Liverpool v Real Madrid: how the line-ups of the Champions League finalists have changed in four years

The finalists of the current Champions League – Liverpool and Real Madrid – are one of the most effective clubs in the tournament. This conclusion follows from the analysis carried out by the bigdata specialist Aurelem Nazmiouwhich calculated how much finalist clubs spent on average on transfers to reach the Champions League final in the 21st century.

To do this, the transfer costs of the clubs for a little over 20 years were divided by the number of hits in the final. Liverpool in a kind of ranking took second place, Real Madrid – third. The Reds, who will play in the decisive match of the tournament for the fifth time in the new century, each reaching the final cost an average of 349.4 million euros. Madrid, who reached the final for the sixth time in the new millennium – 385.9 million. Liverpool and Real Madrid are second only to Bayern, who have played in the finals five times in the 21st century: each entry to the final cost Munich 241.2 million euros.

If we talk about closer time periods, then, no matter how surprising it may sound, over the past four years since the meeting between Liverpool and Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Kiev, the transfer performance of Madrid is almost 2.5 times better than that of the Reds . We assess how Liverpool and Real Madrid have changed over the past four years, based on the final match of the 2017/2018 season and the semi-finals of the Champions League 2021/2022.

Liverpool: change of goalkeepers and a serious “minus”

• Total spent on acquisition: EUR 362.25 million
• Total received from sales: EUR 130.52 million
• Difference: EUR 231.73 million

For four years, Liverpool has spent a serious amount on strengthening the squad. In the first off-season after the final lost to Real Madrid, they were bought, including Allison (62.5 million according to Transfermarkt), Keita (60), Fabinho (45). Last season, Jota (44.7), Thiago (22) joined the ranks of the Reds. This is Diaz (47) and Conate (40).

If we talk about sales, we can note the transfers of Solanke (21.2), Ward (14), Ingz (21.2) and Lovren (12). Still, the difference in the Reds’ transfer budget over the four seasons was an impressive 231.7 million euros: an average of minus 58 million euros per season.

• Liverpool 2018Cast: Carius, Robertson, Lovren, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Milner (Emre Can, 83), Salah (Lalana, 30), Firmino, Mane.
• Spare: Mignolet, Kline, Klavan, Moreno, Solanke.
• Trainer: Jürgen Klopp

The final in Kyiv marked the end of the career of Loris Karius, who, although he continues to be listed in Liverpool, has already played on loan in Besiktas and Union. Moreover, the return to Germany can hardly be considered successful: only five matches per season. Of the participants in the final in Liverpool, there are no longer Mijole, Kline, the already mentioned Solanke, Lovren, Can, Moreno. But in the ranks – the head coach of the Reds Jurgen Klopp, who signed a new contract with the club not so long ago.

Liverpool 2021: Alison, Fabinho, van Dijk, Conate, Robertson, Alcantara, Mane (Keita 72), Henderson (Jota 72), Alexander-Arnold (Origi 81), Salah, Diaz.
Spare: Adrian, Kelleher, Williams, Milner, Matip, Elliott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino.
Trainer: Jürgen Klopp

Real Madrid: change of coach and loss of a star

• Total spent on acquisition: EUR 549.25 million
• Total received from sales: EUR 453.8 million
• Difference: 95.2 million euros

Judging by the transfer fee, Real Madrid’s spending looks insane even against the backdrop of Liverpool – 549 million to buy new players over four seasons. On average – 137 million per season. But at the same time, Slivochnye successfully sold, earning almost 454 million on transfers, an average of 113.5 million per season. As a result, the difference was “only” 95.2 million euros, on average – “minus” 23.8 million euros per season.

See also: Liverpool vs Real Madrid when and where to watch live broadcast of the Champions League final

The main losses after the so far last European triumph of Real Madrid are the departure of the head coach of the team at that time, Zinedine Zidane, and the main star of the team, Cristiano Ronaldo. For the latter, Juventus paid 117 million euros. In the same season, Vinicius Junior (45m), Thibault Courtois (35m), Alvaro Odriozola (30m), Mariano Diaz (21.5m) and Brahim Diaz (17m) joined the Creamy squad. In the same season, Andrey Lunin also moved to Real Madrid, whose transfer cost Creamy 8 million euros.

The following season Real Madrid bought Eden Hazard (115m), Luka Jovic (65m), Eder Militao (50m), Ferland Mendy (48m), Rodrigo (45m) and Renier (30m). Leaving the club are Kovacic (45), Llorente (30), Hernandez (21.5), Raul de Tomas (20) and Keylor Navas (15). In the 2020/2021 season, Real made good money on sales of Hakimi (43), Reguilon (30) and Rodriguez (13.5). In the current one, he sold Odegaard to Arsenal for 35 million, and Varane to Manchester United for 40 million. But he bought Camavinga from Rennes, spending 31 million.

• Real 2018: Navas – Carvajal (Nacho, 37), Varane, Ramos, Marcelo – Modric, Casemiro, Kroos – Isco (Bale, 62) – Benzema (Asensio, 89), Ronaldo.
• Stock: Casilla, Hernandez, Kovacic, Vazquez.
• Trainer: Zinedine Zidane

As already mentioned, compared to the match in Kyiv against Liverpool, Real Madrid do not have Navas, Varane, Ronaldo, Kovacic and Hernandez. But Andrey Lunin appeared, who can become the third Ukrainian – after Shevchenko and, alas, Tymoshchuk, who won the Champions League.

Real 2021: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba (Nacho 46), Mendy, Kroos, Modric (Ceballos 79), Valverde, Benzema, Rodrigo (Camavinga 70), Vinicius Junior (Ancesio 88).
Spare: Lunin, Fuidias, Vallejo, Marcelo, Casemiro, Vasquez, Bale, Isco.
Trainer: Carlo Anchelotti.