[commentator] Courtois!
[crowd chanting, cheering]
[commentator 2] Benzema!
This is crazy!
[commentator] Goal!
- [stadium announcer] Luka... - [crowd] Modrić!
[commentator] Goal!
Vinícius Júnior!
[commentator speaks in Spanish]
[pundit 1, in English] The players have the talent.
I don't know if they're still hungry.
[pundit 2] There was no evidence today that they could overcome this deficit.
[pundit 3, in Spanish] I wonder if Real Madrid have forgotten how to win.
[pundit 4, in English] How long is Benzema going to last?
[pundit 5, in Spanish] The midfield is not working, nor is the attack.
[pundit 6, in English] There's no way on earth
that this Real Madrid side win the Champions League.
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[commentator] Modrić plays it in.
- The header. It's in! - [commentator 2] Oh!
- There it is! - [commentator] It's in!
[commentator 2] They're the champions of Europe for the tenth time.
[commentator 3, in Spanish] Cristiano kicks! Goal! Goal!
[commentator 4] 11th European Cup.
[commentator 3] Goal! Goal! The 12th time!
He passes with his right foot...
[commentators 3, 4] Goal!
[commentator 2, in English] The 13th time,
the fourth time in five years, the third year in a row.
[interviewer, in Spanish] Another title for Cristiano Ronaldo,
the best player in Real Madrid history.
It was a beautiful experience being...
in Real Madrid. [clicks tongue]
I'll talk in the next few days, okay?
Is this a goodbye?
No, I've enjoyed this moment with my teammates.
In the next few days, I'll give an answer.
[Pedrerol] This is the news of the year:
Cristiano is leaving Real Madrid.
[Carvajal] This season is almost over for us.
We have to face it, not hide.
Acknowledge we're having a shitty season, and that's it.
[commentator, in English] ...and Varane. I don't believe it.
[crowd cheering]
Pulisic... and there's the second.
Madrid knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea.
[interviewer] Is this the end of a cycle?
[Kroos] Uh, I think, in my opinion, we still have a good team.
But to be honest, we lost everything.
[reporter] Zinedine Zidane, as we've been mentioning,
has decided to step down as Real Madrid head coach for a second time.
His exit follows a disappointing season.
[reporter 2] After 16 years at the club, Sergio Ramos is to leave Real Madrid.
[reporter] Manchester United reached an agreement with Real Madrid
to sign defender Raphael Varane.
[pundit] It might be a terrible season for them
because I don't see some players being able to do what they used to do.
[Pérez, in Spanish] I started going to football games
with my father when I was little.
I was around four years old.
I used to go down the stairs and watch from the pitch level.
Each time Real Madrid scored, I'd run up and hug my father.
One of those times, I fell and split my lip.
I still have a scar,
because in those days nobody fixed those things. [laughs]
So I still have the scar as a reminder of-- of--
of the excitement from watching those goals at the Bernabéu.
When I hugged my father.
[narrator, in English] The pressure on Real Madrid is always sky high.
And as the start of the new season approaches,
many questions are being asked
about how much this squad is going to achieve.
Not only is the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium being renovated,
but the team itself needs rebuilding
following the departure of key players, including the captain and the coach.
[in Spanish] We're the "construction workers".
[Modrić] It's really impressive.
Watching it...
is impressive.
Let's hope we can play the first match here,
in September.
[narrator] The first step in this rebuilding process
is to find a new coach.
And a familiar face is waiting in the wings.
Let me tell you the story of Ancelotti's comeback to Madrid.
Beginning of the summer, Carlo is in Liverpool.
It's raining.
Picks up the phone and calls Madrid.
The White House, Casa Blanca.
[Ancelotti, in Spanish] I called because I was training Everton
and wanted to check if we could get some players that they didn't want.
[in English] Let's say that, uh, they go on 15, 20 minutes.
Then at the end, "What about the manager?"
[in Spanish] Then I realized they were looking for a coach, so I said...
"Listen, Real Madrid needs one of the best."
He asked me who.
So I said: "Have you forgotten about 2014?"
[narrator] Carlo Ancelotti is already a legend in Madrid,
winning the club its 10th Champions League title in 2014, La Décima,
after a 12-year drought.
You couldn't ask for a more experienced coach than Ancelotti.
He's won everything there is to win as a player and as a manager.
He can tick off most of the top leagues and a lot of the top clubs in Europe.
He knows he's got nothing left to prove, really, to anybody.
"Can you do it?" "Yes." "You want to do it?" "Yes."
"Give me five minutes."
So... [clicks tongue]
[Ancelotti, in Spanish] The President called me.
We didn't speak about a contract or anything.
Just that I was interested in returning.
We arranged everything in a few hours.
Everyone loves him.
The fans and the players love him.
That's why we were delighted to have him.
[in English] That was on a Saturday.
And on Tuesday, Ancelotti was presented here in Madrid.
[camera shutters clicking]
[Ancelotti, in Spanish] Thank you very much to Real Madrid.
I want to thank the President, who wanted me here.
And also the Board of Directors.
I'm very happy to be back.
Ancelotti feels a great admiration and a huge respect,
not only towards football
but especially towards Real Madrid.
[Lowe, in English] He's of a certain age, he thinks: "This is fantastic.
I've been given a second chance at Real Madrid.
I know the press will be on my back, I know players can be difficult.
I know it can be difficult with pressure
from the President, from everything that goes on in this club.
But so what? It's Real Madrid."
[in Spanish] He's at a point where...
he just enjoys his work, I think.
The other thing that stands out about Carlo Ancelotti is that
he is great in the press room.
[camera shutters clicking]
I've noticed that in these five years, nothing has changed.
All the same faces, the same journalists.
The only things that change in Real Madrid are the coaches.
[journalist] Coach, have you decided your lineup yet?
- I have. - [journalist] Okay...
Could you tell us?
- [Marcelo chuckles] - No.
You can only play the football you have in your mind,
based on what you have in front of you.
I can't apply pressure if I have a fat player, for example.
[journalist 2] How's your relationship with Roberto Carlos?
It's great. He's a club ambassador.
He had a great career here.
All of us love him very much.
But he's not playing tomorrow.
- [journalists laugh] - [camera shutters clicking]
[narrator, in English] But behind Carlo's wry sense of humor,
lies a shrewd footballing mind.
And that's vital when taking over a team in search of a new identity.
[Kirkland] Karim Benzema. He's getting older, can he do it again?
You had someone like Luka Modrić.
Can he maintain his level for another year?
Can you have an all-new sense of that partnership,
and can that click and gel straightaway?
You had some exciting young players, like Vinícius in particular.
Like Rodrygo, like Fede Valverde.
But these are players who hadn't established themselves yet,
or hadn't become consistent performers in the-- in the side.
[in Spanish] Real Madrid usually brings the best players.
They have to train them too. They must also understand that
you not only need the best players,
you need to have the best team.
[pop song in Italian plays on car radio]
[narrator] And so begins another commute to the office
for Carlo Ancelotti.
But this is no ordinary office.
[Ancelotti, in Spanish] I arrive at around 9 o'clock.
Then we have a meeting with the staff
and the medical team to prepare the tasks for the day.
I also talk to the doctors to check which players are available.
Then, alongside the staff, I prepare
the daily tasks we need to accomplish during training.
The players have managed to create a great atmosphere between them.
Between the veterans and the youngsters.
[clicks tongue] It's good.
This group doesn't give me any problems.
We manage everyone really well. They are very respectful.
Uh...
Yes, there's a great work environment.
- The doctor. - [in Italian] Good morning.
How are you doing?
[narrator, in English] Ancelotti's formula for reviving Madrid's fortunes
is based on meticulous preparation.
- [Ancelotti, in Spanish] Good morning. - Good morning.
[Ancelotti] Look.
My office.
Here we have a video room.
We watch the videos here.
We prepare them for the players.
There we study the matches.
On this board.
We look at the games...
The idea is always this:
The ball goes here.
Pass it here. Pass it here, pass it here and score.
[chuckles] It's quite simple.
[narrator] While it might not be quite that simple,
the team immediately responds to the new coach's experience and commitment.
[Casemiro, in Spanish] I thought a coach who has won everything was coming
and he wouldn't be looking forward to winning again.
But he surprised me from the beginning.
[Carvajal] I've noticed a big change in him, in his staff,
his understanding of football
after coaching other teams.
I've always tried to learn from him,
to listen to him.
Because Carlo is a big deal.
Let me put it this way.
That [bleep] was excited to be there with us from the very beginning.
To win, to teach us, to learn with us.
He looked like a little kid enjoying every day with us.
With this team, I sleep well at night.
Because they're a high-level team.
[narrator, in English] Many outside the club, though, are yet to be convinced.
It clearly feels like there is suddenly the end of a cycle, a transition.
And I wish the best for Carlo Ancelotti because he's a fantastic coach,
but he can't do miracles I guess.
- [car horn honking] - [crowd cheering]
[narrator] With questions being asked about the squad and their returning coach,
the start of the new season will soon provide answers.
LaLiga is the most star-studded football league in the world.
And at this level of competition, weaknesses are quickly exposed.
[crowd cheering]
LaLiga is the top flight, the first division
of the men's football league here in Spain.
Some of the biggest names in world football want to come to Spain,
and they want to play in LaLiga because they know what it means.
[in Spanish] There are good players, good football, a great stadium atmosphere.
THE THRONE IS OURS
[Hunter, in English] It's very rich when it comes to the tactics,
the philosophies of approach to playing the game.
[in Spanish] To win LaLiga, you need to be very consistent throughout the season.
The rival players are always motivated.
"I'm playing against Real Madrid.
Millions and millions of people are going to watch me play,
I'll try to play my best football."
[crowd cheering]
[narrator, in English] In the first week of the season,
Levante should prove modest opposition for a team like Real Madrid.
[Corrigan] Ancelotti came in and seemed to have a set plan
for what he was going to do.
He was going to play Gareth Bale
and Eden Hazard alongside Benzema in attack.
[narrator] Right from the opening whistle, the gloves are off,
for in LaLiga there are no easy opponents,
and Madrid are in for a rude awakening.
[commentator, in Spanish] Roger inside the box!
[commentator 2] Get it out! Goal.
[Corrigan] That didn't work out so well. The team didn't fit together well.
Bale and Hazard weren't playing so well.
[commentator, in Spanish] From the top, a long kick... Careful because he is alone!
- [commentator 2] Goal. - [commentator] Great goal.
[González] The first lineups of the season are with Hazard and Bale.
Ancelotti came in like, uh,
"If you want it, earn it."
"I have a lot of respect for who and what you are."
But Vinícius is the one who earns it.
[narrator] At two-one down,
Ancelotti's team selection appears to be failing.
So the coach turns to the young guns.
[commentator, in Spanish] Let's see.
The ball goes to Casemiro who is looking for Vinícius.
Let's go, Vinícius. There he goes. He's entering the area.
Goal! Goal from Vinícius!
[narrator, in English] The young Brazilian is here to prove a point.
[commentator 2] Ancelotti's team is looking for a tie.
He is inside the area again and...
[both commentators] Goal, goal, goal!
- [commentator] Goal! Goal! Goal! - [commentator 2] Goal from Vinícius!
[final whistle blows]
[Vinícius] I did a great pre-season,
and that's very important to me and all the players.
The new coach helped me gain the confidence I needed.
I was able to contribute a lot from the start of the season.
[Ancelotti] We have to work a lot on our defense
and be more aggressive without the ball.
With this spirit and step-by-step, we are going to solve it.
[narrator, in English] But there's no time to take stock of progress in LaLiga,
with Europe's elite football competition about to kick off.
The Champions League is the most prestigious annual sporting contest
on Earth.
[Kirkland] The Champions League is the biggest,
the most successful financially,
the most watched, the most talked about club football competition in the world.
[narrator] And also the most unforgiving.
With matches taking place at the same time as domestic leagues,
only the best of the best qualify for this competition,
pitting the continents' greatest teams against each other
in a battle for supremacy where just one will prevail.
[Mijatović, in Spanish] Both collectively and personally,
it's a competition that gives you prestige.
[Sainz] What Real Madrid has always tried to be is... Is the best club in the world.
There's only one place where you can prove that.
And that is, without a doubt, the Champions.
[narrator] In the first round of the Champions League,
teams are drawn into groups of four.
With the top two in each group progressing to the knockout stage.
[Roberto Carlos] Playing in LaLiga is one thing,
because you know the opposing team,
but when you play in the Champions, it's completely different.
When you change the ball for the stars, the players are motivated.
[narrator, in English] Real Madrid is drawn in a seemingly favorable group,
opening at home against Sheriff Tiraspol.
This humble side from Moldova is making its debut in the competition
against the greatest club in Champions League history.
But Sheriff are not following the script.
[commentator] Cristiano-- Men in the middle if Cristiano can pick them out--
He certainly can! And Sheriff Tiraspol take the lead!
Well, a big shock at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Hazard lets it run for Vinícius!
Great ball in to Benzema.
Curls it, almost into the bottom corner.
Another big chance.
Sebastien Thill. Oh, he's--
[Kroos] Games like this maybe
mentalize you a bit that nothing is easy.
And-- And also that anything can happen on both sides, yeah?
Uh, on the good side and on the bad side.
[narrator] And so far this season,
the team's results are decidedly on the bad side.
[commentator, in Spanish] Welcome to the 8th week of the national league.
Espanyol against Real Madrid.
- [commentator] Watch out for that arrival... - [commentator 2] One on one... and goal!
[commentator] Goal from Vidal.
[Pedrerol] Making people forget the Ramos-Varane duo was very complicated.
There was fear at the beginning.
There was pressure because they were replacing
historical players from Madrid. That weighed on them.
[Lowe, in English] Even if we think Militão is brilliant,
and David Alaba is brilliant, are they a brilliant pair?
Is it actually going to work?
[Ancelotti, in Spanish] Today's defeat was no accident.
We didn't play well. We deserved to lose.
This weekend was terrible. The team was terrible.
The defense is still one of the biggest problems for Real Madrid.
This is called disorder.
This is called disarrangement.
This is the magical recipe, Ancelotti. That's it.
Something was going on. It wasn't a solid team.
[in English] I think, uh, what he meant, really meant, was to do better as a team,
where we have to improve, uh, our game against the ball.
[Benzema, in Spanish] It was a difficult time.
Because we always want to win and play well
but sometimes football doesn't work that way.
[Modrić] We had lots of...
How do I put it? Ups and downs.
Some matches were good, some not so much.
But we stayed calm
because we knew that it was a natural process.
There were, uh, new and young players.
We had to improve as a team.
And those matches were like a slap on the wrist.
[blows whistle]
Pressure first. Pressure. Pressure on the ball.
[Pedrerol] Ancelotti didn't have three years to prove his return was worth it.
He knew he didn't have much time.
[narrator, in English] With problems piling up for Ancelotti,
and the squad struggling to gel,
a familiar foe is lurking around the corner, ready to pounce.
It's time for El Clásico, when twice a season,
Los Blancos take on their bitterest rivals, FC Barcelona.
Two titans of sport whose enmity goes back generations,
on and off the pitch.
[Modrić, in Spanish] Every game is important, but El Clásico even more.
You feel the tension, the nerves. Your heart beats faster.
[Mourinho] Use your head.
[Xavi] It's the match of matches.
Historically it has always been Barcelona against Madrid.
And Real Madrid is always at the top in Europe.
[commentator] Raúl is inside the box-- Goal, goal, goal!
[Corrigan, in English] El Clásico is the biggest club game in the world, by far.
And over the last ten, 15 years,
most of the best players in the world have appeared in El Clásico.
[commentator] Benzema steps up and rattles it in!
[in Spanish] It's always a very demanding and complicated match.
But we knew that winning it could shift the dynamic.
[commentator] Welcome to El Clásico.
It comes on the 10th week of the national league.
[narrator] The high point of any season, watched by millions across the planet.
But this year, it feels like do or die for the club.
[start whistle blows]
[commentator, in Spanish] El Clásico starts. This is the beginning.
The German moves. He's playing short and heeled.
First one. The first foul from Mingueza to Vinícius.
Vinícius and Mingueza. Very close. Vinícius escapes!
[commentator 2] Vinícius is free in the goal area!
- Let's go! Penalty. Penalty. - [commentator] Oh!
[commentator 2] I think there was contact.
Watch out. He's entering the area.
They are trying to block him! The ball is back... and over!
[narrator, in English] But if you win, it can be a game changer for the season.
[Corrigan] If you lose the Clásico, automatically the fans are against you,
the press are against you.
It's difficult for a coach to recover from that.
[commentator] Memphis is back at the front.
Real Madrid wins it back.
They get the ball back with great power.
Alaba... Watch out because Vinícius has managed to escape.
He passes it to Rodrygo. Rodrygo has it.
- [commentator 2] Good one! - [commentator] Here comes Alaba.
Alaba goes to the area, kicks and...
[both commentators] Goal!
[Alaba, in English] I was very happy to-- to score.
My first Clásico in Barcelona was a really special day.
If you look back at the history of the Clásico,
it's really great and amazing.
[narrator] Half time and Madrid take a slender lead into the dressing room.
With the match on a knife edge,
a moment of brilliance from either side could prove decisive.
[start whistle blows]
[commentator, in Spanish] Lucas...
There is Modrić... Modrić inside the box... He shoots...
Modrić leaves it to Karim!
Watch out, because Real Madrid is looking for the counterattack now.
Lucas Vázquez gives it to Marco Asensio.
It's one on one. Let's see if he's fast enough.
- [commentator 2] Hit it. - [commentator] He's in the area. Asensio...
[both commentators] Goal!
Congratulations, Mom!
[commentator 2] The goal from Real Madrid ends the game.
The goal from Madrid ends El Clásico!
Lucas Vázquez.
Zero-two.
[Vázquez] We showed the energy, the guts,
that sense of belonging, of going in the same direction.
[Rodrygo] It was great. It was a big joy because
of course winning against Barça is always difficult.
Winning that match was one of the key moments of the season.
[shouts]
[players chattering, cheering]
I'm very happy. I remember my first days here in Madrid.
I was 21.
Now that I'm 34, I'm very happy at this club.
[crowd cheering]
[stadium announcer] With number nine...
Karim...
[crowd] Benzema!
[narrator] Though Madrid's younger players are starting to shine,
it's a seasoned veteran who is now coming of age, Karim Benzema.
[in Spanish] The best player in the world!
[in French] I'm Karim Benzema and I joined Real Madrid in 2009.
- [reporters clamoring] - [in Spanish] Careful with the wall.
[journalist] Ballon d'Or, brother.
[reporter] Madrid and Olympique Lyonnais have reached an agreement
on the transfer of Karim Benzema.
The French striker of Algerian descent has won four league titles
at the age of 21.
[Pérez] Not everyone knew that this was your dream.
That this white T-shirt and that crest, which you're finally wearing today,
are the ones you asked for years ago in your hometown of Lyon.
Karim Benzema, welcome to your new home.
Welcome to your beloved Real Madrid.
[audience cheers]
[Pérez] I saw him as a very special player.
He had Ronaldo Nazario's goal skills.
He could also manage the strikers up front,
like Zinedine Zidane did.
Sorry, I don't speak Spanish very well.
I'm very happy.
To play in the--
in the best club in the world.
[audience cheers]
One.
Two.
Three.
- Hala Madrid! - [crowd] Hala Madrid!
[commentator] Benzema strikes... Goal!
Goal, goal, goal!
[Benzema] It was a dream.
I feel proud of my work in Lyon.
But you can clearly feel, um, the pressure of wearing this T-shirt.
This club's history.
[Hunter, in English] Since the arrival of Ronaldo to Real Madrid,
Karim Benzema had to be basically his wingman.
[commentator] The ball is inside the area...
Karim Benzema strikes...
Goal!
[narrator, in English] For all his talent, Benzema is soon relegated
to a secondary role on the pitch
when the club signs one of the world's greatest strikers,
Cristiano Ronaldo.
[Kirkland] Benzema was more of a facilitator,
and he was intelligent enough to do that
in terms of providing space for Ronaldo to score goals.
[Hunter] He's basically kind of just stayed in the shadows.
[commentator, in Spanish] Benzema gets the ball!
He passes it to Cristiano in the area...
Goal, goal, goal!
[Hunter, in English] And so a lot of people didn't think Benzema was that good.
[commentator] Benzema!
[crowd whistling, booing]
[interviewer, in Spanish] How do you deal with the booing and hissing?
Sometimes people don't understand what I do in the field.
But I'm always here to help my teammates and give my best.
[commentator, in English] Here's Benzema. Good turn to get away from Savic.
Still going, Benzema keeps the ball... What a bit of play from the Frenchman...
And pulls it back for Toni Kroos.
He scores there, surely!
[interviewer, in Spanish] What a move from Benzema on that goal.
[Marcelo] Karim is an amazing player.
He helped us today with his great magic.
For those of us who are with him every day, it's normal.
Uh, that's why he, in my opinion, is the best number nine in the world.
[Corrigan, in English] Cristiano Ronaldo's exit was also a huge moment for him.
[narrator] With the departure of Cristiano,
Benzema's talent is finally unleashed.
[Lowe] One of the things that changes is kind of emotional.
[González, in Spanish] What we've seen from Benzema
in the past three years is unexpected.
Leadership. Always willing to help.
He didn't have surgery on his hand not to stop playing for a month.
His celebrations, lack of critiques, not talking back to the referees...
[Lowe, in English] It's about feeling the responsibility.
Leadership, maturity.
Feeling like, "Okay, this is my team now."
[in Spanish] I'm always learning from him.
He's always talking to me and giving instructions.
[Casemiro] Karim plays the same way.
He understands the game the same way.
He is the same as he was seven years ago.
Instead of scoring
twenty goals per season, now he scores 48 or 45 goals.
[commentator] Vini is entering the area.
Vini strikes and scores!
Goal, goal, goal!
[commentator 2] Lifts it in on his left foot... It drops to Benzema.
And Benzema does get his goal.
He will go down in history.
When he stops playing football in 15 years, people will remember him.
[crowd chanting] Ballon d'Or! Karim, Ballon d'Or!
[narrator, in English] Victory in El Clásico
has given Carlo Ancelotti breathing room.
Yet despite the vital win, it's straight back to work.
At Real Madrid, only trophies are celebrated.
And no one knows this better than the coach.
[Ancelotti, in Spanish] Having a stronger defense was our priority.
Have the three of them: Modrić, Casemiro, and Kroos in their natural positions.
This strategy made them feel more comfortable.
Much stronger at the back.
And much more dangerous up front
because we could have fun and take advantage of the speed
of Rodrygo and Vinícius, of Karim's quality.
[players shouting, laughing]
[narrator, in English] With the wind in their sails
and a new formation ready to be unveiled, the players feel invigorated.
Which quickly becomes apparent on the pitch.
[commentator, in Spanish] Everything's ready here.
He whistles the beginning.
There is Mariano. What a back-heel. And Vinícius has the ball.
He enters the area. Goal, goal, goal!
[commentator] Welcome to the 4th week in the group stage.
He's inside the box, searching-- Vini, Vini! Goal!
[commentator 2] Asensio with Kroos.
What a goal from Toni Kroos!
[commentator 3, in Spanish] Casemiro, watch out for that ball.
Goal, goal, goal!
That's when the season really started.
And we started gaining more confidence.
[Nacho] When you are in that kind of dynamic, you have to make the most of it.
We had, and we have an amazing group.
That makes it easier for us to win.
We got better with every match.
[narrator, in English] The improvement in form soon turns into a winning streak.
[commentator] And it's in!
Throw it up. Benzema.
Oh! Superb strike.
[commentator 2, in Spanish] Vinícius keeps going... Goal!
Goal!
[commentator, in English] Return ball, Vinícius.
Wonderful in-cut move. And Vinícius.
[commentator] Asensio. He's gonna always take that chance.
And he gets it, what a goal!
Oh, my goodness, what a goal!
[commentator 2, in Spanish] Vinícius in the area, he passes to Karim.
Goal! Goal! Goal!
[commentator 3] Vinícius with the overlap.
There's the Brazilian.
Kroos to Benzema. It's a stunning goal! What a strike! Karim Benzema!
[narrator] And what a turnaround this is.
After a tough start,
Real Madrid now top the LaLiga standings and have won their Champions League group.
For the knock-out stage of the Champions League,
the teams that have survived their groups
are randomly drawn to play each other over two legs, home and away.
Fortune does not appear to favor Real Madrid.
They're drawn against one of the most powerful clubs in Europe.
Paris Saint-Germain
and, uh, their opponent is the only club left in the pot, which is,
- name appearing-- - [presenter] Real Madrid.
[Marchetti] Real Madrid. So Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid.
When the draw was made, in a way, it felt like a bit of a disappointment
that these two teams were meeting so early.
[Pochettino, in Spanish] Playing in a round of 16
a Paris Saint-Germain against Madrid seemed like an early final.
When they picked the PSG ball, people in Europe thought Madrid had lost.
I don't think I can remember anything more anticipated than that.
[in English] Madrid and PSG represent these two kind of polar opposites.
Two huge clubs in very different ways
with very different histories, different outlooks.
PROUD OF OUR COLORS
Madrid are kind of the old school,
a club that represents so much of football's traditional values.
And PSG are kind of the new wave, the up-and-comers.
The kind of club that represents the influx
of a lot of investment from overseas.
You've got Madrid, a club who've won more European cups than any other team.
And you've got PSG who are desperate to win their first Champions League
because they've never managed to do it.
[Pochettino, in Spanish] The project of Paris Saint-Germain is clear.
It's finding the best football players,
to create a team that can win the Champions League for the club.
[González] Neymar, who isn't liked at all at the Bernabéu.
Then Messi, the biggest beast in the last years.
[Kirkland, in English] And of course the Mbappé factor.
This is a player who is PSG's star player, and the best player in French football.
[in Spanish] Madrid started as the victim.
Something quite unusual for Real Madrid.
[Courtois, in English] It's obviously a big, uh, challenge always
when you play against top teams, top players.
But it's the games you want to play because you know if you can beat them,
it means we are really strong.
Obviously you prefer maybe an easier team,
but you never know what can happen in football.
[narrator] To take on the likes of Messi, Neymar and Mbappé,
the team needs to be firing on all cylinders.
But before the big match in Paris,
there's still the domestic season to attend to.
[commentator, in Spanish] Look at Alaba! Karim has it! He's in the area!
[narrator, in English] And just at the worst possible moment, disaster strikes.
[commentator 2, in Spanish] Benzema is injured.
- The French player removes his armband. - [commentator 3] Injured how?
[commentator 4] Yes. Muscular.
- Muscular. How he left, it's the muscles. - [commentator 2] Right leg.
[Sainz] When you see them exciting people, winning,
when the machinery is in gear and working,
you stop and say: "What? It's not the time for Benzema to be injured.
Everything was going great."
[reporter] The big question in Real Madrid is whether Benzema will play against PSG.
Ancelotti has a good feeling,
but four days before the game, we still have no answer.
[narrator, in English] With under two weeks until the team travels to Paris,
for the first leg of the Champions League match,
Benzema needs to cut the usual recovery time for an injury like this in half.
[Hunter] So in Spain,
a lot of the media or a lot of the fans love to use the word "dependencia."
Basically, the dependency on one specific player
and there's no question that Benzema was that differential player.
[Ancelotti, in Spanish] Saying we are dependent on Benzema is true.
There's no need to hide it. [chuckles]
I'm very happy of having this dependence. Very happy.
I'm happy to be dependent on Karim Benzema.
I have to stop playing, but...
I always want to be on the pitch to help my team.
It is a difficult moment.
THIS IS PARIS
[Vinícius sighs]
[interviewer, in Spanish] Benzema is finally in the starting eleven.
What level can we expect? Obviously not 100%.
[Ancelotti] Technically 100%,
but physically he may lack something in the last minutes.
We're not thinking about that.
We're focused on the fact that he's playing, and that's what matters to us.
[Benzema] I'll always do my best for my team.
Always. Otherwise...
I would have stayed in Madrid today.
So, I'm always there to help my team.
If I have to push hard, I will.
[speaks Spanish]
[crowd cheering, chanting]
[commentator, in French] We are privileged to be here
with you at the Parc des Princes.
The Parisian public has been waiting for this for three years.
A Champions League knockout match.
What an atmosphere at the Parc des Princes.
Tonight it's PSG against Real Madrid.
The biggest club in the world faces its most ambitious opponent.
Real Madrid against Paris Saint-Germain.
Paris' time is here.
Mbappé gets the ball from Messi.
It's a miss for Mbappé!
[narrator] Right from the start, Real Madrid are pegged back
by a sustained onslaught from the French team.
[Kirkland] That first leg was one of the worst European performances
from Madrid that I can remember. They were terrible.
[crowd chanting, clamoring]
[in Spanish] My feeling on the pitch was...
"We can't do this."
[Carvajal] It may be one of the matches where I've suffered the most
against an opponent on the pitch.
[commentator, in French] Let's go. Nuno Mendes.
- Here we go! - He passes it to Mbappé.
[commentator 2] Oh, too bad.
[Carvajal, in Spanish] He went slowly, he wanted to control it.
Then he was very fast and very strong.
He was very inspired and, like I said, I suffered a lot.
[narrator] Despite their poor play, Los Blancos
are hanging on for a draw,
which would be an amazing result, given the circumstances.
But there's only so long you can survive in the eye of the storm.
[commentator 3, in French] Come on, Paris! Mbappé goes for it.
Penalty! Penalty!
Penalty in favor of PSG.
The unstoppable Kylian Mbappé.
[Carvajal, in Spanish] These are key moments.
Especially in the Champions.
Where any mistake can send you home.
[Courtois] Some players protest with the ref.
I just concentrate already on who might take it.
I saw Messi take-- taking the ball.
[narrator] That's Argentina's Lionel Messi,
one of the greatest footballers ever.
So how do you stop a penalty from a world class scorer?
[commentator 2, in French] Golden opportunity for PSG to score first.
The left foot of Leo Messi against Courtois!
No way!
[narrator] With a world-class goalkeeper.
Because sometimes you just need to meet greatness with greatness.
So it was a good and strong feeling
to save the penalty and to continue in this nil-nil.
[narrator] Inspired by Courtois' heroic save,
the team digs in and is mere seconds away from escaping Paris with a dream result.
But there's one small problem.
Kylian Mbappé is still on the pitch.
[commentator, in French] It's now for Kylian Mbappé.
- [commentator 3] Yes! Yes! - [commentator] Kylian Mbappé!
[commentator 3] Yes! [cheers]
Well done, Kylian!
Against Thibaut!
[narrator, in English] Madrid's brave resistance is crushed at the death
by a player with star dust in his boots.
[Ancelotti, in Spanish] Mbappé is unstoppable.
I think we tried to control him.
He is a player who always comes up with something.
He did it in the last minute.
[Pochettino] If we keep this level,
we'll have a chance of moving on to the next round.
[Ancelotti] It was really difficult for us to overcome the pressure
that Paris Saint-Germain put us under.
There isn't a complex explanation. This is what happened.
We haven't-- With the ball--
We haven't done it as we wanted.
When the game ended, I thought:
"It's impossible to win against Paris now because they're better."
I think the first match away was very difficult,
and we weren't able to play.
But we only conceded one goal.
We lost the chance of hurting them more than we did.
[narrator] With the odds now overwhelmingly stacked against them,
most teams would lose hope. But not this one.
[in Spanish] Is it difficult? Yes.
But at the Bernabéu...
everything is possible.
[narrator] The team prepares for the return leg in Madrid
focused on how to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
And now, they can draw on a secret weapon:
The fervent belief of their fans.
[crowd clamoring, cheering]
[fans chanting in Spanish] Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
[Alaba, in English] When we arrived with the bus at the Bernabéu,
we saw the people outside on the street on our way to the stadium.
This was incredible.
In that moment, uh, you could really feel already
something special is going on on this night.
WE ARE THE KINGS OF EUROPE
[narrator] Los Blancos must somehow use their home advantage
to outscore Paris Saint-Germain by two goals.
A tall order for any team.
But this is Real Madrid.
[in Spanish] We know we will create something magical in our stadium.
[commentator] Mbappé-Alaba. Mbappé-Alaba. Mbappé scores.
[pundit, in English] He's going to have some very difficult moments.
[pundit 2] With Mbappé or Neymar in counterattack...
[chuckles] Well, good luck.
- [commentator] Unbelievable. - [commentator 2] Let's go.
Let's go! Look at him.
Vinícius. Still Vinícius. Marquinhos clears--