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“Real Madrid vs Manchester City is a modern Clasico,” former Real Madrid coach Jorge Valdano said last April, previewing the two clubs’ 2023-24 Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu.
The sides have experienced mixed fortunes in this season’s competition — but even meeting in the new play-off round cannot dull the rivalry’s shine. Madrid came from behind at the Etihad late on to beat City 3-2 last week, meaning they have now exchanged 30 goals in their past seven meetings. It also sets up an intriguing second leg at the Bernabeu tomorrow (Wednesday).
This season is the fourth in a row that Madrid and City have met in the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition. Fans continue to be gripped, with that first play-off game setting a new streaming record for Amazon’s Prime Video service in the UK with figures of well over four million viewers.
There was an extra layer of intrigue in that match. City fans held up a banner that read, “Stop crying your heart out” in reference to Madrid forward Vinicius Junior being beaten to the Ballon d’Or award by Rodri and Madrid snubbing the ceremony in October. The Brazil international played a key part in the win and afterwards told Spanish TV station Movistar that the banner had given him “more strength to play a great game”.
Madrid have long held European success in the highest possible regard, perhaps at times to the detriment of their domestic progress (for example, they have won the Copa del Rey, Spain’s equivalent of the FA Cup in England, just three times since lifting the trophy in 1993).
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