The UEFA Champions League final marked the end of another incredible season. Like every other year, this one was full of thrills and surprises. Hoffenheim, Leipzig and Ajax were some of the surprise packages of the season.
The Monaco squad proved to be a pot of gold as they ended Paris Saint-Germain's dominance in France. Chelsea were spectacular under new manager Antonio Conte. Juventus were rock-solid and had a great season except for the Champions League final.
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And then there were Real Madrid, who thrived under Zidane in yet another trophy-laden season.
While on one hand legends such as Philip Lahm, Xabi Alonso and Francesco Totti bid farewell to the beautiful game, on the other hand, youngsters like Kylian Mbappe, Youri Tielemans and Marcus Rashford announced themselves to the football fraternity.
Many long-lasting records were broken this season. Here we take a look at the seven major records broken this season across Europe.
#7 Real Madrid (65-game scoring streak)
Real Madrid have been rampant this season. After outclassing Juventus in this year’s Champions League final, Los Blancos set a new record of scoring in 65 consecutive games. The goalscoring streak began when Real beat Sociedad 1-0 on 30 April 2016. And the Spanish side didn't look back after that.
Zinedine Zidane’s men broke Bayern Munich’s record of scoring in 61 consecutive games between the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons when Los Merengues defeated Sevilla 4-1 on 14 May 2017. They went to score against Celta Vigo, Malaga and Juventus to extend their run to 65 games, scoring a spectacular 185 goals during this period.
Real have had almost all of their squad members score for them. 20 different goalscorers have contributed to their streak. Cristiano Ronaldo, who else, scored the most number of goals in this time (45) followed by Alvaro Morata and Karim Benzema, each scoring 20.
Their biggest win came against Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey, when Los Merengues humiliated them 7-1.
Juventus legendary goalie Gianluigi Buffon had conceded only three goals all through the Champions League this year. But the Italian couldn’t save his goal from the firepower of the Whites, as he let in four goals in a single game. This just goes on to show how dominant Zizou’s men have been in front of goal and show no signs of holding back.
Next season, they would be looking to break Pele’s Santos’s record of scoring in 74 consecutive matches.
#6 Kylian Mbappe (First player ever to score in four consecutive Champions League knockout games)
Kylian Mbappe is the name on the lips of every top European club. He is the most exciting player in football, and fun fact, he’s not even 19.
Mbappe announced his name to the footballing world when he broke Thierry Henry’s record of Monaco’s youngest ever player and of their youngest ever goalscorer. He climbed the ranks and earned his place in the team’s starting XI.
He and striker Radamel Falcao scored a bucketload of goals together and created havoc in the oppositions’ defences, taking Monaco to their eighth Ligue 1 title.
But Mbappe’s real form came in the Champions League. He scored in both the legs of the Round of 16 against Manchester City and in both the legs of quarterfinals against Borussia Dortmund, making him the first player ever to score in four Champions League knockout fixtures consecutively.
He then went on to score in the second leg of semifinals against Juventus, which tied him up with Real Madrid maestro Raul Gonzalez’s record of scoring six CL goals before turning 19.
Mbappe is only going to improve, and in no time he would be the best striker in the world.
#5 Chelsea (Most wins in a Premier League season)
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea reclaimed their title as English champions and in superb fashion. The Blues, on 21 May, broke the record for most wins in a Premier League season by defeating Sunderland and earning the 30th win of their campaign on the last matchday.
Goals from Eden Hazard, Willian, Pedro Rodriguez and Michy Batshuayi (x2) ensured the Premier League title for Chelsea. Captain John Terry also made history as he made his 717th and final appearance for the Blues, and was subbed off in the 26th minute as a mark of respect for the defender.
The win broke the record set up by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, who won 29 matches during both the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons. Chelsea ended the season with 93 points, a record only beaten by Mourinho’s Blues in the 2004/05 campaign.
However, Conte’s side couldn’t wrap up the season on good terms as they lost the FA Cup in a 2-1 final loss to Arsenal at Wembley.
#4 Barcelona (Overcoming a 4-0 loss in the first leg of Champions League)
Camp Nou is a place where miracles happen. One miracle took place in 1999 when Manchester United scored two last-gasp goals to take the match away from Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Another one occurred on 8 March 2017.
Barcelona faced Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16. They travelled to Paris for the first leg where they were woefully humiliated 4-0. Everyone wrote the Blaugrana off, even the Cules (Barcelona fans). Everyone but the Barcelona team.
Manager Luis Enrique said that if PSG could score four, they could score six. Players like Neymar, Gerard Pique, and Andres Iniesta believed in their team and the Camp Nou faithful. And it was showtime.
Barcelona kicked things off with a third-minute goal from Luis Suarez after PSG defender Layvin Kurzawa kicked the ball into his net from Iniesta’s effort.
Just into the second half, Lionel Messi put away a penalty and kept the tie alive. But an away goal from Edinson Cavani in the 62nd minute complicated things for the Azulgranas. The goal meant that Barcelona had to score three goals to steal the match away from the Parisians.
In the 88th minute, when all hope was lost, Neymar swirled in a sumptuous free-kick and made the fans believe. He, then again, scored from the spot to even things up. However, PSG were still going through on away goals.
Late into injury time, it was now or never for Barcelona. With almost all the players of both teams in PSG’s box, Neymar lobbed in the ball looking for someone to put it away. It miraculously connected with substitute Sergi Roberto’s extended right leg and hit the back of the net.
The stadium erupted with joy.
Sergi Roberto became an instant hero and sent the Catalans to the quarterfinals. It was probably the greatest comeback in Champions League history as no team had ever overcome a four-goal deficit. However, Barcelona were eliminated by Juventus in the quarterfinals. But that match will forever remain in the hearts of football fans.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo (Leading European league goalscorer)
Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenon and is surely one of the greatest players ever in football. This season wasn’t quite his best regarding his goalscoring exploits, but that didn’t stop him from breaking records.
Real Madrid were away to Celta Vigo in a match which could potentially decide the La Liga title. But it was also a chance for Ronaldo to go ahead of Tottenham legend Jimmy Greaves as Europe’s most lethal goalscorer.
Both of them were tied up with 366 goals each. But it was advantage Ronaldo as a left-footed bullet in the tenth minute saw the Portuguese claim the title of the greatest league goalscorer in Europe.
He is currently at 369 goals, 20 goals ahead of last active player and his arch-rival Lionel Messi.
The four-time Ballon d’Or winner was pivotal for Los Blancos as he led them to the club’s first double in almost 60 years. He finished the Champions League as the tournament’s top scorer and proved that there is still a lot of football left in him.
#2 Celtic (Most number of points in a single season)
Celtic this season have achieved a feat some clubs can only dream of. The reigning Scottish champions went through the season with zero defeats. It was the first time Scotland witnessed an ‘invincible’ campaign in their domestic league in more than a century.
Brendan Rodgers’s Celtic managed to break a lot of records on the way. The Celts won a record 34 games and had eight games to spare before they were crowned champions.
They also scored 106 goals in their league triumph, with Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair banging in 22 and 21 goals respectively.
But their most incredible achievement was that they managed to get a whopping 106 points in the league. It became a new European record, surpassing Welsh team Barry Town’s 105 points in 1996/97 season.
Celtic also went a record 30 points clear of second-placed Aberdeen, who finished the season with 76 points.
#1 Real Madrid (Consecutive Champions League titles)
Real Madrid are the Champions of Europe ‘once again’. They had a spectacular season in which they broke all sorts of records. But the one record that matters the most is that they did the impossible by winning two Champions League titles back-to-back.
Real found themselves in the same scenario as they were almost a year ago when they faced Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final. They won that match on penalties with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winning spot-kick, claiming the elite La Undecima.
This year, the Merengues thumped Juventus 4-1 with Cristiano finding himself again under the spotlight. His brace was ever so important as Zizou's side won the Europe's top competition for a record 12th time. This title was even more special as no team had managed to win the modern era Champions League and defend it successfully.
This Madrid side led by Zidane is one of the greatest teams in the history of the beautiful game, and they will be looking forward to winning many more titles in the future.
