When was the last time Real Madrid lost a final?

You rarely see Real Madrid lose a final these days - whatever the competition, no matter how important or seemingly trivial, making sure that silverware comes back to the capital is always the number one priority. Of course there have been moments when the team has hit the rocks, spells when they haven’t won anything at all or been the underdogs. But the general idea is to win, then move on to the next one - it’s in their DNA.

Club legend Alfredo Di Stéfano summed Real Madrid’s philosophy up to perfection: “You don’t play in finals, you win them.”

That’s exactly what they did on Saturday, weathering intense early pressure at against Borussia Dortmund and striking twice in the second half. Carlo Ancelotti’s side look imperious in finals, just as Madrid sides of the past have.

But when exactly was the last time Real Madrid lost a final? And more importantly, when was the last time they lost a major European final like this weekend’s Champions League final at Wembley? To win, you need to know how it feels to lose and of course Los Blancos have been there as well.

When was the last time Real Madrid lost a final?

Real Madrid’s last defeat in a final was as recent as last year. Eternal rivals Barcelona came out on top in the 2022/23 Spanish Super Cup final in Riyadh. Goals from Gavi, Lewandowski and Pedri left Madrid with a mountain to climb and Karim Benzema’s stoppage-time effort was too little, too late. Looking at it objectively, the Super Cup is certainly way, way down Madrid’s priorities. They have much bigger fish to fry. Winning LaLiga is the bread and butter and the Champions League a close second - albeit a far tougher task.

For example Madrid went years without winning the Copa del Rey. There was a 13-year gap between the club’s 17th Copa and the next one, won with an extra-time Cristiano header against Barca at Mestalla. Since they, they’ve only won two more - losing the 2012-13 final to Atlético at the Bernabéu (with Thibaut Courtois between the sticks for Atleti). The Copa has more prestige than the Super Cup but less than European silverware.

When did Real Madrid lose a Champions League final?

Strictly speaking, Real Madrid have never lost a Champions League final. Since the competition was revamped and rebranded in 1992, Madrid have reached eight finals and won them all, beating Juventus (twice), Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético (twice) and Liverpool (twice).

The last time that Real Madrid lost a final in Europe’s top club competition was in 1981 when it was still known as the European Cup. Liverpool edged a tense, turgid game at Parc des Princes in Paris that was resolved by an opportunistic effort from left-back Alan Kennedy with eight minutes remaining. So Madrid’s last final defeat in this competition was 43 years ago.

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In European Cup/Champions League history, Real Madrid have played in 17 finals and lost three. Before Liverpool’s triumph in Paris, Los Blancos fell to Benfica in 1961–62 and Inter Milan in 1963–64.

As for the other European club competitions. Madrid have not played in the UEFA Cup/Europa League since 1994/5. They reached the final twice - winning back-to-back title in 1984/5 and 1985/6. The Spanish giants have won five UEFA Super Cups, and lost three finals - in 1998, 2000, 2018. Once again, it’s a tournament that comes further down the order.

Real Madrid have never lost a Club World Cup final in it’s present format but curiously, like Liverpool, the only trophy that is missing from their collection is the defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup. They reached the final twice - losing to Chelsea in 1970–71 and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in 1982–83.