In the space of seven days between May 21 and May 28, two prestigious Champions League crowns will be handed out to the best club sides in European soccer. There is every chance that both of those prizes will be heading back to trophy cabinets on Spanish soil.
They could end up on opposing sides of a fierce Clasico divide, with Barcelona and Real Madrid in the mix to get their hands on much sought-after silverware. A collection of superstar performers will be doing their utmost to ensure that their respective clubs end the 2021-22 campaign on the highest of highs.
In the men’s game, La Liga heavyweights Real are preparing to lock horns with Premier League giants Liverpool, with Champions League betting online pricing the Blancos at +280 to conquer the continent for a 14th time in their remarkable history.
Household names such as Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will be leading that charge, with the intention being to get the better of rivals who boast plenty of match-winners themselves in the form of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.
?? Waking up as Women’s Champions League finalists...
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) May 1, 2022
How does it feel, Barça & Lyon fans? ?#UWCL | #UWCLfinal pic.twitter.com/aeFTrmPgHr
The women’s Champions League final of 2022 will be just as star-studded, with Barcelona seeking to successfully defend an honor that they secured in style last season by sweeping aside Chelsea 4-0 in the final. Standing in their way this time around are French hopefuls Lyon – seven-time winners of the competition over the course of ten memorable years stretching back to 2011.
At one stage, Lyon emerged victorious across five successive seasons, before being knocked from the loftiest of perches last season. They have their sights firmly locked on reclaiming the top spot, with Norwegian icon Ada Hegerberg back doing what she does on the grandest of stages.
It is, however, one of her successors on the Ballon d’Or Féminin roll of honor who is seeking to ensure that a changing of the guard is rubber-stamped. While Hegerberg once stood head and shoulders above the rest, Alexia Putellas now reigns supreme in a European palace.
The classy playmaker has unlocked full potential in stunning style, to the point that everything that Barcelona do well now passes through her. Former coach Lluis Cortes, who oversaw a historic treble triumph in Catalunya last term, has told BBC Sport of Putellas: “I always said to the players, if you don't know what to do with the ball, pass to Alexia and she will know. She is able to make the best decisions every time.”
We did it again! ? WORLD RECORD! pic.twitter.com/IQMABN7akk
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 22, 2022
That is the sort of standing that a certain Lionel Messi used to enjoy at Barcelona, with a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner considered to be a go-to option in times of need. Putellas has picked up that baton and run with it, to the point that it is now the women’s team smashing records at Camp Nou.
They have packed out that famous stadium on a couple of occasions this season, pulling in over 91,600 paying punters, with a sizable share of the spotlight being rightly enjoyed by a team that continues to capture the imagination.
There will be plenty of eyes on Paris when Real Madrid and Liverpool do battle, but there will be just as many focusing their attention on Turin when Putellas & co seek to ensure that Hegerberg and Lyon head home empty-handed.
