but it is exactly what Madridistas want to see more and more of from the youngster as he continues to evolve into one of the world’s best.
Already, he is a top-five player and should stand behind Karim Benzema on the podium, ahead of Champions League Final opponents Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Throughout the game, he was THE danger for Real Madrid.
Rating: 9
CF Karim Benzema
Although these are the games in which Karim Benzema cannot shine as much, he still showed his quality with genius flicks, lots of hard work to help Vini get free, and two key passes. Oh, and of course, he should have been credited with the goal.
This Champions League title should seal him as the Ballon d’Or winner.
Rating: 7.5
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RW Fede Valverde
Without Fede Valverde, Real Madrid would not have scored, as his cross set up Vinicius Jr.’s decisive second-half goal. Fede does so much for this team beyond creating goals, as we saw with all of his running. He is tireless and a special athlete in every sense of the word. The Liverpool players had all sorts of issues getting their hands on him.
Rating: 7.5