Atletico Madrid - by Yu Miyagawa

Atletico Madrid’s biggest star is manager Diego Simeone. Their second biggest star is Simeone’s defensive system. For a team so well drilled in their collective responsibilities, it’s easy for the individuals to get overshadowed. But Atleti would not be in the Champions League without standout individual moments, especially from Antoine Griezmann, Saul, and Jan Oblak. Below are five players who symbolized Atleti’s run to the Champions League final. 

Antoine Griezmann: The 25-year-old has, according to David Villa, reached a level on par with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo this season. While 22 goals in 38 matches is an impressive number, it’s Griezmann’s fits into the larger Atleti ecosystem that makes him indispensable for Simeone. He makes the style - the defending, the pressing, the trapping - especially dangerous through the threat of his counter attacking ability. He’s arguably the most on form player in the world at the moment, providing the cherry on top to Atleti’s endless organization.

Like many on this list, Griezmann was saddled with large expectations when signed from Real Sociedad two seasons ago (which also demonstrates Simeone’s ability to find talent and quickly unify a team). He had to replace Diego Costa - not just in the raw numbers of goals, but how Costa made the entire system work. He needed to replicate the grit, the ability to turn lost causes into chances, and ultimately, the match winning play. He scored the goal that won the tie against Bayern Munich with a run from deep in midfield in which he seamlessly switched from defending to winning a long ball, to beating Manuel Neuer all in a matter of seconds. 

There were rumors earlier in the season that Griezmann would leave for England, but now he looks to build on the past two seasons at Atleti (perhaps Filipe Luiz and Diego Costa’s struggles in the Premier League influenced his decision). Signed for around $30 million two seasons ago, the new contract is said to include a $100 million buyout. And Griezmann’s summer doesn’t end on Saturday. He’ll lead France in the European Championships next month. The ensuing six weeks could catapult Griezmann to a new footballing level completely.  

Fernando Torres: Go back to Griezmann’s goal that brought Atleti into the Champions League final. Regardless of whether Griezmann was offsides, it was Fernando Torres who provided the assist. Then rewind back to the quarter final match against Barcelona, and it was Torres who scored the first goal in the tie on a direct run down the middle, invoking memories of a decade earlier. This type of impact was never supposed to happen when Torres returned to Atleti last winter. He would sit on the bench, maybe play a few minutes at the end of matches, then leave that summer for one last paycheck in another league far, far away.

Then Torres scored two against Real Madrid, and another against Barcelona, in the Copa del Ray. And he scored the match winning penalty against Bayer Leverkusen last season in the round of 16. Earlier this season, he scored his 100th goal for Atleti. Then came the goal against Barcelona in the quarterfinals, and the assist to Griezmann in the semis. 

He’s nowhere near the explosive player of the past, but he is a survivor, and understands how to sacrifice himself to make Griezmann, and the team, shine. In embracing his athletic mortality, he may reach the highest level of his career.

Saul Niguez: On one hand, Atleti’s defending style of shutting down space between the lines is an effective tactic no matter what the era. On the other hand, a sense of staleness and predictability could creep in as players either tire of running (like Arda Turan) or opponents figure out a way through. Thus it is essential that youth and energy to reinvigorate the process and add wrinkles to the foundational ideas. There’s no doubting that Gabi is the captain and heart of Simeone’s side. But his partner Saul had as much impact in lifting Atleti to the Champions League final.

Granted, the 21-year-old was always seen as one of the best young Spanish midfielders, as his style once drew comparisons to Sergio Busquets (although much more raw and reckless, racking up 12 yellow cards in 34 matches in 2014 while on loan at Rayo Vallecano). Yet he always seemed to be overshadowed by the silky technique and dribbling of teammate Koke. So it was telling when Simeone kept him on Atleti for the 2015 season rather than send him on loan for another year. 

What made Saul an indispensable partner to Gabi was his development on the offensive end. No one could have predicted he would score eight goals this season. Or that he would have the vision and technique to hit curving crosses with the outside of his foot like this. There will always be a space for a tough tackler in Atleti’s midfield, and Saul certainly fits that bill - after all, it was the tackling, the ball winning, the aerial duels were what got him into the side. But it’s what he did in attack that transcended Atleti to more than just a defensive minded counter attacking team this season.

The lasting image from his season will be Saul dribbling through seven Bayern Munich defenders, cutting back on top of the box, and scoring against Manuel Neuer. He recently signed a deal with Atleti through 2021, in which case he would only be 26 years old. But of course, as these things happen with Atleti, he’s stated his commitment to the club for life.  

Diego Godin: Diego Godin and Miranda formed a veteran partnership at center back when they faced Real Madrid in the Champions League final two seasons ago. Godin had been at Atleti since 2010, Miranda since 2011, and each grew into their roles to form the stingiest defense in Europe over the next three seasons. Godin scored a header in the 36th minute; he finished with 8 goals that season, including the goal against Barcelona that won Atleti the league. Even then, his quiet consistency seemed to go under the radar.

As with Saul and Gabi, the 30-year-old Diego Godin and the 21-year-old Jose Gimenez form a duo in central defense balancing experience with youth (the same could be said about the Griezmann/Torres combination as well). And Godin continues to improve as was recently named La Liga defender of the year over Sergio Ramos and Javier Mascherano by a beIN survey. 

This time around, paired alongside Gimenez or Stefan Savic, it’ll be up to the duo to quiet Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and Ronaldo. And with 23-year-old Jan Oblak behind him, the defense is his to command. The roles have been rehearsed time and time again: clear anything in the air, defend, and suffer. Beyond that, the final represents his chance for redemption. No team toes the line between success and madness more than Atleti, with Godin the orchestrator. But then again, if they gave any less, they surely would not have made it to the Champions League final.

Jan Oblak: More than any other player, Oblak can claim responsibility for Atleti advancing to the Champions League final. He did the impossible, after all, by saving a Thomas Muller penalty kick (and saved Xabi Alonso’s rebound as well, finishing the match with seven stops). As Conor Dowley noted, Oblak’s command of the box and leadership skills prove he isn’t just a keeper for the future, but a star right now. 

Like Griezmann, it’s important to remember the almost impossible responsibility that Oblak was expected to fill when signing from Benfica for $17 million in 2014. Thibault Courtois broke out as the heir apparent to Gigi Buffon’s “Best Keeper in the World” title during Atleti’s first Champions League run in 2014. It was difficult to imagine Atleti’s defensive success without Courtois’ seemingly supernatural ability to save point blank shots.   

Oblak may have bested that run. His 23 clean sheets in La Liga are a club record. Simeone is quick to highlight his character, especially after an injury filled start to his Atleti career. His communication with Godin and Gimenez improved after becoming fluent in Spanish, with 41 clean sheets in 69 matches. And of course, there was his performance in the second leg of the semi finals against Bayern. In another recurring theme, Oblak recently signed a new contract keeping him with the club through 2021. Therein lies the biggest difference between him and Courtois - Oblak is Atleti’s to keep this time.

Real Madrid - by Christopher Reina

Real Madrid started the season with a manager now with a relegated side in England and somewhat coasted into the final after beating Roma, coming back from 2-0 against Wolfsburg before beating a zombie City side 1-0 in the semifinals. They were unable to complete their transfer for David De Gea in time during the summer window and were kicked out of Copa del Rey in December due to a clerical error. Not getting the details right doesn’t always matter when you’re the world’s richest club and playing fewer matches improved their chances in the Champions League and even allowed them to make a late charge against a fatigued Barcelona in La Liga.

Here are the five players, beyond the obvious all-important front-3, who will figure critically for Real Madrid in the final against Atleti with a potential to play an outsized role: 

Isco: With an admitted unwavering bias for Isco, no single player on Real Madrid has the potential to play a more significant role in this match. Whether Isco or Casemiro starts for Real Madrid is the only real decision Zinedine Zidane will have to make for his XI. 

Casemiro gives Real Madrid a workmanlike element they badly need in many matches, but Atleti is an awful matchup for his vulnerabilities. With how Atleti like to press in the midfield, Casemiro will be hounded anytime he touches the ball and forced into quick decisions where he struggles. There’s a far greater probability of Casemiro giving away the ball for an Atleti counter in the middle of the pitch than there is him preventing one ahead of him offering protection for one of the fullbacks. Real Madrid needs Toni Kroos on the ball to get it out of the back with the verticality of his passing and have faith in him to make the key defensive plays when necessary. 

Real Madrid will need to consistently send extra attacking players forward to unlock Simeone’s defense as they also figure to dominate up to 70 percent of possession. With how compact Atleti will defend with their man-marking, Real Madrid will rely on Isco’s dribbling to beat Atleti’s midfielders, force rotations and some of their back four to come up and then complete passes into an overcrowded box to Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. Those three are more reliant on service now than they were in 2014 when they were a great counterattacking side. Their movement into the box, particularly if they can be unpredictable, will be critical to creating high quality chances. Those three are stronger in the air on crosses than they were in 2014, especially Bale, but asking them to not only win headers but get one or more past Oblak when going up against Godin and Giminez is a big ask. Real Madrid will need to get a fourth man into that space even as a decoy to free up space.

Without Isco in the build-up, Real Madrid will be too often crossing innocuously into the aforementioned heart of Atleti’s defense and awaiting the fortune of a 93rd minute Sergio Ramos header off a corner. Isco is also an underrated defensive player as he’s retained many of the traits in tracking back that he learned as a winger with Malaga. Isco is also faster than Casemiro and arguably better suited in defending counterattacks. 

Isco would have followed Manuel Pellegrini to Manchester City in 2013 if not for Zidane and starting him will define the early part of his managerial career.

Marcelo: Like Isco, Real Madrid will need Marcelo’s attacking to create chances against Atleti as the middle of the pitch will be locked down and the flanks will offer more freedom.

Similar to how Bayern used David Alaba against Atleti, Zidane needs Marcelo to make runs when he has space with the ball, as well as to run through to the middle without it when Isco and Ronaldo are holding it on the left. Marcelo’s combination play with Isco and Ronaldo on the left is always one of Real Madrid’s most effective methods of attack.

Furthermore, Bale’s best chances of scoring will likely come from a diagonal Marcelo pass over the top of the defense to the far post when he’s isolated on Filipe Luis. Bale will be suffocated when he has the ball outside the box, especially after saying Atleti doesn't have anyone who would feature in his side's XI, and doesn’t have enough skill against a team that can defend like Atleti, but you can see him breaking free after Real Madrid loads up the left side with Marcelo’s play.  

With Marcelo following the muse of his attacking impulses, Dani Carvajal will have to play a more conservative and defensive role on the right.

Pepe: With Real Madrid sending up their fullbacks to create scoring chances and Sergio Ramos playing his typically aggressive high line, Pepe will have some high pressure moments if Griezmann and Torres slip into space behind Real Madrid’s midfield. Pepe played as a defensive midfielder at times for Jose Mourinho and he’ll have to make some of those same type of plays near midfield in this match. Atleti has been so efficient with their scoring opportunities to produce those infamous 1-nil blowouts that there is little margin for error for Pepe. 

There is little chance of Pepe going 90 minutes without picking up a yellow, but he needs to avoid that first one for as long as possible and strategically foul as far up on the pitch as possible before Atleti gains momentum.

Keylor Navas: Included in the rescinded deal for the more handsome De Gea, with handsomeness always being a consequential factor for Florentino Perez’s Real Madrid, Navas quietly has had the best season of his career. Navas has been incredibly stable for Real Madrid but this is the type of match where De Gea would be the better stylistic option with his speed coming out of the box behind their high line and also for his precision passing to bypass Atleti’s press.

This could be Navas’ last match with Real Madrid if the De Gea talks are revisited as expected and they need him to be perfect in those 3-4 high leverage counter opportunities Atleti produces, as well as on set pieces that Simeone’s side does so expertly. Navas won’t do anything stupid but they also need him not to be tentative with the ball at his feet when Atleti’s press is surrounding Real Madrid in their own half.

James Rodriguez: Between the injury issues of Ronaldo and Benzema, plus the high probability of a 0-0 match deep into the second half, Real Madrid’s $107 million odd man out has a good chance of factoring prominently into the most critical moments of this match. With Real Madrid unlikely to make a sale that would comprehensibly accommodate James and Zidane’s general lack of belief in him, this probably will be his final match with the club. James was an unnecessary insurance policy bought by Perez for a World Cup inflated price and should be sold either to United or PSG to benefit all sides. James doesn’t have the natural athleticism or even the commitment to his fitness to be a 90-minute player at the level Real Madrid requires. 

But this is the type of match where James’ creativity and vision as both a passer and potential goal scorer would be needed to penetrate Atleti should Real Madrid be trailing in the second half or even tied. If Real Madrid wears down Atleti’s back line for 60 minutes, a fresh James gives Zidane an individual talent capable of gorgeously producing a transcendent moment that wins a match that will be ultra-defensive and missing them.

More Champions League Final coverage: Colin McGowan on the unwavering underdog spirit of Atletico Madrid.