From the Liverpool side that were humbled 5-2 by Real Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday night, five started the first time Jurgen Klopp’s Reds fell foul to the Spanish giants in the 2018 Champions League final.
Substitutes James Milner and Roberto Firmino take such a total to seven, while Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were all contracted but sat out the trip to Kiev through injury.
In contrast, three of Real Madrid’s starting XI at Anfield also started in Kiev, with substitute Toni Kroos also starting the 2018 final. Meanwhile, Nacho, Marco Asensio, and Dani Ceballos were utilised as substitutes in both, Lucas Vazquez watched on from the bench for both, and unused substitute Jesus Vallejo was at the end of his first season at the Bernabeu five years ago.
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Both sides have waved off key players since 2018, with Sadio Mane and Gini Wijnaldum no longer at Anfield. Meanwhile, Dejan Lovren and Loris Karius have also departed, along with the entire substitutes bench of Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Ragnar Klavan, Alberto Moreno, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, and Dominic Solanke.
A look at the Spanish giants and Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Mateo Kovacic, Keylor Navas, Isco, Gareth Bale, Theo Hernandez, and Kiko Casilla have all left the Bernabeu since 2018.
Liverpool would bank just £78.3m for that departing octet, with Mane and Solanke responsible for £59m for it, as Wijnaldum, Karius, Clyne, Moreno, Lallana and Can all departed on free transfers.
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While Ramos, Marcelo, Isco, Bale, and Casilla all left Madrid on free transfers, they would still pocket a hefty £282.95m when selling members of their 2018 Champions League-winning squad.
For all of the praise the Reds have received for their transfer business in recent years, they have lost far too many players at the end of their contracts for nothing, and are now left with an ageing squad stuck in transition.
Real Madrid are in transition also, but they have managed it so much better and made ruthless decisions along the way.
Ronaldo was 33 when they sold him to Juventus for £99.2m, while Manchester United spent £70m for a 30-year-old Casemiro, and £42m for a 28-year-old Varane. The three were a significant part of the spine of that Real Madrid side in Kiev back in 2018, but when the time came, the La Liga giants moved them on for significant fees they could reinvest in their squad.
Meanwhile, Modric and Benzema might be 37 and 35 respectively, with Kroos 33, but they continue to perform at a world class level. Both played crucial roles in thrashing Liverpool at Anfield and were rightly afforded standing ovations from the home crowd when replaced.
They are complimented by the sublime talents of Vinicius Jr (22), Rodrygo (22), Eduardo Camavinga (20), Federico Valverde (24), and Eder Militao (25), all who started at Anfield, along with Aurelien Tchouameni (23) who missed the trip through injury.
Real Madrid might be in a transition of sorts, but the reigning European giants’ next generation has already taken its place in their starting XI and is delivering for them now. Their squad overhaul has been so much more efficient than the one taking place at Anfield.
Sure, Liverpool have Trent Alexander-Arnold (24), and have signed the likes of Darwin Nunez (23), Cody Gakpo (23), and Diogo Jota (26), but the likes of teenagers Stefan Bajcetic and Harvey Elliott, as gifted as they are, are still just talented potential on the cusp of offering more.
Meanwhile, the majority of the Reds’ ageing stars from Kiev are clearly on the decline. While Mohamed Salah might still be world class, there will be no standing ovation for the likes of Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk, and Fabinho - who was actually brought in days after that 2018 loss - when they travel to the Bernabeu.
Since that first Champions League final showdown under Klopp, both sides have retained and moved on pretty much the same number of players. A similar total have also retained starting places.
But when you look at the contrasting transfer business, with Real Madrid moving on declining stars for significant fees they can reinvest while bringing in a next generation ready to compete now, Liverpool have dropped the ball when it comes to their own strategy. They milked everything dry to the very last drop and it has now come back to bite them.
Forced to revamp their entire attack in the space of 12 months, they plan to overhaul their midfield in the summer. Yet, at the same time, their defence is currently bleeding. You can’t do everything at once and expect to still be successful with their transfer model continuing to look increasingly flawed.
Reds bosses have looked to the future of course, and there is no reason to believe the foundations for their next generation aren’t already in place. But in doing so, they have forgotten to look after the present as Liverpool continue to flounder.
For the past five years they might have cemented their place back at Europe’s top table, being crowned champions of England, Europe, and the world while winning every major honour going. But there’s a reason why each trophy has been just a one-time success compared to the juggernauts of Real Madrid. Their strategy might have earned them short-term success, but now the long-term flaws are crystal clear.
It’s not just on the pitch where the La Liga giants have shown up Liverpool. Their 5-2 victory has highlighted their superiority off it too, as they remain competitive despite being in transition while the Reds are left hoping that this season only proves to be just one step backwards.
But when you look at how Real Madrid humbled Liverpool despite their own ongoing surgery, you can’t help but wonder how the Reds find themselves in a position where they have had to take such a step backwards at all.
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