The 2024 Champions League final is set and while Manchester United are nowhere near it, there are some storylines relevant to Old Trafford.
Over the past few days, the Champions League semi-finals have been played out and we now have a Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid final to look forward to at Wembley.
In this game, there will be one Manchester United player in action as Jadon Sancho looks to return to Old Trafford with silverware.
Sancho’s Dortmund will go into the game as the overwhelming underdogs and considering Madrid’s record in the Champions League, it’s easy to see why.
Madrid is the competition’s most successful club and hasn’t lost a final in years, with the last coming courtesy of Sir Alex Ferguson.
When did Real Madrid last lose a European final?
Madrid are 14-time Champions League winners and will go into this year’s final as overwhelming favourites.
In fact, when Madrid reaches a Champions League final, they rarely lose.
The last time that Los Blancos actually lost a European final was 41 years ago in 1983, with Sir Alex’s Aberdeen side inflicting the loss on Madrid in the European Cup winners cup.
So with this in mind, it’s clear to understand just why Madrid are favourites for the game, but for Sancho, he has the opportunity to end Sir Alex’s record which has stood for 41 years.
Dortmund can prevent Madrid from making it 15 triumphs in the cup and in doing so shock the world.
It is Madrid’s first final since the 2021/22 season which saw them triumph over Liverpool for the second final in five years.
For Dortmund, this would be their second win in the competition having won it in 1997. The last final they reached was over a decade ago, against Bayern Munich in 2013.
Manchester United will have a close eye on the Champions League final
At the final which is being played at Wembley, United will have a keen eye on Sancho’s performance considering he is expected to return to the club this summer.
There is no resolution to his situation just yet, with anything possible including a sale, or perhaps he stays put at Carrington which has won three Champions Leagues in history.
If he is to star in the final and Dortmund win, his value will only grow further and against all the odds, United could make back a good chunk of the £73m spent on him.
But also his performances could end up forcing the club’s hand and giving him a second chance at Old Trafford.