Ahead of the epic clash between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the final of the 2024 UEFA Champions League, several football stars have taken turns to offer their predictions.
The encounter will go down at Wembley Stadium in London, England, with both teams keen on clinching the prestigious European continental prize.
Many stars will be on parade for either team, as they strive to achieve glory, with the two teams being previous winners of the competition.
Real Madrid are odds-on favorites to win the crown, but Borussia Dortmund cannot be written off.
Fascinating Predictions Made By Football Stars On The Outcome Of The 2024 UEFA Champions League Final
Interestingly, the predictions made by these stars have also leaned towards the side of the bookmakers, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side being tipped by many to win the crown.
Ricardo Kaka was quizzed on his prediction for the final and in a viral clip shared on the Instagram account of the UEFA Champions League, the ex-Real Madrid man predicted that his former side will secure a 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Kaka claimed 1 UEFA Champions League title during his stellar career, winning it with AC Milan during the 2006/07 season.
Bulgarian great and former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov predicted that the Black and Yellows would come out victorious 2-1 in the affair.
Berbatov never won the UEFA Champions League title, as he was on the losing side in 3 different finals, with Bayern Leverkusen during the 2001/02 season and Manchester United in the 2008/09 and 2010/11 campaign.
Meanwhile, Ghanian legend Michael Essien went the opposite direction, giving Los Blancos a slim 1-2 win over their German opposition.
Essien was a pivotal member of the Chelsea squad that won the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League title.
French great Robert Pires also predicted that Real Madrid would defeat Borussia Dortmund, handing them a 3-1 victory over Edin Terzic’s side.
Pires got to the Champions League final with Arsenal in the 2005/06 season, but unfortunately he ended up on the losing side as Barcelona defeated the Gunners by 2-1.
Mascherano’s Prediction Gets Fans Talking
Javier Mascherano’s prediction ahead of the final has got some eyeballs rolling, as they feel it has an undertone of rivalry written all over it.
A fan wrote: “Nothing strange in Mascherano”.
Another briefly wrote: “As you can tell it hurts Mascherano”.
A third fan commented: “Mascherano cold chest Anti Madrid fan”.
One fan wrote: “Mascherano being Mascherano”.
Mascherano played for Barcelona, heated rivals of Real Madrid, from 2010 – 2018, and he predicted that Borussia Dortmund would come out on top in the final by 2-1.
The 49-year-old won 2 UEFA Champions League titles during his career, winning both with Barcelona in the 2010/11 and 2014/15 season.
Additionally, Bacary Sagna went the opposite direction, predicting that Carlo Ancelotti’s side would defeat Borussia Dortmund 3-1.
Sagna didn’t win the UEFA Champions League title despite representing clubs like Arsenal and Manchester City.
These predictions definitely indicate that many of these stars who accentuated brilliance in years past are expecting Real Madrid to carry the day, except for Mascherano and Berbatov.
These stars made these predictions near a mini pitch during the traditional UEFA Champions League festival which often includes a novelty match.
The UEFA Champions League festival is done as a build-up to the final, as several activities are conducted to prepare the minds of the fans ahead of the big showdown.
Real Madrid are gunning for their 15th UEFA Champions League title, while Borussia Dortmund are looking to win their 2nd title in history, having claimed the title in the 1996/97 season.
The Black and Yellows are also looking to avoid a repeat of the 2012/13 final, where they lost at Wembley to Bayern Munich 2-1.
It will be interesting to see which side clinches the crown, with Los Blancos being the most recent winner of the competition between the two teams, having won it in the 2021/22 season.
