Top Winners and Losers After Champions League 2024 Final

Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to clinch the Champions League trophy on Saturday, a historic 15th triumph at a bouncing Wembley Stadium in London.

Dani Carvajal proved the unlikely hero with a terrific header to give Carlo Ancelotti's side the lead, before Vinicius Junior underlined his Ballon d'Or credentials with the second.

It was a night of 'almost' for Dortmund, who dominated large spells and fell short as the game wore on.

Here's your winners and losers for the final time this season...

You have to hand it to Dani Carvajal. At 32 years old he was pinned back by the electric Karim Adeyemi for 72 minutes until the youngster was subbed off. On 74 minutes, the veteran right-back was celebrating a vital goal.

And an unlikely goal, too:

Madrid had to dig deep and remain resilient under spells of Dortmund pressure. Carvajal was whiny and petulant in the right moments, offering gamesmanship to slow the pace and give his side a breather. Then he won the game. Smart.

On the flipside of the full-back lottery, Ian Maatsen was having a very good game until he handed Madrid the second goal with an awful pass across his own defensive line.

Jude Bellingham latched onto the ball and played in Vinicius, whose scuffed shot took the game beyond Dortmund.

We speak about moments in elite-level games. Maatsen was slotting in well, moving into the middle and helping Dortmund dominate the numbers game when on the ball.

But nobody will remember that. A harsh lesson for the on-loan Chelsea man.

What a way to bow out on your club career.

Kroos' pinpoint corner for Carvajal's opener was a perfect snapshot of everything he'll be remembered for: accuracy, calmness and quality on the ball.

The German legend had an effective game before that, dropping deep to make a back three when needed and striding forwards in control when Los Blancos had possession.

He oozed class, also forcing Gregor Kobel into two decent saves from free-kicks on target. Another experienced head amidst pressure moments that just kept Madrid ticking along. Kroos will be missed!

Don Carlo does it again.

That's five Champions League trophy wins as a manager. So many questioned the tactics at halftime against Dortmund. Joselu looked an obvious change for Rodrygo, or even more extremely, a switch of shape could have easily been implemented.

Ancelotti stood firm.

He knows his team better than anyone else. He saw them suffer against Manchester City and emerge victorious. He watched on as they overcame Bayern Munich. Tonight was just another night of keeping cool.

The players will rightfully get plaudits for digging deep, but stood behind them is a man whose greatest strength is often just trusting his team with the upmost confidence.