Jude Bellingham will put emotion to one side in a bid to make history at Wembley on Saturday and lead Real Madrid to an extraordinary 15th European crown.
The England midfielder wants to finish his brilliant debut season at Madrid, in which he has already won LaLiga, with victory against former club Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham enjoyed three years at Dortmund before his £88.5million move to Madrid last summer, and Saturday promises to be a special occasion for the 20-year-old. But he is determined to put aside any sentiment to help Real to more European glory.
“To play this kind of game is the reason I’m here,” said Bellingham. “I always dreamed of playing for this team and scoring goals. This team means Champions League — it’s what they always want. I want to make a little bit of history with this team.
“It’s very special for me to play this game, but we have to try to put the emotions to one side. It’s important we’re at our best. It’s difficult for the other teams when we play at that level. I have 100 per cent confidence.”
With world-class players like Bellingham and Vinicius Jr, Madrid are strong favourites against a Dortmund side that finished fifth in the Bundesliga.
Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos will play his final game for the club on Saturday after announcing he will retire after Euro 2024 this summer.
The 34-year-old German has enjoyed a trophy-laden career since joining from Bayern Munich in 2014, winning both LaLiga and the Champions League four times, and coach Carlo Ancelotti says he deserves to go out with another trophy.
“We are saying farewell to a footballing great,” said the Italian. “He is a great midfielder with huge quality and fantastic character, with little ego, who always played for the team.
“We have been lucky to have him for 10 years. Toni could close his career with a Champions League and at an individual level he deserves it. But his career doesn’t need another Champions League. He has been a fantastic player for 10 years, he had made history with Real Madrid and in world football.”
Dortmund are huge underdogs, but Marco Reus insists they can cause an upset as he targets his own fairytale finish to a 12-year stay at the club.
“Their players are used to these moments and they must be less nervous, but this doesn’t decide whether you win the game or not, because it will be decided on the pitch,” said the midfielder.
“It’s a one-off game and anything is possible. We must believe, we will believe.”
