Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterFour Four TwoGet FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribedYour newsletter sign-up was successfulWant to add more newsletters?Five times a weekFourFourTwo DailyFantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterAlmost 12 years ago, Real Madrid clinched La Decima against Atletico Madrid a record 10th Champions League title.Incredibly, in those dozen years since, theyve added another five to their collection, most recently in 2023/24.But the significance of the landmark tenth, against their rivals, in a dramatic extra-time victory, is something that has stuck with Los Blancos ever since. You may like Id trade three of my Champions Leagues for a World Cup. Id still have two Champions Leagues how many footballers can say that? Marcelo on reflects on his trophy-laden career Bales overhead kick showed that football is sometimes more improvisation than planning. He scored like that because he needed to Marcelo on what it meant to assist Gareth Bales Champions League final stunner against Liverpool Mourinho was a born winner he pushed us, he took us to the limit. Real had gone too long without winning and a club of that magnitude couldnt allow that to happen Marcelo on Jose Mourinhos El Clasico impact at Real Madrid Marcelo unpacks the secret to Real Madrids Champions League supremacyDiego Godin opened the scoring for Atleti and, right up until the third minute of stoppage-time, it looked like being the decisive goal in what would have been a first-ever Champions League.That was, until a last-gasp bullet header from Sergio Ramos sent those dreams crashing to the ground, and the sides into extra-time, where Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo put Atletis dream out of its misery. "I told myself, 'It cant end like this.'"2� Sergio Ramos added to his crucial goals against Bayern in the semi-finals, forcing extra time with a last-gasp equaliser in Lisbon against rivals Atltico. 'La Dcima' would become reality @SergioRamos | @realmadriden | #UCL pic.twitter.com/sGC7BMlNgTMarch 24, 2021It was a night of contrasts, Marcelo tells FourFourTwo now. Id been a starter in the previous few matches and was convinced Id start, however Carlo Ancelotti opted for Fabio Coentrao.It was an enormous disappointment as I felt ready. I wasnt angry with the coach, but upset not to be in the starting XI. During the warm-up, Isco told me, Relax were going to make history.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.With space opening up, everything turned in our favour an I scored a memorable goal a toe-poke finish, just as Id learned in futsal.People will often ponder what special ingredient a team like Los Blancos have to keep winning footballs biggest prizes so regularly, but for Marcelo, its simple.We had three things: luck, humility and hard work, he said.Luck, in not having suffered serious injuries and in always having, for many years, the best players, as well as coaches who managed the dressing room well.We went from Ancelotti, who handled the group excellently, to Zinedine Zidane with both, the ones who didnt play were satisfied and the ones who played were also satisfied. The key was humility to understand we had to do more than what wed already done in order to win.Put like that, it seems simple. But Reals achievement that night, with significant help from Marcelo, was anything but easy.TOPICSReal MadridChampions LeagueIsaac Stacey StrongeSocial Links NavigationFreelance WriterIsaac Stacey Stronge is a freelance football writer working for FourFourTwo, Manchester United and Football League World. He has been a season ticket holder at Stockport County throughout the Hatters meteoric rise from the National League North to League One and is a die-hard Paddy Madden fan.With contributions fromDani Gil
