The evolution of the Champions League finalists

In 1897 a group of British academics, who were studying at the InstituciĆ³n Libre de EnseƱanza introduced football to the Spanish capital of Madrid through a new club – Sky.

By 1900, the group had fallen out and the club split in two, one of the clubs that was born from this disagreement was the Nueva Sociedad de Football. Just one year later this it would be renamed Madrid Football Club – the club that would one day morph into Real Madrid.

1140 miles to the north-east, just 9 years later, a Christian youth club got into trouble due to using a local pub to meet and drink at.

Unwilling to give up the pub as their meeting room, they would split off from their local parish and form their own club. Thirteen months later the group was playing organised football as Borussia Dortmund.

Since then, both of these clubs have become something that was unimaginable at their conception, with rich histories and loyal fanbases.

Tonight, they face off for the biggest prize of them all, in the Champions League final.

So how did the transformation occur for these two sides? What was it that took them from local amateur clubs to European and global phenoms?

Guardiola’s Barcelona: Complete Dominance and Cruyffian Influence

Guardiola was undoubtedly heavily influenced in his tactical philosophy by Johan Cruyff – whom he served under during his playing days.

As a player, Guardiola’s talent lay in the mental side of the game – he did not have an imposing frame or tremendous speed. What he did possess however, was a deep understanding for the tactical side of the game, impressive spacial awareness, and, outstanding passing vision.

Guardiola lined up as a midfield pivot in Cruyff’s side. He perfectly suited Cruyff’s tactical visions for the game.

Indeed, many of the main tactical ideas seen within Cruyff’s ideology also emerge within Guardiola’s: an obsession with maintaining possession, counter-pressing, ‘sweeper’ keepers, and attacking fluidity.

Central Europe’s Historic Competition: The Mitropa Cup

I recently wrote a piece on what I called the predecessor to the European Cup – The Latin Cup.

In this competition, the league champions from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal faced off against one another from 1949-1957.

The Latin Cup went a long way in showcasing the necessity for competition between Europe’s elite footballing sides. However, it was not the only international club-competition that came before its time.

There were other competitions that also predated the European Cup and pitted the best sides from various countries against one another – for instance, The Mitropa Cup.