Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund: Interesting facts

Record 14-time winners Real Madrid will be facing Borussia Dortmund in a mouth-watering Champions League final at the iconic Wembley stadium tonight. As the world passes every moment till kick-off in anticipation of the outcome, here we present some interesting facts regarding the two finalists: 

•  This is set to be Real Madrid's 18th final in the European Cup/Champions League. Los Blancos have lost only in three finals, with their last defeat in the final of the competition coming back in 1981 when they lost 1-0 against Liverpool. 
• Real Madrid have won five of the last 10 UEFA Champions League. They have also won their last eight finals in the competition. 
• The match is set to be an emotional affair for both sets of fans as Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos will be playing his final game for the all-whites while Borussia Dortmund will be bidding goodbye to their legend Marco Reus and centre-back Mats Hummels. 
• This is going to be Dortmund's third Champions League final. They have won it once, in 1997, but lost when they last played the final in 2013 at Wembley against arch-rivals Bayern Munich. Interestingly, the final of this season will also be played at the same venue.
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• Dortmund's defeat by Bayern 11 years ago was the only all-German final -- and the last time the match was played at Wembley.
• Mats Hummels and Marco Reus both played 90 minutes in that 2013 final.
• This is the first time since 2017 that Real Madrid will be facing Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
• Real Madrid hold a slender advantage considering their head-to-head stats against Borussia Dortmund. In the five matches played in the Champions League between these two sides, Real Madrid have won twice, Dortmund won in one while two other matches ended in draws. Real, however, have won their last two encounters in 2017. 
• Dortmund are the 13th club to appear in three or more European Cup finals.
• Should Dortmund triumph at Wembley, the 27-year gap between their triumphs would be the fourth longest in European Cup history, with Inter Milan having endured the longest wait of 45 years between their triumphs in 1965 and 2010.
• Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal could appear in their sixth Champions League final victory for Madrid -- matching Madrid legend Paco Gento's European Cup record.
• Having scored the only goal against Liverpool in 2022, Vinícius Junior could become only the eighth player to find the net in more than one Champions League final.
• Real's triumph in Saint-Denis two years ago was the 12th Champions League win for a Spanish side -- five more than the next highest-ranked nation, England, and seven more than Italy. Germany (four) is the only other country to have recorded multiple victories.