On Saturday the biggest match in European soccer (or football if you like to use the correct terms for your sports) will kick off in Lisbon, Portugal as the Champions League Final overtakes the sporting world for 90 minutes as two of Spanish football's biggest rivals will play for what is the most difficult and prestigious trophy in all of professional sports after outlasting the best and biggest clubs in all of Europe to reach the final.
In one corner there is Atletico Madrid, the perpetual underdogs led by manager Diego Simeone who has molded his team into a vision of himself when he was a firey Argentinian leader of men on the pitch. That passion has turned into leadership from the bench as Atletico managed to shock the world by winning the La Liga title over the giants of Spain in FC Barcelona and their in-city rivals in Real Madrid who they will be facing on Saturday.
Atletico's story will be the easiest to get behind as they are an easy sell due to the fact that they have been underdogs for so long. Generally a selling club that has been more famous for having a keen eye for talent that eventually is leeched from the bigger clubs at a handsome profit, Atletico smartly invested the money they made off of the massive sale of striker Falcao this offseason before magically finding the perfect chemistry at the right exact time to create a magical season for a team that has been in the shadows of their neighbors for so long.
All of those frustrations of being bullied by lavish spending Barca and Real was translated into a year where "Atleti" were the bullies for much of the season, refusing to allow having less depth and resources be an excuse that kept them away from winning their first league title in over a decade.
Meanwhile on the other side of the Madrid rivalry there has been Real Madrid, a club that has been longing to earn a milestone of their own this season that can be achieved on Saturday as "Los Blancos" have been on a mission to win a historic tenth Champions League title for what has seemed like an eternity for a fanbase that is so accustomed to seeing their club dominate Europe.
Not since 2002 have the biggest club in Spain won the Champions League or the "European Cup" for history lovers, failing to get the job done each season for 11 campaigns.
Getting close in the knockout stages on many occasions, but always falling short of the finish line of claiming "La Decima," the tenth European trophy. This failure has been a shock because Real have enjoyed some of the best squads in the history of the game in that time. Raul, Luis Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo (The fat Brazilian one who leads the World Cup in goals), David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and more world class players than you can think of have graced the Real Madrid team sheet since 2002 and none of those players have been able to clinch a Champions League title.
This year has been as dominant as Real Madrid have looked in European competition in ages however, and many think that Saturday will finally be the day that all of their spending on talent will be rewarded.
After all they are coming off a semifinal performance where Real throttled the defending champions Bayern Munich 5-0 over the two leg series between the two clubs, making the club who won the German Bundesliga title in record fashion this season look like shells of themselves even on home soil in a 4-0 drubbing that will has them entering Saturday as expectedly heavy favorites.
Atletico will have momentum as well and perhaps more valuable momentum as they just won the La Liga title on the final day of the season last Saturday, coming from behind to beat FC Barcelona on the road at the fortress that is Camp Nou to earn a 1-1 draw that handed them the title. Already having the belief that they can go toe to toe with any club, Atletico will be going into their final game of the season with confidence at an all-time high after being able to celebrate defying the odds over the course of an entire season.
That glory on Saturday didn't come without a price however as two of Atletico's key players, striker Diego Costa and midfielder Arda Turan both left the pitch due to hamstring injuries on Saturday in the first half.
Exiting the pitch in tears because of the knowledge that their injuries likely would cost them the ability to help their teams earn both domestic and European glory, both are extremely doubtful to play in Lisbon on Saturday after being key players all season. Costa's injury being even more of a crushing blow as the striker is reportedly off to Chelsea next season after giving his heart and soul to Atletico all season, how the team responds to his absence will likely be the difference between having a chance at making one final upset or conceding the Champions League to their rivals.
History is of course also going to be on the side of Real Madrid come the time the two clubs do battle, making it an ultimate story of "Big Brother Vs. Little Brother," as the club that has been able to enjoy all the glory will look to torture their rivals which have had to work for any successes they have been able to achieve in their history. Nine European trophies show their dominance and the all-time record between the two is also massively in their favor, driving home Atletico's improbable odds even more. One club has been built and bought for this moment while the other has had to battle and work just to make it this far.
Anything can happen in the game of football and the Champions League's recent history has been full of improbable turns. From Liverpool's famous comeback against AC Milan in Istanbul to and underdog Chelsea team scoring a late game tying goal to eventually knock off Bayern in penalties on home soil in 2012, historians will be quick to downplay the suggestion that all Real will need to do is show up to win on Saturday.
The fact that it has taken them over a decade to win a Champions League crown despite having so much expensive talent drives that fact home even further, but it seems that Real are finally on the doorstep of earning "La Decima."
Regardless of result Saturday will be a must watch for not just fans of the sport, but for fans of the basic elements of why people love sports so much. Two clubs from the same city, but so very different in both history as well as fanbase and personality will compete for what is the biggest trophy in all of club sport.
Only one team will get what might be the ultimate bragging rights in one of the world's biggest rivalries. Often ignored due to Real's dominance, the Madrid Derby will be on the biggest stage come kick off. Just don't expect the big brother to let their little brother leave Lisbon with any bragging rights. After all, they have spent far too much money and waited far too long for something like that to happen right?
