#1 May 24, 2014 - European Glory
It was the first time in history that two clubs from the same city made it to the final of the most prestigious competition in Europe, as Real Madrid faced local rivals Atletico Madrid at The Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Real Madrid were hoping to win a record tenth European crown or the La Décima.
However, things didn’t get underway according to plans as Diego Godin opened the scoring for the La Liga champions in the 36th minute. Sergio Ramos equalised in the last seconds of the game forcing extra-time to decide the winner.
Penalties were on the horizon before Gareth Bale seized the moment. He headed in to put Real Madrid in the lead, after Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’s save from a powerful Angel di Maria shot deflected the ball into Bale’s path. His goal led Real Madrid into European Glory for the first time since 2002.
Bale’s first season at Real Madrid was probably better than he would have hoped for as he finished the season with a tally of 22 goals and 16 assists and helped his side to win two major honours.