Real vs Bayern — History of the European Clasico
Since its inception in 1955, no two teams in the European Cup or Champions League have faced each other more times than Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The European Clasico or European Klassiker epitomizes the goal of bringing the biggest names in continental football face to face.
Across the 26 times Real and Bayern have fought each other in Europe, the Los Blancos have won 12, whereas the Reds have won 11. It may seem a balanced set of results in aggregate, but there have been phases of highs and lows for both. With the duo ready to face each other again in the 2023–24 UCL semifinal, it’s a good time to look at the history of this iconic rivalry.
1955 to 1976
In 1955, the fate of the two clubs was as contrasting as it gets. While Real Madrid was preparing to participate (and eventually win) in the first-ever edition of the European Club, Bayern Munich got relegated to the second division of the Southern League (2. Oberliga Süd) in Germany.
Madrid would become the trendsetters in the newly formed European competition, winning for five years straight from 1956 to 1960. During this period, they had an array of global superstars including Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Francisco “Paco” Gento, Raymond Kopa, Hector Rial and José Santamaría, among others.
Bayern on the other hand didn’t even get a direct invite to the newly created German national league called Bundesliga in 1963. But with a young squad of homegrown talents like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier, the club was on the rise and got promoted in 1965.
Madrid’s 1966 European Cup win marked the end of an era, as the Spanish giants would have to wait another three decades to win their favourite competition. Bayern, on the other hand, with their 1967 Cup Winners Cup victory, started their ascend to the top of European football.
It culminated with a hattrick of European Cup victories for the Bavarians from 1974 to 1976. During this period, the two teams came head to head for the first time, contesting the 1975–76 European Cup semifinal. Bayern Munich won 3–1 on aggregate, with Gerd Muller scoring all the goals for the German side.
1977 to 1997
The 80s and 90s mostly marked a lean phase for both the clubs at the highest level of European football. Real (in 1981) and Bayern (in 1982 and 1987) had to contend with being runners-up during this period.
During their 1986–87 run, Bayern again faced Real Madrid in the semifinal. Goals by Klaus Augenthaler, Lothar Matthaus and Roland Wohlfarth helped the Germans take a 4–1 lead in Munich. In the second leg, Santillana scored the match's only goal which proved insufficient for Real Madrid. Bayern ended up progressing on aggregate before losing the final against Porto.
Madrid got their revenge in the quarterfinal next year. Bayern again took a 3–2 lead in the first leg at Munich. But the Bavarians were answerless against the goals of Milan Jankovic and Michel in Madrid. Real won the match 2–0 and the tie 4–3. Their journey would end against PSV Eindhoven in the next round.
The 90s brought further despair as the teams had to witness their domestic rivals Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund win the competition in 1992 and 1997 respectively. Things were about to change though.
1998 to 2002
The two continental giants had a European revival during this brief 5 year period. Madrid ended their 32-year-long wait by winning the UEFA Champions League in 1998. They further complimented it with victories in 2000 and 2002. Bayern was whiskers away from doing the same in 1999, before tragically conceding two late goals to Manchester United in the iconic final at Camp Nou. Redemption was achieved in the 2001 UEFA Champions League Final, as the Reds beat Valencia on penalties.
The two sides met again and again in this period. Bayern accumulated heavy wins against Real in the second group stage round of the 1999–2000 season (4–1 and 4–2). Fate brought them together in the semifinal again, with Real getting the better of Bayern this time. Goals by Nicolas Anelka across both legs helped Los Blancos to a 3–2 win on aggregate.
They also contested the 2000–2001 semifinal, with Brazilian striker Giovane Elber’s goals helping Bayern to victories across both legs. In 2001–02, the two sides faced each other for the third consecutive season. An 85th-minute goal by Guti in the second leg made the difference, as Real progressed to the next round at the expense of the defending champions.
2003 to 2009
This was a period of transition for both the clubs. Madrid went full throttle into the Galacticos approach, which came at the price of unsettling the team balance. Bayern on the other hand replaced their ageing squad more cautiously. Domestic success continued but they found it increasingly difficult in Europe. From 2004 to 2009, neither of the two could even make it to the semifinal.
A further sign of downfall was Bayern and Real facing each other twice as early as the Round of 16 stage. It was first in the 2003–04 season, where goals from Roberto Carlos and Zinedine Zidane across different legs led Madrid to a 2–1 victory. The follow-up tie in 2006–07 was more closely fought. Madrid took a 3–2 lead in the home leg but lost to Bayern 2–1 in Munich, with the latter progressing on away goals. The fixture's highlight was Hasan Salihamidzic pouncing on a loose touch by Roberto Carlos at kick-off, leading to Bayern striker Roy Makaay scoring the fastest goal in Champions League history within 10.12 seconds.
So far, Bayern dominated the head-to-head record against Real 10–6. But the Spaniards would soon make up for it.
2010 to 2023
With a better class of players under a new manager, the fallen giants of Europe once again began aiming for the stars. This was the closest Real and Bayern would get to replicating their golden ages in the 50s and 70s respectively. Madrid would win five Champions League titles, including a three-peat from 2016–18. Likewise, their German counterparts played in four finals, winning in 2013 and 2020.
Along with Barcelona, these two were the best teams in the world for much of the last decade. Understandably so, they came face to face on multiple occasions. In the 2011–12 season, Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid were on a historic run of form, winning La Liga with a record tally of 100 points. As a result, despite losing the first semifinal leg 2–1 in Munich, Real were favourites to win the tie at home. Despite two early goals by Cristiano Ronaldo, the score in Madrid after 90 minutes read 2–1 (3–3 on aggregate) thanks to Arjen Robben’s penalty against his former club. The match was decided on penalties, with Bayern progressing courtesy of misses by Ronaldo, Kaka and Sergio Ramos. Despite the success that would follow for Madrid, their players and fans would continue to remorse this loss.
Madrid got their revenge two years later in the 2013–14 semifinal. Bayern, the defending champions, lost 1–0 away in Madrid in the first leg. What seemed like a manageable home leg for the Bavarians quickly became a nightmare. Braces by Ramos and Ronaldo led to a 4–0 humiliation in Munich for the German side.
Real also came out on top in the next couple of rounds, although the victory margins were narrow this time. In 2016 the contest went into extra time, where the Spaniards won 6–4 on aggregate. Ronaldo scored 5 goals across the two legs against the Germans. Next year, Real extended their winning streak with a 4–3 aggregate result against Bayern. Interestingly, one of the goal scorers for the losing side was Real loanee James Rodriguez.
Present Day
Bayern and Real will continue their historic rivalry in the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League semifinal. Madrid, on a 7-match undefeated streak against the German side, are the favourites going into the tie after knocking out defending champions Manchester City. Bayern, who failed to win the German league for the first time in 12 years, would be hoping for some weekday magic from their star-signing Harry Kane and knockouts specialist manager Thomas Tuchel.
Who do you think will win?
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With the Euros approaching soon, you might also want to read about the greatness of Eastern European sides in the early days of the tournament -
