Modric, Benzema, Marcelo and Carvajal equal Ronaldo with fifth overall win in CL | NOW

Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal, Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Toni Kroos and Isco matched Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday by winning the Champions League for the fifth time with Real Madrid. The Madrilenians were 1-0 too strong for Liverpool in the final in Paris due to a goal from Vinicius Junior.

Ronaldo has held the record alone since 2018. That year he won the Champions League for the fourth time with Real Madrid, after being the strongest with Manchester United in 2008.

Benzema, Modric, Carvajal, Bale, Marcelo and Isco were also the best in Europe with Real in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and a fifth triumph followed on Saturday evening. Kroos won the Champions League in 2013 with Bayern Munich, followed by overall victories with Real in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022.

The fifth title of Bale, Marcelo and especially Isco is arbitrary. The trio stayed on the reserve bench against Liverpool for 90 minutes in the Stade de France and Isco did not even play a minute in the entire Champions League season.

Virgil Van Dijk can’t match Van der Sar

Virgil van Dijk could have become the third Dutchman on Saturday evening with more than one final victory in the Champions League, but that did not work. The defender also lost the final battle with Liverpool from Real in 2018, but a year later he won the cup with ‘The Reds’ at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur.

The two Dutchmen who were final winners more than once in the Champions League, the tournament that was the successor to the European Cup I in 1992, are Clarence Seedorf and Edwin van der Sar.

Seedorf won the tournament four times, in 1995 with Ajax, in 1998 with Real Madrid and in 2003 and 2007 with AC Milan. Van der Sar was Seedorf’s teammate at Ajax in 1995 and was again the best in 2008 with Manchester United.