Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid CF - UEFA Champions League Final 2023/24
Real Madrid have a fantastic record in big finals (Picture: Getty Images)
Chelsea are firm favourites to beat Real Betis and win the Europa Conference League on Wednesday night, but they will have to break an incredible streak of Spanish sides in major finals.
The Blues take on the La Liga outfit in Wroclaw, Poland with both sides looking to end their season on a high by adding a European trophy to their list of honours.
This is the first time a Spanish side has reached the final of the Europa Conference League, but they have made it to plenty of other major showpieces in international and club football.
Across the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and Europa League/UEFA Cup the last 27 finals featuring a Spanish team have had a Spanish winner.
Four of those showpieces have been all-Spanish affairs, but 23 have seen either Spain or a La Liga team beat a non-Spanish side.
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When was the last time a Spanish team lost a final?
The last time a Spanish team was beaten by a non-Spanish side in a major final is all the way back in 2001 when Valencia lost in the Champions League showpiece on penalties to Bayern Munich.
The same year, just a week earlier, Liverpool also downed Alaves in the UEFA Cup final 5-4 after a golden goal in extra-time.
SOCCER-UEFA-FINAL
Liverpool beat Spanish side Alaves in the 2001 UEFA Cup final (Picture: Getty Images)
It was so long ago that Steffen Effenberg scored for Bayern Munich in that Champions League final and Gary McAllister was on the score sheet for Liverpool in the UEFA Cup final win.
Since then English teams have come out on the wrong side of finals against Spanish sides 10 times.
The likes of Manchester United and Arsenal have lost Champions League finals to Spanish opponents, Liverpool and Fulham have been among the beaten teams in Europa League finals and England lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 showpiece last year.
Chelsea, though, have not been beaten on this epic run of Spanish success in finals.
Spain beat England 2-1 to win EURO 2024 title
Spain broke England’s hearts last year (Picture:Getty Images)
The 27 straight major finals won by Spanish sides
Real Madrid 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen – 2002 Champions League Final
Valencia 2-0 Marseille – 2004 UEFA Cup Final
Sevilla 4-0 Middlesbrough – 2006 UEFA Cup Final
Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal – 2006 Champions League Final
Sevilla 2-2 Espanyol (3-1 pens) – 2007 UEFA Cup Final
Spain 1-0 Germany – Euro 2008 Final
Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United – 2009 Champions League Final
Barcelona v Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Final
Barcelona beat Manchester United in Rome in 2009 (Picture: Getty Images)
Atlético Madrid 2-1 Fulham (AET) – 2010 Europa League Final
Spain 1-0 Netherlands (aet) – 2010 World Cup Final
Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United – 2011 Champions League Final
Atlético Madrid 3-0 Athletic Bilbao – 2012 Europa League Final
Spain 4-0 Italy – Euro 2012 Final
Sevilla 0-0 Benfica (4-2 pens) – 2014 Europa League Final
Real Madrid 4-1 Atlético Madrid (aet) – 2014 Champions League Final
Sevilla 3-2 Dnipro – 2015 Europa League Final
Barcelona 3-1 Juventus – 2015 Champions League Final
Sevilla 3-1 Liverpool – 2016 Europa League Final
Real Madrid 1-1 Atlético Madrid (5-3 pens) – 2016 Champions League Final
Real Madrid 4-1 Juventus – 2017 Champions League Final
Atlético Madrid 3-0 Marseille – 2018 Europa League Final
Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool – 2018 Champions League Final
Real Madrid vs Liverpool: UEFA Champions League final
Gareth Bale scored twice in the 2018 Champions League final (Picture: Getty Images)
Sevilla 3-2 Inter Milan – 2020 Europa League Final
Villarreal 1-1 Manchester United (11-10 pens) – 2021 Europa League Final
Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool – 2022 Champions League Final
Sevilla 1-1 Roma (4-1 pens) – 2023 Europa League Final
Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund – 2024 Champions League Final
Spain 2-1 England – Euro 2024 Final
Chelsea have the chance to break the long-running streak and manager Enzo Maresca says they will do so ‘at any cost’ after securing Champions League football on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.
‘The message over the last 48 hours has been, “We did something important, but if we want to confirm that we are becoming an important club again, we need to show the desire to win the game and the trophy”,’ he said ahead of the Real Betis clash.
‘So it’s job done, fantastic, and we’re happy. But tomorrow is a different game, a final, and we want to win at any cost.
‘Every day we have something to prove, no doubt. What we have done [qualifying for the Champions League] is done. Now we have to prove ourselves again tomorrow.
‘We have played many games this season in this competition, now we have just one more.
‘For sure, for me personally [there is something to prove], but the message to the players is exactly same. Every day is a chance to improve, and we want to compete for titles.’
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