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The last time Real Madrid and Liverpool met in the final of the Champions League some of these players played a key role as both teams delivered a four-goal thriller.
When these two teams last met in the final of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid produced a typical European performance to clinch a historic three-peat.
Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Sadio Mane and Karius were the key actors that night at the beautiful Kyiv Stadium.
Benzema opened the scoring for Los Blancos before Senegal’s Mane equalised for the Reds of Liverpool.
Bale restored Real Madrid’s lead on the night thanks to a goalkeeping bonanza by Karius before an audacious bicycle kick from the Welshman sealed the deal for Zinedine Zidane’s men.
Four years after that final, we take a look at eight (8) players from both teams who played a part in that final and where they are now.
1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Considered one of the greatest to play the game after his incredible time at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has since swapped Los Blancos for the Old Lady of Italian football, Juventus, with whom he spent two years.
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But now, the Portuguese legend will miss out on the competition next season after stopping by at one of his former clubs, Manchester United, where he netted 24 goals in all competitions to lead the Red Devils to the Europa League.
2 Raphael Varane (Manchester United)
The Frenchman finds himself in the same situation as his aforementioned former teammates after winning four Champions League titles at Real Madrid.
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Varane joined Manchester United last summer but has struggled for game time since leaving Los Blancos for the Red Devils due to injuries.
3 Georginio Wijnaldum
The Dutchman left Liverpool in the summer of 2020 for the capital of France where he joined the moneybags of Ligue 1, Paris St. Germain.
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But things haven’t really gone to plan for the 31-year-old midfield workhorse who has failed to convince his manager at the club, Mauricio Pochettino, to find space for him in the PSG midfield.
He started just 18 matches for PSG as they reclaimed the title they lost to LOSC Lille last season.
4 Dejan Lovren (Zenit St. Petersburg)
Two years after facing Real Madrid in that final in Kyiv, Lovren joined Russian outfit, Zenit St. Petersburg.
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The now 32-year-old managed to make 14 appearanaces last season for the Russian side.
5 Loris Karius (Liverpool)
The German goalkeeper makes this list because of his unforgettable role in that final against Real Madrid and of course, the fact only a few know that he is still a Liverpool player.
The 28-year-old has turned into a journeyman since that final, with the Reds sending him out on loan moves to Besiktas and Union Berlin, where he spent the 2020/2021 season before returning to the Liverpool bench.
6 Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund)
The 28-year-old German left Liverpool that summer on a free transfer to the Italian side, Juventus, where he spent two years.
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He’s now back in the Bundesliga, with Borussia Dortmund since the winter transfer window back in 2020.
7 Adam Lallana (Brighton and Hove Albion)
The man who doesn’t play like an Englishman is now under the payroll of another Premier League side, Brighton.
Lallana, 34, helped the Seagulls secure a top-half finish for the first time ever in their history, making 18 starts, with a total of 24 matches in the PL.
8 Keylor Navas (Paris St. Germain)
The now 35-year-old goalkeeper is currently at Ligue 1 champions, Paris St. Germain, who he helped to the French title.
Navas joined the Ligue 1 giants in the summer of 2019 and after enjoying no competition in the team, he now fights for a starting berth at the club with Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
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