Manchester City and Real Madrid clash for the 15th time since 2012 tomorrow night as they go toe-to-toe at the Bernabeu. It is the most-played Champions League fixture over the last dozen years and has produced some truly unforgettable encounters, and we’ve ranked the top five here:
September 2022: Real Madrid vs Manchester City
(5) Real Madrid 3 Manchester City 2 (Sep 2012, Champions League Group Stage)
The first-ever encounter between the two proved to be worth the wait with Madrid snatching a last-gasp victory following a frenetic finale in the Spanish capital.
The match was still goalless heading into the final 22 minutes thanks to Joe Hart’s heroics, but then City twice took the lead through Edin Dzeko (68) and Aleksandar Kolarov (85) only to be pegged back by Marcelo (76) and Karim Benzema (85).
Then, in the last minute, former Manchester United favourite Cristiano Ronaldo fired past a seemingly unsighted Hart for the winner, leading to Real boss Jose Mourinho racing from his dugout before launching a knee-slide celebration on to the Bernabeu pitch.
April 2022: Manchester City vs Real Madrid
(4) Manchester City 4 Real Madrid 3 (Apr 2022, Champions League Semi-Finals)
City, runners-up the previous year, could hardly have wished for a better start to their latest Real showdown with Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus putting them 2-0 up during an early onslaught.
Benzema halved the deficit before the break before Phil Foden and Vinicius Junior swapped quickfire goals just before the hour, leaving City narrowly ahead in what was fast developing into a European classic.
Bernardo Silva made it 4-2, but Benzema - who had missed three spot-kicks in the previous month - displayed ice-cool nerves to dink a Panenka penalty past Ederson with eight minutes left, leaving City with only a one-goal advantage to take to the Bernabeu.
May 2022: Real Madrid vs Manchester City
(3) Real Madrid 3 Manchester City 1 (May 2022, Champions League Semi-Finals)
The second leg of that 2022 semi-final looked to be going City’s way again when Riyad Mahrez fired them ahead in the 73rd minute, but Real once more showed their never-die-spirit when all appeared lost.
The game had entered stoppage time when Real substitute Rodrygo slotted home Benzema’s cross to make it 1-1 on the night. That was Real’s first shot on target and seemed only to be a consolation, but less than two minutes later, the Brazilian headed into the top corner to level the scores at 5-5 and send the tie to extra time.
Five minutes into the additional period, Real struck the killer blow against Pep Guardiola’s shellshocked City, Benzema slotting home from the spot again to seal a 6-5 aggregate win. Real would go on to beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final in Paris.
May 2023: Manchester City vs Real Madrid
(2) Manchester City 4 Real Madrid 0 (May 2023, Champions League Semi-Finals)
Arguably, Europe’s top two teams met again at the same stage 12 months later, and this time City would gain emphatic revenge with a second-leg Etihad masterclass. The first leg had finished in a 1-1 draw in Madrid, De Bruyne cancelling out Vinicius’ opener, but star-studded Real were put to the sword in Manchester.
Silva’s double during a dominant first-half display set City on their way, and Manuel Akanji’s deflected header made it 3-0 before Julian Alvarez’s late fourth put the icing on the cake as Real equalled their heaviest Champions League defeat.
City defeated Inter Milan in the final to claim their first Champions League crown and seal a historic treble.
April 2024: Real Madrid vs Manchester City
(1) Real Madrid 3 Manchester City 3 (April 2024, Champions League quarter-finals)
Real and City met in the knockout stages for the third successive year, this time in the quarter-finals, but despite their familiarity still managed to produce yet another titanic encounter in the first leg at the Bernabeu. Silva set the tone by putting the holders ahead inside two minutes, catching out Real keeper Andriy Lunin with a low free-kick, before the hosts hit back to lead by the quarter-hour mark thanks to deflected efforts from Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo.
The match swung back City’s way in the second half with Foden levelling with a stunning 66th-minute effort into the top corner and Josko Gvardiol making it 3-2 five minutes later with a similarly memorable finish. Real, inevitably, rallied again though, and Fernando Valverde equalised with a blockbuster of his own as a fantastic tie finished 3-3.
The second leg would end 1-1, and Carlo Ancelotti’s side would emerge victorious 4-3 on penalties before going on to beat Borussia Dortmund in the final. We've made five predictions from Wednesday night’s Champions League action as several clubs fight for their European futures.
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