Who is Michael Oliver, referee for Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich, Champions League quarterfinal 1st leg?
Today’s heavyweight Champions League matchup witnesses Michael Oliver’s return to the scene of one of his most controversial calls.
Referee Michael Oliver will be in charge at the Estadio Bernabéu today, as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich face off in a marquee Champions League matchup. It will be the Englishman’s first game at the Spanish arena since he awarded the hosts a controversial, last-gasp penalty eight years ago.
A “rubbish bin” for a heart
In a Champions League quarterfinal second leg in April 2018, Oliver gave Madrid a tie-winning spot-kick against Juventus, making the much-debated call to penalize defender Mehdi Benatia for a 93rd-minute challenge on Lucas Vázquez.
Cristiano Ronaldo converted from 12 yards to seal a 4-3 aggregate win for Madrid, who went on to lift a third straight European title a month later. But before Ronaldo could take his kick, Oliver also showed a straight red card to Juventus’s legendary goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, for the Italian’s vehement protests over the penalty decision.
In a postgame interview, Buffon tore into Oliver, saying the referee had a “rubbish bin” for a heart. The official had “destroy[ed] the work of a team who gave absolutely everything”, the veteran keeper raged.
“I was old enough to know better”
In 2025, the since-retired Buffon expressed feelings of shame over his comments - yet also insisted he wouldn’t change them if he could. “Now that a few years have gone by, I am ashamed of what I said,” the World Cup winner told a Q&A as he launched his autobiography Fall, Get Up, Fall, Get Up. “I was old enough to know better, I represented someone, I was the captain.
“But I must also admit that if I had to go back and do it all again, I’d say the exact same thing.”
Oliver has vast UCL experience - before the QFs
A referee who made his Champions League debut in September 2016 - six years after his Premier League bow - Oliver is now one of the most experienced officials in the history of Europe’s top club tournament.
The 41-year-old has overseen 46 games in the Champions League - more than any other English official, and the 16th-highest tally overall.
However, today’s quarterfinal first leg is only his third career appointment beyond the Champions League’s round-of-16 stage. By comparison, Slovenia’s Slavko Vincic also debuted in the tournament in 2016/17, but has now refereed six times in the quarters or later.
Other than Madrid vs Juventus in 2018, Oliver’s only last-eight experience is a 2022/23 first leg between Inter Milan and Benfica. He is yet to referee a semifinal or final.
On the international stage, the same is true of Oliver’s resumé at the World Cup and European Championships. At World Cup 2022, he took charge of three games, including Croatia’s quarterfinal win over Brazil; at the 2021 and 2024 Euros, he refereed a total of seven matches, among them two last-eight ties (Switzerland vs Spain in 2021, and Portugal vs France in 2024).
This will be the fourth time that Oliver has crossed paths with Madrid in the Champions League, and the second occasion this season. In the league phase in November, he was the whistler for Los Blancos’ 4-3 road win over Olympiacos. As for Bayern, he has overseen six Champions League games involving the Bavarians; most recently, a 3-0 last-16 win over Bayer Leverkusen in March 2025.
Michael Oliver’s Real Madrid games in the UCL:
- Nov. 26, 2025: Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid, league phase
- Oct. 24, 2023: Braga 1-2 Real Madrid, group phase
- Apr. 11, 2018: Real Madrid 1-3 Juventus, QFs 2nd leg
Michael Oliver’s Bayern games in the UCL:
- Mar. 5, 2025: Bayern 3-0 Leverkusen, L16 1st leg
- Feb. 14, 2023: PSG 0-1 Bayern, L16 1st leg
- Feb. 16, 2022: Salzburg 1-1 Bayern, L16 1st leg
- Sep. 14, 2021: Barcelona 0-3 Bayern, group phase
- Oct. 21, 2020: Bayern 4-0 Atlético, group phase
- Mar. 14, 2018: Besiktas 1-3 Bayern, L16 2nd leg
Who are the referee’s assistants for Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich?
Oliver’s on-field assistant referees will be compatriots Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, while the fourth official will be Andrew Madley, also English. The Australian Jarred Gillett will be the video assistant referee (VAR), and the assistant VAR will be Italy’s Marco di Bello.
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: kickoff times, how to watch
In the first leg of the 2025/26 Champions League quarterfinals, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich face off today, Tuesday, April 7, with kickoff at the Bernabéu scheduled for 9:00 p.m. local time. In the U.S., that translates into a 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT start.
Viewers in the States can watch Madrid vs Bayern on Paramount+, DAZN USA, TUDN USA, Univision and ViX. You can also follow live-text coverage of the clash right here at AS USA. Calum Roche will be building up to the game from about 90 minutes ahead of kickoff, before talking you through all the action in the Spanish capital.
What is Real Madrid and Bayern’s head-to-head record?
Winners of a record 15 European titles, Real Madrid are bidding to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2023/24, a season in which Los Merengues secured their most recent continental crown. They face a Bayern team whose last semifinal appearance also came two years ago - and ended in a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Madrid.
In the 70-year history of the European Cup, the two clubs have met in 28 games, making Madrid vs Bayern the competition’s most frequent matchup. The Spaniards lead the series 13-11 - with four draws - and have now won the teams’ last four Champions League knockout ties (in the 2013/14 semifinals, the 2016/17 quarterfinals, the 2017/18 semifinals and the 2023/24 semifinals).
Bayern last eliminated Madrid from the Champions League knockout stages in 2011/12, beating Los Blancos on penalties in the semifinals.
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