By Alright so this whole Liverpool vs Real Madrid thing has been bugging me for days. Kept seeing clips pop up everywhere – highlights, fan arguments, you name it. Figured hey, why not dive deep myself and pick out the absolute top 5? Sounds simple enough, right? Man, was I wrong.
The Idea Strikes
Started super casual. Thought I’d just quickly rewatch a few finals, jot down notes, bam, top 5 list done. Easy Sunday project. Grabbed my notebook, fired up YouTube, coffee in hand. Already buzzing thinking about Istanbul 2005. Famous win, gotta be number one, surely? But then… Kyiv 2018. And that Paris final in 2022. Oh man, the Kiev loss hurt. Real Madrid always seemed to have this weird hold. Started scribbling: “2005 CL Final – Istanbul”, “2018 CL Final – Kyiv”, “2022 CL Final – Paris”… wait, that’s already three finals alone. Knew I needed more variety, not just finals.
The Deep Dive Disaster
Okay, time for real digging. Went way back. Scoured old articles, forum posts from like 2009, anything I could find. Remembered that 4-0 thrashing Liverpool gave Real at Anfield in 2009. Epic! That Salah goal in the first leg 2021? Pure class. Found myself falling down rabbit holes:
- Watching full highlights of the 1981 European Cup Final in Paris (ancient history!).
- Reading angry Liverpool forum rants about Gareth Bale’s bicycle kick in 2018.
- Trawling Spanish sites to see what Real Madrid fans said about Garcia’s ghost goal in 2009.
My coffee went cold. My notebook looked like a mad scientist’s scribble pad. Brain turning to mush trying to compare a 1981 final to a group stage hammering in 2009. How do you even rank these? Drama? Quality? Importance? It was chaos.
The Painful Process of Picking
After hours wasted, I finally spread it all out. Five spots. Had to be ruthless. Felt almost dirty leaving some out. That crazy 3-0 Liverpool comeback at Anfield in 2009 before losing on aggregate? Massive drama! But just missed the cut. Had this stupid internal debate:
- Istanbul 2005 had to be there. The miracle. Iconic.
- Kyiv 2018 was just… brutal for Liverpool fans. Karius nightmare, Salah injury, Bale’s stunner. Unforgettable pain for Reds.
- The 2022 final in Paris was recent, sure, but Vini Jr.’s goal, Courtois being a giant wall… massive game.
- The 4-0 Anfield smashing in 2009 (Champions League Round of 16). Pure domination from Rafa’s boys. Had to represent Liverpool wins.
- Finally squeezed in Salah’s rocket at Anfield in the 2021 Quarter-Finals. That goal felt like revenge after Kyiv. Quality moment.
Sacrificed the 1981 final. Tough, but it just didn’t have the modern feel or easily available footage for most fans. Felt like I was betraying history.
The Unexpected Cost
Lost track of time big time. Started late afternoon. Next thing I knew, the street lights were on and my stomach was screaming. Missed dinner completely. Got scolded by the other half for being glued to “old football matches” instead of real life. Coffee stains on my notes. My eyes were red from staring at screens. And you know the worst part? Finding decent quality highlights for some matches was a nightmare. Buffering videos, potato-cam fan uploads… absolute headache. Almost threw my tablet at one point.
Why Bother?
So why put myself through that mess? Honestly? Because these games are just… massive. Two giants colliding. You can feel the weight. The history. Plus, fans love arguing about this stuff! Seeing Reds still gutted about Kyiv years later, Madridistas rubbing it in about always winning… it matters. Wanted to capture that intensity, that raw feeling you get watching these two go at it. Even if it meant my own personal meltdown trying to pick just five. Still got about 20+ clips bookmarked that didn’t make it. Maybe next time… though my sanity and relationship might need a break first. Karma? Maybe Real Madrid just has it over me too.