Chelsea end historic Spanish streak in European Finals | OneFootball

24 years later, a Spanish team has finally lost a European final again.

On Wednesday, Chelsea clinched the UEFA Conference League title with an emphatic 4-1 win over Real Betis in Wroclaw.

With that result, the Blues brought an end to one of the most remarkable streaks in recent European football history.

After doing the maths, Betis’s defeat marks the first time in 23 years that a Spanish club has lost a European final.

This extraordinary run dates back to Real Madrid’s triumph in the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Since 2001, Spanish clubs have featured in 23 European finals across the Champions League, Europa League, and, more recently, the Conference League. The most astonishing part? They won every single one.

Fittingly, the streak began and ended with Real Madrid. It was triggered after Valencia lost to Bayern München in the 2001 Champions League final.

The following year, Real Madrid’s victory over Leverkusen kicked off a run of 23 straight final wins for Spanish clubs. Before Betis’s loss this week, Real Madrid were also the last Spanish team to win a final—lifting the Champions League title in 2024 against Borussia Dortmund.

Records, like streaks, are made to be broken. And this Wednesday, Chelsea were the team that finally brought this historic run to a close. A true turning point in recent European football.

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