Real Madrid seek new era of European domination
After winning 'number 10', the club are eager to avoid the mistakes that saw them fail to build on their last continental success 12 years ago
When Real Madrid's team of Zinedine Zidane-inspired "galacticos" won the Spanish club's ninth European crown in 2002 it was supposed to mark the beginning of another golden era of European domination.
As it turned out, and despite hundreds of millions of euros spent on players, it took the world's richest club by income another 12 years to win the coveted 10th title, or decima, a record-extending feat they finally achieved with Saturday's 4-1 extra-time win against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final in Lisbon.
This time around, big-spending Real president Florentino Perez will be desperate to avoid the mistakes that led to him stepping down in 2006 after a poor run.
He arrived and he has already hit the heights. I am sure that the fans are already thinking about the 11th. That is why Madrid will go on forever
Since the construction magnate's return in 2009, Real have splashed more than 600 million euros (HK$6.3 billion) on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, both of whom scored in Saturday's showpiece.
The massive investment finally paid off and in coach Carlo Ancelotti Perez appears to have the right man to lead his project.
The Italian succeeded in winning the Champions League in his first season in charge, outdoing predecessor Jose Mourinho, whose Real team were eliminated in the semi-finals in each of his three seasons in charge.
Ancelotti, who also won the King's Cup by beating arch rivals Barcelona in the final, has brought a sense of tranquility back to the club.