COVID didn’t exist, great movies were released (Eighth Grade, Rome, Isle of Dogs) and we all saw a historically good UEFA Champions League final. Yes, the positive mind invades us this time: 2018 -truly- was a good year.
That final was played between real Madrid Y Liverpool. The White House was victorious after Sergio Ramos injured Mohamed Salah, Loris Karius put the ball in his own goal (twice) and Gareth Bale scored a scandalous shot from above.
As part of the Rivals series of 90minwe thought we’d take a look at where the players of that game ended up.
GK – Keylor Navas – A fan favorite at Real Madrid, but was eventually replaced by Thibaut Courtois and sent to PSG… where he was eventually replaced as number one by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
RB – Dani Carvajal – One of the best full-backs of his generation, Carvajal is still at Real Madrid and somehow still only 30 years old.
CB – Raphael Varane – The French World Cup winner spent 10 trophy-filled years at Los Blancos before being sold to Man Utd in 2021. He has struggled to stay fit and fit in a pretty terrible Red Devils team.
CB – Sergio Ramos – Probably the best central defender in the history of Real Madrid, Ramos won absolutely everything in Spain before joining PSG last summer. He has hardly played since then due to injuries.
LB – Marcelo – He is still at the club but he is a secondary player at this point in his career.
CM – Luka Modric – Now 36, Modric surprisingly remains among one of the best players in the world. A scandalous talent that will surely end his career at Real Madrid.
CM – Casemiro – A player opposition fans love to hate, Casemiro is key to Real Madrid’s midfield to this day.
CM – Toni Kroos – Yes, this midfield is still the same as it was four years ago.
RW-Isco – There was a time when Isco looked like a world beater… those days are behind us. He is now set to leave Real Madrid as a free agent this summer after barely playing football in recent seasons.
ST – Karim Benzema – The French striker has somehow improved recently. He is now the best footballer in the world.
LW – Cristiano Ronaldo – CR7 left Real Madrid after this final and went to Juventus for 100 million pounds. He scored 100 goals there and now he’s back at Man Utd where he’ll probably score another 100 goals.
SUB – Kiko Casilla – Left for Leeds United in 2019, and later that year was fined and handed an eight-match ban for racially abusing Jonathan Leko. He is now on loan at Elche.
SUB – Nacho Fernandez – The last useful man of Real Madrid. He is still going relatively strong.
SUB – Theo Hernandez -Yes, he was at Real Madrid. Of course, he only played 13 games. Yes, he is now at AC Milan and he could be the best left back in the world. Yes, Real Madrid made a mistake here.
SUB – Marco Asensio – Once a very, very exciting young talent, Asensio today is just a squad player at Real Madrid.
SUB – Mateo Kovacic – Sent to Chelsea when it was clear he would never break into the starting XI ahead of Modric and Kroos, Kovacic is now a highly accomplished Premier League player.
SUB – Gareth Bale – Scored one of the best goals ever in the 2018 final. Since then he’s been injured, loaned out to Tottenham, became public enemy number one in Madrid for a while and now he’s basically doing nothing.
SUB – Lucas Vazquez -I had always written about him the phrase “going to the top six of Serie A”, but he is still a very useful player in the Real Madrid squad.
GK – Loris Karius – Well… let’s say that Karius did not enjoy the 2018 Champions League final… since that final he was on loan at Besiktas and Union Berlin and, in general, it was terrible.
RB – Trent Alexander-Arnold – He was a kid in 2018, but he proved to be one of the most exciting young players in Europe. Now 23, TAA is the best right back in the world. Without exception.
CB – Dejan Lovren – Sold to Zenit after six seasons at Liverpool, Lovren is now a big fan of conspiracy theories.
CB – Virgil van Dijk – A game changer for Liverpool. VVD is the best centre-back in the world and the leader of the current Reds team.
LB – Andy Robertson -Another still at Liverpool, Robbo was a very consistent player for Jurgen Klopp over the years.
CM – James Milner – Now 36, Milner is a secondary player for Liverpool at this point in his career but is still willing to make a change when needed.
CM – Jordan Henderson – Captain to this day, Henderson lifted the Champions League, Premier League, EFL Cup and FA Cup in recent seasons.
CM – Georginio Wijnaldum – Left Liverpool at the end of the contract in 2021 and moved to PSG. He has not played as much as expected in Paris.
RW – Mohamed Salah – The 2018 final was heartbreaking for Salah, who retired injured after a few minutes. He will be seeking revenge on him this weekend.
ST – Roberto Firmino -He is no longer a starter at Liverpool. The goals dried up for the Brazilian, but he can still make an impact off the bench.
LW – Sadio Mane – Still at Liverpool at the moment, but his contract situation means he could be sold in the very near future.
SUB – Simon Mignolet – He finally left the club in 2019 for Club Brugge and actually had a good time in Belgium, winning three league titles.
SUB – Nathanial Clyne – ‘Love & Hip Hop Miami’ star, Clyne endured a few years of poor form before finding his footing again at Crystal Palace.
SUB – Ragnar Klavan – Sold to Cagliari in 2018, the Estonian played three seasons in Italy before returning home with Paide Linnameeskond.
SUB – Alberto Moreno – Generally a bad footballer, Moreno left for Villarreal in 2018 and has been there ever since.
SUB – Emre Can – Once a highly rated player, Can is no longer highly rated and plays for BVB.
SUB – Dominic Solanke – Struggled in the Premier League but apparently found his level in the Championship with Bournemouth, scoring a ridiculous 29 goals this season.
#Champions #League #finalists