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Ronaldo completes Real Madrid training ahead of Manchester City clash
By Alberto Pinero
May 2, 2016 19:30:00
The Portuguese star, who missed the last three games - and first leg - with a thigh problem, is back on the training field and in contention to play on Wednesday night
Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to full training ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final second-leg clash with Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
The Portuguese star missed the first leg with a thigh problem he picked up against Villarreal, and has also been absent from La Liga matches against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad.
But he is nearing a return to action after coming through a full training session unscathed on Monday and is widely expected to make the starting XI against City.
However, manager Zinedine Zidane described Ronaldo as “100 per cent” fit on the eve of the first leg, before he felt a twinge in the final training session.
Madrid are unlikely to take any risks with the 31-year-old and his fitness will continue to be monitored despite encouraging signs over the past week.
Los Blancos go into the match with City knowing that a score draw wouldn't be enough to progress to the final, while Ronaldo is one strike away from equalling his record for most goals scored in a single Champions League season.
Ribery tells Guardiola to play him against Atletico
By Stefan Coerts
May 2, 2016 11:27:50
The Frenchman has toiled with physical problems this season, but he has said that he is fully fit and ready to help his side overcome the Spaniards
Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has told Pep Guardiola he must play in Tuesday's crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid after recovering from a back injury.
The former France international had to settle for a spot on the bench in the 1-0 defeat at the Vicente Calderon last week, coming on halfway through the second half to take Kingsley Coman's place.
Ribery then sat out in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach, which meant Bayern's wait to wrap up the Bundesliga title continued, after complaining of discomfort in his back.
However, the 33-year-old has stressed he is raring to go again when Bayern attempt to overturn the first-leg deficit.
"I am doing a lot better," Ribery told Kicker.
"I have been doing some running and will resume squad training on Monday.
"I am ready for the game against Atletico. I am really looking forward to playing against them. I have to play."
The Chilean manager has fond memories of his time in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, but believes that interference from outside figures make the task extremely hard
Coaching Real Madrid is one of the toughest jobs in world football due to the politics involved at the Santiago Bernabeu, says former boss Manuel Pellegrini.
Pellegrini was in charge at Madrid in the 2009-10 campaign but lasted just one season as they lost out on the Liga title to fierce rivals Barcelona.
The now Manchester City manager, whose side face Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday, has fond memories of his time in the Spanish capital but feels there are too many people trying to interfere with first-team affairs.
"I wouldn't say coaching Madrid is an impossible job. It's an honour to coach Madrid. But you have to realise that when you take charge of Madrid, you have to accept politics play a big role," Pellegrini told El Mundo.
"There are bound to be people who will try to interfere even if they do not have the football knowledge to do so. If you allow someone without football knowledge to interfere and if you let criticism from the political side affect you, you are not ready for the job.
"I was fortunate enough to pass one of the most difficult tests and it did not change me one bit. I know that the players liked it most about me that nothing changed regardless of the result at the weekend.
"I demanded the same from the players, to not let anything happening on the outside affect them. I never fielded a player because I was told to do so or because I was being criticised.
"I only have good memories of my time at Madrid. Unfortunately I didn't win the league, even if it would have been the first and last title anyway. I knew that I was fired because club president Florentino Perez had told Villarreal president Fernando Roig and he told me."
City travel to the Bernabeu for the Champions League semi-final second leg with the tie nicely poised at 0-0.
More to Manchester City than Aguero, Casemiro warns Real Madrid
By Stefan Coerts
May 2, 2016 14:32:19
The midfielder says Manuel Pellegrini's side have plenty of quality as they head to the Bernabeu with the tie delicately balanced after a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium
Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro has warned his team-mates they cannot solely focus on Sergio Aguero in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie with Manchester City.
Prolific striker Aguero is City's chief attacking threat and has scored 28 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions this season.
City will rely heavily on the former Atletico Madrid star if they are to beat Casemiro's side having drawn last week's first leg 0-0, but the Madrid man says the visitors are by no means a one-man team.
"They've not only got Aguero, they've got big players with a lot of quality," Casemiro told Bwin's website.
"We have to be switched on to all of them and focused on the game. Play the same as we did there, with attitude and character.
"We have to play with a lot of attention and strength."
Madrid defender Pepe is set to be tasked with shackling Aguero, and Casemiro added: "We know that Pepe is a great player.
"He's been here a long time, he's very experienced and one of the best centre-backs in the world.
"We count on him because he is a player with a lot of character and a lot of energy out on the field."
This will be the second time that the Slovenian official has taken charge of a match of this magnitude, while each side suffered defeats the last time he officiated
Damir Skomina has been unveiled as the referee for Real Madrid’s Champions League second-leg fixture against Manchester City at the Bernabeu.
The 39-year-old will take charge of the encounter that will decide which side progresses to the San Siro for the final, with the tie delicately poised after a scoreless draw in England.
Skomina has taken charge of four previous Champions League fixtures this season, including City’s 2-1 home defeat against Juventus.
The last Madrid match he took charge of resulted in a reverse for the Spaniards as he oversaw the 4-3 defeat they suffered in the last-16 stage against Schalke last term, although earlier in the same campaign he officiated their 5-1 home success over Basel.
This will not be the first team he has taken charge of a semi-final in the illustrious competition either, as he was the man in the middle when Bayern Munich defeated Barcelona 3-0 at Camp Nou in 2012-13.
Real Madrid v Manchester City: Pellegrini eyes away goal as Zidane hopes for Ronaldo
2 May 2016
Manuel Pellegrini says Manchester City will have a different attitude than Real Madrid showed in the first leg when they travel to Santiago Bernabeu, with the hosts hoping star man Cristiano Ronaldo will be passed fit to play.
The 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Etihad Stadium - which Ronaldo missed with a hamstring injury - has the tie evenly poised as the two teams meet on Wednesday bidding to reach the final in Milan.
Madrid are looking to make what would be their 14th final in Europe's elite club competition, while City have already broken new ground in the tournament this season by making it past the last-16 for the first time. Their only continental final was the Cup Winners' Cup final win over Gornik Zabrze in 1970.
The statistics are in Madrid's favour, with only 31 per cent of the teams who have drawn the home leg of a Champions League knockout tie going on to progress (nine out of 29).
Madrid have also kept a clean sheet in all five of their Champions League home games this season, but Pellegrini is going to Spain targeting an away goal that he thinks could make all the difference.
"I was surprised that Madrid sat so deep in the first leg," he told El Mundo Deportivo.
"In the first half, especially, the team who wanted to get the ball higher and had more intent was ours. Perhaps at some point they were overwhelmed and maybe speculated, rightly, to play the first away match trying not to lose.
"Our team lacked a lot of creativity, lost the ball very quickly, but I think we had an attitude of trying to win the game.
"We will try to do exactly the same in Madrid. We will not go to the Bernabeu trying for a goalless draw. We will try to get high, press and score a goal because a draw will favour us if we score."
Asked about Madrid's home defensive record, he said: "Statistics are there to be broken and I also see Madrid playing more openly.
"In Europe we have had a breakthrough. Before I arrived, the team was eliminated in the group stage, then fell twice in the second round eliminated by Barcelona. Now we are in the semi-finals - it is a club that is growing and winning titles."
Ronaldo completed training on Monday ahead of the game, while Madrid are also hoping to have Karim Benzema fit after he limped out of the opening match with his own hamstring problem at half-time.
The Portugal international has only missed seven of Madrid's 80 Champions League games since signing in 2009 and their win rate plummets from 71 to 43 per cent when he is out of the side.
Ronaldo has scored or assisted an astonishing 77 per cent of Madrid's goals in the competition this season (20 out of 26) and is only one away from equalling his own record of 17 in a single campaign.
"In my head I want them and we think that they will be ready," Zidane said of Benzema and Ronaldo.
Director Emilio Butragueno insisted the medical team have Madrid's full support despite reports of a strained relationship with senior players and hopes they can get the pair ready in time.
"Our confidence in them is total," he said. "The most important thing is the game on Wednesday.
"Hopefully all the injured players can be ready for such an important game. We only think about that and about getting to the final."
Key Opta stats:
- Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last nine games against English sides in the Champions League (W6 D3). The last English team to knock Real out in the competition were Liverpool in 2008-09.
- Eight Manchester City players have scored away from home this season in the Champions League, which is a competition-high.
- Karim Benzema has scored in two of his three games against City, but he has not found the net in his last four Champions League games. Only once has he gone on a longer drought (five, December 2009-November 2010).
- Keylor Navas has kept 10 clean sheets in 11 games in his Champions League career. He's saved 30 of the 32 shots on target he's faced in the competition.
- Sergio Aguero has not had a shot on target in the Champions League for 432 minutes. His last one was his goal against Dynamo Kiev in February.
- Aguero has failed to score in his last four Champions League games, his longest drought in the competition since his run of five games without a goal between November 2011 and October 2012.
Ribery fit to face Atletico in Champions League semi-final
2 May 2016
Franck Ribery will be available for Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Former France international Ribery came on during the second-half of last week's 1-0 first-leg defeat at the Vicente Calderon and suffered a back injury.
He sat out Saturday's 1-1 Bundesliga draw at home to Borussia Monchengladbach but Pep Guardiola confirmed the winger is set to feature as Bayern aim to avoid a third successive semi-final exit under his stewardship.
"Ribery is fit and he is one more option for us. This is good, because he is a great player," said Guardiola, ahead of potentially his last Champions League match as Bayern boss, before departing to Manchester City for next season.
"It's the third semi-final in a row for us, It's a real honour. We need our best performance to reach the final.
"We must not think about how many goals we have to score, first we need to defend well and control the game.
"It will be my last Champions League game in Munich. I have always been treated wonderfully, it's a wonderful city and country.
"Personally, I have learned a lot which will help me during my career.
"We have achieved a lot during the last [three] years. It really is very difficult to make it to the final in this competition."
Guardiola anticipates a tough outing against Diego Simeone's tirelessly committed Atletico but believes his men have the qualities to overturn the deficit – highlighting the potential importance of defenders David Alaba and Joshua Kimmich, along with the midfield tenacity provided by Arturo Vidal.
"It's difficult to play against Atletico," said the former Barcelona coach. "They stay very tight. But we will do all we can to fight our way through that.
"We will try to attack with the whole team and not give away any counterattacks.
"This time we have players fit and we're well prepared for this game. We've had Alaba and Kimmich in defence and conceded very few.
"We've shown what we can do. If my team plays with Vidal's aggression like last week, then we have to win. Vidal's body language is unbelievable, he has a lot of influence on the team."
Guardiola added that he will assess Jerome Boateng's fitness after the defender returned from more than three months on the sidelines to complete 68 minutes against Monchengladbach.
Bayern Munich v Atletico Madrid: Hosts seek to vent Bundesliga frustration
1 May 2016
Bayern Munich must seek to avoid carrying the frustration of failing to secure the Bundesliga title into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Borussia Monchengladbach ensured the champagne to celebrate the domestic title remains firmly on ice by coming from behind to clinch a 1-1 draw in Bavaria on Saturday.
While Bayern - five points clear of closest rivals Borussia Dortmund - are still all but assured of a record fourth consecutive German title, their failure to beat Gladbach, albeit with a much-changed line-up, could be a concern.
And it remains to be seen how they will respond as they seek to overturn a 1-0 deficit from defeat in the first leg at Vicente Calderon, where Saul Niguez's superb individual goal gave Diego Simeone's men a narrow advantage last week.
"It's disappointing," said defender Jerome Boateng, who appeared to have recovered from a groin injury as he came through 68 minutes of the Gladbach draw.
"We started well against strong opponents.
"Of course we wanted to win and celebrate the championship title in front of our own fans. Unfortunately we didn't succeed.
"Now we have to turn our focus to Tuesday and give it 100 per cent.
"It was good and very important for me to play a few minutes. Match practice is crucial, it's different from training."
Head coach Pep Guardiola added: "We still need one point for the title. Now we have to focus on Atletico.
"Tuesday's match is going to be different. We have to play better then."
Atleti also rested a number of players for their clash with Rayo Vallecano, but Antoine Griezmann came off the bench to settle the encounter 1-0 with a stunning winner, keeping Diego Simeone's men in the Liga title race.
"I think at this stage of the season, when we play matches, winning is the most important thing," said Simeone, whose side sit level on points with Barcelona at the Liga summit.
"We did that and that makes us happy."
The memorable intervention of Niguez gave Atleti the advantage over Bayern last week and a run of six matches without conceding will also boost their confidence.
Simeone will be back in the dugout after watching the victory over Rayo from the stands.
The Argentine coach is serving a three-match domestic ban following a bizarre incident in which a ball was thrown at Malaga winger Ricardo Horta during a league match, with Simeone accepting ultimate responsibility despite denying he was the guilty party.
Franck Ribery is an injury doubt for Bayern after missing the Gladbach draw with a back problem, while Diego Godin (hamstring) and Yannick Carrasco (ankle) are available again for Atletico.
Diego Godin and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco have been passed fit to travel for the second leg of Atletico Madrid's Champions League semi-final against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.
Diego Simeone's side hold a 1-0 aggregate lead from the first leg at Vicente Calderon, thanks to Saul Niguez's wonderful solo goal, and will be boosted by Godin's return in particular.
Centre-back Godin has missed the Liga title contenders' last three games with a hamstring injury, while winger Carrasco has recovered from an ankle problem.
Atletico confirmed in a statement Godin and Carrasco have been "medically discharged" and will travel with the rest of the squad to Munich.
"Tiago [Mendes] also travels with the team, despite not having been medically discharged. And goalkeeper Bernabe travels too," the club added.
Bayern Munich 2-1 Atletico Madrid (agg 2-2): Simeone's men book another final
May 3, 2016 21:38:00
Even Fernando Torres' penalty miss failed to stop the Spanish side marching into another decider, while Thomas Muller also erred from the spot in a pulsating clash
Atletico Madrid followed up their Barcelona heroics by dumping another favourite out of the Champions League, as a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich nevertheless sent them through to the final on away goals.
Atletico held a 1-0 aggregate advantage from the first leg at Vicente Calderon, but Xabi Alonso cancelled it out when his free-kick found the back of the net following a deflection off Jose Maria Gimenez.
Bayern had been relentless in their pressing and were offered the chance to lead the tie for the first time when referee Cuneyt Cakir awarded them a penalty following Gimenez's foul on Javi Martinez.
However, Thomas Muller, back in the line-up after being benched for the meeting in Madrid, was denied from the spot by Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Muller's failure to convert proved to have a huge cost, with Antoine Griezmann racing away early in the second half and slotting a disguised shot beyond Manuel Neuer at his near post.
Robert Lewandowski's 74th-minute header made it 2-2 on aggregate, but, after Fernando Torres was kept out from the spot by Neuer following a controversial penalty decision, it was not enough to offer Pep Guardiola - who suffered a third straight semi-final exit at the Bayern helm - the chance to sign off his tenure in Bavaria with a shot at the Champions League title.
Bayern controlled possession from kick-off, but, after Lewandowski headed wide in the 12th minute, Gabi offered a reminder of the threat posed by Atletico when he forced Neuer into a routine save with a powerful drive from 25 yards.
Guardiola's side were unperturbed and Jerome Boateng – starting a second successive match after returning from three months out at the weekend – picked out Muller's diagonal run into the box, who, rather than shoot, teed up Lewandowski for a shot that was blocked by the onrushing Oblak.
Lewandowski and Philipp Lahm missed further chances as Bayern applied relentless pressure, and they finally broke through in the 31st minute.
Augusto Fernandez conceded a free kick near the edge of the box for a foul on David Alaba and Alonso drilled the resultant free-kick into the back of the net with the help of a deflection off Gimenez that wrong-footed Neuer.
Despite being rejoined in the centre of defence by Diego Godin, things got worse for Gimenez two minutes later when he was adjudged to have fouled Martinez inside the box while defending a corner, conceding a penalty.
The centre-back was shown a yellow card by the referee, but Oblak bailed him out by diving to his right and saving Muller's spot-kick, bouncing back to his feet to block Alonso's follow-up.
Franck Ribery and Diego Simeone were involved in a physical confrontation before the half-time whistle, but tempers were quickly cooled.
Simeone replaced Fernandez with Yannick Ferreira Carrasco at half-time and eight minutes later Atletico had their crucial away goal.
A brilliant pass from Torres released Griezmann on the counter-attack, and the France international guided a cool finish beyond Neuer.
Lewandowski set up a tense final 15 minutes when he powered a header into the back of the net after Arturo Vidal nodded Alaba's delivery from the left back across goal.
Torres had the chance to wrap the game up when he was sent tumbling by Martinez and the referee pointed to the spot, despite initial contact appearing to be made outside of the box.
The former AC Milan striker had his penalty saved by Neuer to the keeper's right, and Oblak produced a great stop from Douglas Costa's deflected strike with two minutes remaining to ensure Simeone's side will have another chance to claim the Champions League title, having lost to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the 2013-14 final.
Real Madrid 1-0 Manchester City (1-0 agg): Zidane's men book final clash with Atletico
By Russell Greaves
May 4, 2016 21:35:00
The Brazilian sent Gareth Bale's thunderous strike past his own keeper 20 minutes in, and the visitors rarely looked like fighting back as they succumbed to the 2013-4 champions
A Fernando own goal in the first half was enough to send Real Madrid into the final of the Champions League, as the hosts downed Manchester City 1-0 in Wednesday's second leg.
Zinedine Zidane's men have a shot at claiming the club's 11th European crown at San Siro on May 28, having followed up last week's cagey goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium with a considerably more impressive showing in the semi-final second leg on Wednesday.
Madrid – boosted by Cristiano Ronaldo's return to fitness, but still without Karim Benzema – capitalised on yet another injury setback for City captain Vincent Kompany to take a first-half lead when Gareth Bale's delivery looped in off Fernando.
Manuel Pellegrini, seeking to ensure it was not his final European game at the helm, needed a response from his side in the second half, but saw City spend most of it on the back foot.
Sergio Aguero was kept quiet and Kevin De Bruyne, so key in the last-eight triumph over Paris Saint-Germain, was also uncharacteristically subdued on a night that promised so much and yet delivered so little for City, whose best run in the competition came to a grinding halt.
For Madrid, though, there will be an opportunity to again do battle with an Atletico team who are challenging them, and leaders Barcelona, for the Liga title as Diego Simeone's men seek revenge for their Lisbon heartache of two years ago.
City suffered an early blow when Kompany pulled up injured inside the opening 10 minutes, the captain forced off to be replaced by Eliaquim Mangala.
The visitors had to adapt quickly as Madrid pressed forward, the first chance falling to talisman Ronaldo, whose header from Dani Carvajal's searching cross comfortably cleared Joe Hart's crossbar.
But the England goalkeeper could do nothing when Bale's right-footed cross clipped Fernando's outstretched leg and sailed into the net via the far post in the 20th minute.
The visitors sought a quick response to quieten a jubilant home crowd, with Jesus Navas escaping down the right and firing in a low cross that Keylor Navas confidently claimed.
An offside flag denied Pepe, who thought he had turned in the second nine minutes before half-time when he got on the end Toni Kroos' set-piece delivery.
City still had time to fire a first-half warning shot as Fernandinho's powerful drive struck the base of the left-hand upright in the final minute of the opening period.
With City up against it, manager Pellegrini – a beaten semi-finalist with Villarreal in the 2005-06 edition of this competition – needed a response from his side, but there were ominous signs early in the second half.
Jese Rodriguez's lung-bursting run left City players trailing in his wake, only for a poor attempted cross to let the Spaniard down, while Hart brilliantly denied Luka Modric from close range and kept out Ronaldo's header all within 10 minutes of the restart.
Raheem Sterling was introduced from the bench for Yaya Toure as Pellegrini looked to increase City's attacking focus for the final 30 minutes, but it was Madrid who continued to look the more likely.
Bale hit the crossbar with a header and Ronaldo blatantly handled the ball into the net when the rebound was chipped back towards him.
City, needing only one goal to progress to the final, threw on Kelechi Iheanacho in the closing stages and had their spirits momentarily lifted when the otherwise anonymous Aguero sent a shot dipping narrowly over the target, but that was as close as they came.
A greater challenge surely awaits Madrid in Milan a little over three weeks from now, with Atletico – conquerors of Bayern Munich in the other semi-final – having taken four points of Zidane's side in the league this season.
Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid (AET, 5-3 pens): Ronaldo settles dramatic shoot-out
By Chris Myson
May 28, 2016 22:35:00
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the all important spot-kick after Juanfran crucially missed as Zinedine Zidane's charges claimed their 11th European Cup at the San Siro on Saturday
Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final for the second time in three years as they won a dramatic penalty shoot-out in Milan.
After 120 minutes of action ended in a 1-1 draw, Atletico's Juanfran was the unfortunate man to miss, allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to slot home the decisive spot-kick as Real won 5-3 on penalties.
Real were much the better team in the first half and took the lead through Sergio Ramos, who got a faint touch on Gareth Bale's header from close range to haunt Atletico again after his vital goal in his side's 2014 victory.
Atleti came out fighting after the break, but Antoine Griezmann crashed a penalty against the crossbar as they looked set to fall to another painful defeat against their city rivals in club football's biggest fixture.
But substitute Yannick Carrasco's strike from inside the six-yard box with 11 minutes remaining sent the game to extra-time, where neither side found a winner to prevent spot-kicks.
But Atletico hearts were broken again as Ronaldo punished Juanfran’s crucial miss in the penalty shoot-out, with the Portuguese’s topless celebration and tears from the Colchoneros fans bringing back memories from their defeat in Lisbon.
Real's victory means they are now 11-time European champions with Zinedine Zidane becoming the seventh man to win the tournament as both player and coach after only five months at the helm.
Atletico, meanwhile, suffered their third heartbreaking defeat in a European Cup final, with Diego Simeone missing out on the opportunity to win every major honour available since taking charge of the club.
Real came close to taking an early lead when Bale fired in a free-kick that was turned towards goal by Karim Benzema a few yards out, but Jan Oblak made a crucial save with his legs.
The breakthrough did arrive in the 15th minute, though, with Toni Kroos' free-kick flicked on by Bale before Ramos prodded his effort under Oblak from close range.
Despite Ramos appearing to have strayed narrowly offside, the goal stood to make him the first defender to score in two Champions League finals.
At the other end, Griezmann shot straight at Keylor Navas twice before sending another effort narrowly wide as he attempted to lift Atletico from what was a flat first-half performance.
Simeone made a half-time change with Carrasco replacing Augusto Fernandez and Atletico were awarded a penalty within a minute of the restart when Griezmann fed Fernando Torres in the area and the striker drew a foul from Pepe.
But Griezmann could only cannon his spot-kick against the crossbar as Real survived.
A tearful Dani Carvajal had to be withdrawn through injury for Zidane's men, who continued to come under pressure with Stefan Savic somehow missing the target from six yards after Diego Godin and Griezmann had kept a corner alive.
But for all of Atletico's improvement, they were not testing Navas and Real should have made sure of victory when Benzema was thwarted by Oblak after Luka Modric had impressively sent him through on goal.
They came even closer when the otherwise quiet Ronaldo was denied by Oblak twice in quick succession, with Bale's attempt from the rebound cleared off the line by Savic.
And that missed opportunity proved costly as Atletico went up the other end and equalised, with Juanfran's brilliant volleyed cross after Gabi's chipped pass emphatically converted by Carrasco.
Ramos' cynical challenge on Carrasco thwarted a stoppage-time Atletico breakaway to send the match to extra-time, where Ronaldo completely misjudged a headed chance having been found by substitute Isco in the best opening.
The first seven penalties - including Griezmann's effort - were all scored, until Juanfran hit the foot of the post, allowing Ronaldo to seal European glory.
Ronaldo finishes top scorer in 2015-16 Champions League
By Miles Chambers
May 28, 2016 22:52:00
The forward, who scored the winning spot kick in Saturday's shootout, was top of the goal rankings this season with 16 strikes - just one short of his all-time record
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned the top scorer in the 2015-16 Champions League with 16 goals.
Ronaldo was relatively quiet in the final at San Siro on Saturday but netted the winning spot kick in the penalty shootout to earn Madrid their 11th European Cup.
The Portuguese has scored seven more goals than any other player in the competition this season and netted an incredible 51 times across all competitions in 48 matches.
He also holds the record for most goals scored in the competition, with 93 strikes since his debut in 2003 with Manchester United.
It's the fourth campaign in succession that Ronaldo has topped the goalscoring charts and the fifth of his career in total.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi is the only other player to have scored as many as his five hat-tricks in the Champions League.
Simeone's soldiers beaten again but Atletico will never stop fighting for Champions League glory
By Mark Doyle
May 28, 2016 22:55:00
The Rojiblancos once again suffered heartbreak in the biggest game in club football but their latest loss should not detract from their remarkable achievements
Diego Simeone fights. That's what he does. He knows no other way. "My parents raised me to play football like a soldier," he explained many years ago. Now he coaches like a general. He inspires 100 per cent loyalty and dedication from every single member of his squad. As he says, "Either you follow me or you don't... It's hard for me to interact with players who don't give themselves completely. The weak don't interest me."
As a result, Simeone has surrounded himself with strong characters; players with "balls so big" that, after a Champions League win over Chelsea in 2014, he felt obliged to thank their mothers for giving birth to them. It is why two years after suffering an agonising loss to Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League that they battled their way back into the biggest game in club football. And it is also why when everything seemed to be going against them in Saturday's tournament decider in Milan, they still managed to force extra-time and then penalties.
Atletico were punished for a slow start at San Siro, conceding a set-piece goal to Sergio Ramos (again!) after just 15 minutes. They dominated both territory and possession for the remainder of regulation time but for a long time, it looked like it would not be their night. Sergio Ramos appeared to have been marginally offside when he got the slightest of touches on Gareth Bale's flick-on, while the same defender twice appeared to get away with handballs in the penalty area.
Then there was Antoine Griezmann's penalty. Last weekend, the French forward missed a spot-kick in a practice match between Simeone's chosen 11 for the Champions League final and a team made up of reserves asked to replicate Real's 4-3-3 formation and playing style. On that occasion, the game finished scoreless; at the Giuseppe Meazza, Griezmann's profligacy appeared to have far greater consequences.
However, Simeone never stopped believing. He called Griezmann over to the touchline, ordered him to get his head back in the game before setting about rallying the fans. During his school days, Simeone served as the conductor in his music class. At regular intervals throughout the second half, he could be scene orchestrating the Atleti fans, rousing them into voicing their support.
The Rojiblancos were playing a dangerous, unfamiliar game at this point. They were having to force the proceedings; attack a side containing two forwards worth more than their entire squad. As a result, they were twice caught on the break. Luckily, a combination of good goalkeeping and last-ditch defending kept Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale at bay.
Just moments after their second let-off, Atletico equalised. Simeone is so often praised for his passion and defensive organisation, but the goal was a perfect demonstration of his tactical prowess. The Argentine had made the bold decision to replace Augusto Fernandez during the break and replace him with the attack-minded Yannick Carrasco. It was an offensive gamble and one that ultimately paid off with 10 minutes remaining, with the Belgium winger firing home a terrific cross from Juanfran to force extra-time.
Carrasco only went from strength to strength - he attempted more dribbles than any other player on the pitch despite his belated entry - but Atleti could not force a winner.
Given the way in which Lady Luck had turned her back on them across 120 pulsating minutes, it was perhaps unsurprising that Atleti came up short in the penalty shootout, meaning that for the second time in three years, they had been lost to their city rivals in agonising fashion. The defeat will hurt Atleti. The tears that flowed on the pitch and in the stands were wholly understandable. But they have been here before and they will recover. Their general will see to that.
"We see ourselves reflected in society, in people who have to fight to keep going," Simeone once said. "As soon as we stop fighting, we have no chance." And as long as he remains at the Vicente Calderon, Atleti will never stop striving to realise their Champions League dream.
Fans banned from watching final in main Milan square
May 28, 2016 20:15:00
Supporters gathered in Milan's city centre were left hugely disappointed after it was revealed they could not watch Saturday's match on the big screen
Fans without tickets were not be able to watch the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid on the big screen at Piazza Duomo after the authorities in Milan restricted viewing for security reasons.
Just hours before kick off, fans gathered in Milan's iconic cathedral square were informed that the match would not be transmitted on the giant TV monitor, which had been showing historic game footage throughout the afternoon.
Police sources told Goal that the decision had been made for "security reasons" but that large-scale public viewings would not be restricted in other areas of the city.
Thousands of ticketless fans gathered in Milan to watch the game between the two Spanish sides, a repeat of the 2014 final which was won by Real 4-1 after extra time.
