Best Champions League Rivalry Of the 2020s

Few rivalries in the rich history of the UEFA Champions League have captured the imagination of the footballing world in the 2020s like Manchester City vs. Real Madrid. This rivalry is born not out of geography or political tension but from footballing excellence, revenge, heartbreak, and glory, all served up across the biggest stage in club football.

While the Champions League has long been dominated by the familiar big three—Real Madrid, Bayern, and Barca—the 2020s have ushered in a new kind of rivalry. Manchester City and Madrid clashed in four consecutive knockout stages from 2022-2025, creating a modern epic that might soon rival the likes of Real vs. Bayern or Barcelona vs. Chelsea in UCL folklore.

2022, The Birth Of a Classic Rivalry

The seeds were planted in May 2022, when Manchester City and Real Madrid met in a semi-final that delivered one of the greatest comebacks in UCL history. After a thrilling 4-3 win at the Etihad, Pep Guardiola’s men seemed destined for their second final in a row, which would have also been a second consecutive all-English final, this time against Liverpool. However, the Bernabéu had other plans.

In one of the most jaw-dropping late twists the Champions League has ever seen, Rodrygo scored in the 90th and 91st minutes, dragging the tie to extra time. A composed Karim Benzema penalty later, Real Madrid completed a miraculous 6-5 aggregate turnaround. The eventual win over Liverpool in the final gave them their 14th Champions League title.

City’s Sweet Revenge

Guardiola returned to Madrid’s front yard a year later with revenge on his mind. A scintillating 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu balanced things, but what followed at the Etihad was surgical. City swept Madrid aside 4-0, in what many called the most dominant Champions League knockout performance of the modern era.

Bernardo Silva’s first-half brace and relentless pressing saw City storm to a 5-1 aggregate win, on their way to a historic first-ever Champions League title. They won the final against Inter, achieving a historic treble for the first time in club history.

2024, Penalty Pain and the Rise Of Lunin

The 2024 quarter-final was billed as the trilogy decider. A chaotic 3-3 draw at the Bernabéu set the tone, both sides going against each other in a match of elite intensity and quality. In the return leg at the Etihad, Kevin De Bruyne’s 76th-minute equalizer made it 1-1 on the night, 4-4 on aggregate. And it went to penalties for the first time in their recent history.

Ukrainian Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin emerged as the unlikely hero in a dramatic shootout. Lunin sealed a 4-3 penalty win for Madrid by saving penalties from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic. They would beat Bayern in the semis and Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final at Wembley, claiming their 15th Champions League crown, further extending their lead as Europe’s kings.

Round Four, and Still No End In Sight

If football fans were hoping for a break from this elite clash, fate had other ideas. In 2025, the Champions League’s new format pitted the sides against each other again, earlier in the knockout phase. After an intense game at the Etihad, which fell in favour of the Spanish giants, with a 3-2 victory. Real Madrid dismantled Manchester City 3-1 in the return leg. A sensational Mbappe hat-trick was enough to put the tie to bed. The final aggregate score was 6-3, making it 3 wins over Man City in 4 ties since 2020. Knocking City out again made it look like the Los Blancos have enough momentum to go on now and win the whole thing, as they always do. 

Yet that momentum came to a sudden halt in the quarter-finals, where Arsenal sensationally ousted the defending champions 5–1 on aggregate (2–1 in London, 3–0 at the Bernabéu) to send shockwaves through the competition and bring Madrid’s campaign to an unexpected end.  

A Brief Glimpse Into the Past

While the 2020s have seen the rivalry between Manchester City and Real Madrid reach new heights, their encounters in previous years laid the groundwork for this modern epic:

• 2012 Group Stage Thriller: In a memorable group stage match at the Santiago Bernabéu, City twice led through goals from Edin Džeko and Aleksandar Kolarov. However, Real Madrid showcased their resilience, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting a dramatic 90th-minute winner to seal a 3-2 victory.
  
• 2016 Semi-Final Showdown: The two teams met in the semi-finals, with the first leg ending in a goalless draw at the Etihad. In the return leg at the Bernabéu, an own goal by City’s Fernando secured a narrow 1-0 win for Madrid, propelling them to the final, where they clinched their 11th European title.
  
• 2020 Round of 16 Encounter: City achieved a significant milestone by defeating Madrid 2-1 in both legs of the Round of 16 in vintage fashion, resulting in a 4-2 aggregate victory. This marked City’s first knockout triumph over the Spanish giants, signaling their growing prowess on the European stage.
  

Those earlier clashes, though neither as regular nor as dramatic as their recent showdowns, helped build the backstory between these two giants, laying the groundwork for the epic rivalry we’ve seen dominate the Champions League in the 2020s.

Why This Rivalry Reigns Supreme

What sets this Champions League rivalry apart is not just the star power on both sides. It’s the stakes, the drama, the momentum swings, and the tactical chess matches between two of the greatest footballing minds in modern history, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.

City’s hunger for European validation meets Real Madrid’s institutional DNA of winning. This isn’t just a clash of clubs; it’s a collision of football ideologies consistently played at the highest technical level. 

Final Thoughts

Anyone could bet on anything this year that they would see these two monster clubs clash again next season. Having been on the dominant end in Europe recently, both sides faced early exits in the Champions League and will look to bounce back in the next year. There’s no doubt they could clash again, and it will be a peach as it has been for half a decade.