As time went by, Luis Enrique’s prediction made him sound prophetic. At this stage 12 months ago, he said whoever went through from his last-16 tie would make it to the Champions League final. Paris Saint-Germain had a 1-0 first-leg deficit to Liverpool when he spoke. PSG overturned it, went to the final and won it 5-0.
It is tempting to wonder if Carlo Ancelotti or Pep Guardiola had ever turned forecaster when they met. If so, they would have identified the eventual winner. In 2022, Real Madrid beat Manchester City in the semi-finals and won their 14th European Cup. In 2024, they eliminated them in the last eight and went to take their 15th. In between, City’s 2023 semi-final win propelled them to their maiden Champions League. It may be unfair to other clubs – Liverpool, Inter, Borussia Dortmund among them – to call it a final by another name. In a way, it was.
