You remember that night in Milan, right? The air at the San Siro was thick. Not just because of the Italian humidity, but because of the sheer weight of expectation. Real Madrid. Atlético Madrid. A repeat of Lisbon two years prior. Everyone was asking the same question: who won the 2016 Champions League?
Honestly, the answer is Real Madrid, but saying just that feels like a massive disservice to how chaotic that match actually was. It wasn't some tactical masterclass where one team blew the other away. It was a grind. A grueling, 120-minute physical battle that ended with Cristiano Ronaldo ripping his shirt off after a penalty shootout.
People forget how much was on the line for Zinedine Zidane. He’d only been the manager for five months. Five months! He took over a fractured dressing room from Rafa Benítez and somehow ended up lifting the biggest trophy in club football. It sounds like a movie script, but the reality was much more stressful for anyone watching.
The Goal That Shouldn't Have Counted?
Let’s get into the weeds of the match itself. Real Madrid struck first. Sergio Ramos, the man who haunts Atlético fans' nightmares, poked the ball past Jan Oblak in the 15th minute.
Here is the thing: he was offside.
If we had VAR back in 2016, that goal likely gets chalked off. Mark Clattenburg, the referee that night, has basically admitted as much in interviews years later. He mentioned that there was a small offside that his assistant missed. In a game of such thin margins, that's massive. But back then, the whistle stayed silent. Real led 1-0, and Diego Simeone’s men had to climb a mountain they’d already failed to summit in 2014.
Atlético didn't fold. They never do. That’s the thing about Simeone's teams; they're like a boxer who takes ten punches to the face just to land one solid hook. They got a lifeline right after halftime when Pepe—being Pepe—clattered into Fernando Torres. Penalty.
Antoine Griezmann stepped up. The Frenchman was at the peak of his powers. He hit the crossbar. You could feel the collective gasp from the red-and-white half of the stadium. It felt like destiny was wearing a white shirt again.
Yannick Carrasco and the Kiss
Despite the missed penalty, Atlético kept pushing. Real Madrid looked gassed. Gareth Bale was hobbling. Cristiano Ronaldo was uncharacteristically quiet, likely carrying an injury that the club was downplaying. Then, the 79th minute happened.
Yannick Carrasco.
He lunged onto a cross from Juanfran and smashed it into the roof of the net. 1-1. The celebration is still one of the most famous images in Champions League history—Carrasco running to the sidelines to kiss his girlfriend. It was raw, it was human, and it signaled that Real Madrid were in serious trouble.
The game went to extra time. At this point, the quality dropped because everyone's legs were gone. It was just a game of survival. No more goals. Just cramps and desperate tackles. Which leads us to the cruelest way to lose a final.
Juanfran’s Heartbreak and the Deciding Penalty
Penalty shootouts are a lottery, but Jan Oblak’s performance in this one was... strange. One of the best keepers in the world just stood there. He didn't dive for most of the Real Madrid penalties. Lucas Vázquez, Marcelo, Bale, and Ramos all tucked theirs away with varying degrees of coolness.
For Atlético, Griezmann (who redeemed his earlier miss), Gabi, and Saúl Ñíguez scored. Then came Juanfran. The reliable right-back. He hit the post.
You knew what was coming next.
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up for the fifth penalty. He hadn't played well. He’d been a passenger for large chunks of the game. But he’s Ronaldo. He smashed it home, the shirt came off, and Real Madrid secured La Undecima—their 11th European Cup.
Why the 2016 Final Still Matters Today
When we look back at who won the 2016 Champions League, we aren't just looking at a scoreline. We’re looking at the start of a dynasty. This win was the first of three consecutive titles for Zidane. That’s a feat that seems impossible in the modern era of high-press, high-spend football.
It also cemented the "Serial Winner" DNA of that specific Real Madrid core. Modric, Casemiro, and Kroos. That midfield trio basically ran Europe for half a decade.
For Atlético Madrid, it was perhaps the end of their absolute peak under Simeone. Losing two finals in three years to your biggest rival? That leaves a scar that doesn't just go away. They’ve remained competitive, sure, but that 2016 night in Milan was their best chance to finally move out of Real's shadow.
Statistical Reality of the Final
- Possession: Real Madrid 46% - Atlético Madrid 54%
- Shots on Target: Real Madrid 8 - Atlético Madrid 4
- Yellow Cards: 8 total (6 for Real, 2 for Atlético)
- The Attendance: 71,942 people packed into the San Siro.
The stats show a game that was remarkably even. Atlético actually had more of the ball, which is rare for a Simeone side, but Real was more clinical when it mattered.
Moving Past the 2016 Result
If you're a fan of the sport or a student of tactics, there are a few things you should do to really understand the impact of this match. Don't just watch the highlights; the highlights only show the goals.
- Watch the first 20 minutes of the second half. This is where Simeone made tactical adjustments that completely nullified Zidane's midfield. It’s a masterclass in mid-game pivoting, even if they didn't get the trophy.
- Analyze Casemiro's positioning. This was the match where the Brazilian truly became "The Tank." His ability to stop Griezmann from picking up the ball between the lines was the real reason Real stayed in the game during the second half.
- Compare the 2014 and 2016 finals. While 2014 was a blowout in extra time, 2016 was a psychological war. It shows how much the mental side of the game dictates the Champions League.
The 2016 Champions League final wasn't the prettiest game of football ever played. It was messy, controversial, and physically exhausting. But it gave us the image of Zidane the Manager and the heartbreak of Juanfran. It reminded us that in the Champions League, sometimes being the better team doesn't matter as much as being the team that refuses to break.
Real Madrid won. They took the trophy back to the Bernabéu. But Atlético Madrid earned the respect of everyone who likes an underdog story, even if it didn't have a fairytale ending.