When Liverpool and Real Madrid meet, European football’s heavyweight rivalry delivers goals, drama and career-defining moments. Across 13 Champions League encounters spanning four decades, these clubs have produced finals classics, Anfield routings and a recent shift in momentum that has Liverpool believers dreaming again.

4 related posts

UCL Finals Met: 3 (1981, 2018, 2022) · Recent Result: Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid (4 Nov 2025) · 2023 Leg 1: Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid (21 Feb 2023) · 2022 Final: Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid · 2018 Final: Liverpool 1-3 Real Madrid

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
  • 13 UCL meetings total (Sports Mole)
  • Real Madrid 7 wins, Liverpool 5 wins, 1 draw (UEFA)
  • Goal tally: Real Madrid 17, Liverpool 13 (UEFA)
2What’s unclear
  • Exact goalscorer breakdown for every meeting
  • Player-by-player records beyond Benzema and Salah
  • Full attendance data for older fixtures
3Timeline signal
  • 1981 → 2025: four decades of European battles
  • 2024-25 season marks shift: Liverpool won 2 of 2
  • Real Madrid unbeaten in 8 straight before those wins
4What’s next
  • League-phase fixtures determine seedings
  • Knockout draw could pair them again in 2025-26
  • Real Madrid still chasing record-extending 16th UCL title

The head-to-head record shows Real Madrid hold a narrow overall advantage in Champions League encounters, though Liverpool have dominated at Anfield in recent seasons.

Stat Value Source
Total UCL Meetings 13 Sports Mole
Real Madrid UCL Wins vs Liverpool 7 UEFA
Liverpool UCL Wins vs Real Madrid 5 UEFA
Draws 1 11v11
Goals (Real Madrid) 17 UEFA
Goals (Liverpool) 13 UEFA
Real Madrid UCL Titles 15 UEFA
Liverpool UCL Titles 6 CBS Sports

When was Liverpool vs Real Madrid 5-2?

On 21 February 2023, Real Madrid handed Liverpool one of their heaviest European defeats in recent memory, winning 5-2 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie at Anfield. The second leg ended 1-0 to Real Madrid, completing a 6-2 aggregate win.

Match Details

The result was particularly striking because it came just months after Liverpool had challenged for the Premier League title and reached the 2022 Champions League final. Real Madrid’s victory exposed vulnerabilities that had been building all season.

Karim Benzema scored twice in that first leg, taking his tally to 7 goals against Liverpool across all meetings — making him the highest scorer in this fixture according to Sports Mole’s head-to-head records.

Key Moments

Real Madrid were 2-0 up inside 20 minutes. Liverpool pulled one back before halftime, but two more goals after the break restored the visitors’ commanding lead. The 5-2 scoreline remains Real Madrid’s biggest win in this rivalry.

The upshot

That night in February 2023 marked the high-water mark of Real Madrid’s recent dominance over Liverpool — and the low point of a campaign that ended without silverware for the Reds.

Is Liverpool v Real Madrid on TV?

Champions League matches involving Liverpool or Real Madrid typically appear on major sports networks in most markets. In the United Kingdom, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) has held rights in recent cycles, while CBS Sports handles coverage in the United States.

TV Channels

Broadcast arrangements shift with each rights cycle, so checking UEFA’s official listings or your regional sports broadcaster close to matchday gives the most accurate answer. League-phase matches like the November 2025 1-0 Liverpool win are often covered in multiple time zones through Paramount+ in the US and Discovery+ in the UK.

Live Coverage

UEFA’s official website lists official broadcast partners by country. For highlights, the UEFA YouTube channel publishes match recaps shortly after final whistles.

Why this matters

With both clubs commanding massive global audiences, missing the TV window doesn’t mean missing the story — highlights and match reports are available within hours on official channels.

What are Liverpool FC vs Real Madrid results?

Across 13 UEFA Champions League meetings, Real Madrid have won 7, Liverpool have won 5, and one fixture ended in a draw, per UEFA’s official head-to-head records. The aggregate goal count stands at 17-13 in Real Madrid’s favour.

Overall Record

The three finals tell a lopsided story: Liverpool won in 1981 (1-0), while Real Madrid claimed the 2018 final 3-1 and the 2022 final 1-0. That two-to-one split in finals reflects Real Madrid’s superiority in high-stakes meetings, even though Liverpool have matched them more broadly across all encounters.

Recent Matches

Beyond the finals, Sports Mole’s comprehensive records show Liverpool’s biggest win: 4-0 on 10 March 2009 in the UCL Round of 16 second leg. In that two-legged tie, Liverpool won 5-0 on aggregate.

What to watch

Liverpool’s 2009 thrashing of Real Madrid remains the Reds’ most dominant result in this fixture — a reminder that Anfield has been a happy hunting ground against Los Blancicos when the stakes align.

What are Real Madrid vs Liverpool last 5 matches?

The last five meetings show a dramatic reversal of fortune. Before November 2024, Real Madrid had gone unbeaten in eight straight fixtures against Liverpool.

2025 Result

On 4 November 2025, Liverpool won 1-0 at home with a header from Alexis Mac Allister (Sports Mole match records). That result gave Liverpool back-to-back league-phase wins over Real Madrid, following a 2-0 victory on 27 November 2024 where Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored.

2023 Ties

The 2022-23 Round of 16 produced the most goals: Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid on 21 February 2023, then Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool on 15 March 2023. Real Madrid progressed 6-2 on aggregate.

In the 2020-21 quarter-finals, Real Madrid won 3-1 in the first leg and held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw in the second, advancing 3-1 on aggregate.

The paradox

For a decade, Real Madrid treated Liverpool as a favourable draw in the knockout rounds — but Arne Slot’s Liverpool now look like the team others want to avoid.

Is there a Real Madrid vs Liverpool upcoming match?

As of the 2025-26 league phase, no knockout tie has been confirmed. The UEFA draw determines future pairings, but with both clubs regularly progressing from league phases, another meeting before a potential final remains plausible.

Next Fixture

The UEFA Champions League schedule publishes matchdays well in advance. For the most current fixture list, checking club websites or Flashscore’s match pages gives real-time updates.

Standings Context

Real Madrid sit with 15 European Cup titles, the most of any club, with their most recent coming in 2023-24. Liverpool have 6 titles, most recently in the 2018-19 season under Jürgen Klopp. For those interested in specific matchups, you can find Bodo Glimt vs Man City stats here: Bodo Glimt vs Man City stats.

Both clubs typically finish in the top eight of the league phase, which means encounters tend to come in the knockout rounds rather than early group stages — adding to the stakes whenever they do meet.

The trade-off

For neutral fans, Real Madrid vs Liverpool in the knockout rounds is appointment viewing. For both clubs, the prize is not just progression but avoiding each other until the business end of the competition.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Nine distinct periods tell the story of this rivalry better than any single win-loss record.

Period Result Key Fixture Source
1981-2000 Liverpool 1 win European Cup Final, 27 May 1981 11v11
2009 Liverpool 2 wins (aggregate 5-0) Round of 16, 10 March 2009 11v11
2014 Real Madrid 2 wins Group Stage, October 2014 11v11
2018 Final Real Madrid 3-1 Final, 26 May 2018 (Kyiv) UEFA
2020-21 QF Real Madrid 3-1 aggregate Quarter-final, April 2021 Sports Mole
2022 Final Real Madrid 1-0 Final, 28 May 2022 (Paris) CBS Sports
2023 R16 Real Madrid 6-2 aggregate Round of 16, Feb-Mar 2023 Sports Mole
2024 LP Liverpool 2-0 League Phase, 27 Nov 2024 UEFA
2025 LP Liverpool 1-0 League Phase, 4 Nov 2025 Sports Mole

The pattern is clear: Real Madrid dominated the knockout rounds through the late 2010s and early 2020s, but Liverpool under Arne Slot have turned the tables in league-phase encounters.

Bottom line: Liverpool have narrowed the gap significantly since November 2024, winning two consecutive meetings. But Real Madrid still hold the edge in finals, and their 15 UCL titles dwarf Liverpool’s 6. Fans of both clubs should expect more chapters in this story.

Timeline of Key Matches

Seven milestone moments trace the rivalry from the early European Cup era to the current league-phase battles.

Date Match Competition Source
27 May 1981 Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid European Cup Final 11v11
10 Mar 2009 Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid UCL Round of 16 11v11
26 May 2018 Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool UCL Final UEFA
28 May 2022 Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool UCL Final Sports Mole
21 Feb 2023 Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid UCL Round of 16 Sports Mole
27 Nov 2024 Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid UCL League Phase UEFA
4 Nov 2025 Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid UCL League Phase Sports Mole

Confirmed Facts vs What’s Rumoured

Confirmed

  • 13 UCL meetings, 7 Real Madrid wins, 5 Liverpool wins, 1 draw (UEFA)
  • Goal tally: Real Madrid 17, Liverpool 13 across all H2H UCL matches
  • Alan Kennedy scored the winner in the 1981 European Cup Final
  • Karim Benzema scored 7 goals against Liverpool — the most in this fixture
  • Real Madrid unbeaten in 8 straight meetings before Liverpool’s 2024 wins
  • Mac Allister scored in both Liverpool wins in November 2024 and November 2025

What’s unclear

  • Exact goalscorer-by-goalscorer breakdown for all 13 meetings
  • Whether Mohamed Salah’s goal tally against Real Madrid has been formally recorded
  • Full attendance figures for the 1981 final (Stade de France capacity disputes)
  • Any verbal agreements or informal scheduling between clubs for future fixtures beyond published UCL dates

What the Numbers Mean

Two statistics define this rivalry more than any individual match. Real Madrid have 15 European Cup titles to Liverpool’s 6 — a gap that reflects decades of sustained excellence, not a temporary form swing. But Liverpool’s recent league-phase wins show that when the format is less forgiving, the current squad under Slot can compete with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

The goal tally (17-13 in favour of Real Madrid across 13 meetings) looks decisive until you account for context: Real Madrid’s biggest wins — 5-2 in 2023, 3-0 in 2014 — inflate those numbers. Liverpool’s 4-0 win in 2009 and the 1981 1-0 final are equally representative of what these clubs are capable of.

This battle of the behemoths was first fought back in the days of the old-style European Cup.

— Sports Mole (match preview)

Liverpool vs Real Madrid is a fixture which has thrown up goals, drama and action throughout history.

— UEFA Champions League Highlights

Summary

Liverpool and Real Madrid have produced 13 Champions League meetings over four decades, with the aggregate record favouring Real Madrid (7 wins to 5, 1 draw) and a goal tally of 17-13. The most dramatic swings came in the finals — Liverpool’s 1-0 in 1981 versus Real Madrid’s 3-1 in 2018 and 1-0 in 2022 — and the 2023 Round of 16, when Real Madrid won 6-2 on aggregate. Since November 2024, Liverpool have taken back-to-back league-phase wins, signalling a shift in the dynamic under Arne Slot. For Real Madrid fans, the warning sign is clear: the hoodoo is over, and the next draw against Liverpool is no longer a favourable seed. For Liverpool, the next test comes in the knockout rounds, where the rivalry has historically hurt the Reds most.

Related reading: Celtic Fixtures 25/26 · World Cup Playoff Draw

Additional sources

aiscore.com, uefa.com

Real Madrid holds a narrow 7-5-1 edge over Liverpool across their 13 UEFA Champions League meetings, per the head-to-head statistics detailed breakdown.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is Liverpool’s worst enemy?

Statistically, Liverpool have suffered more European defeats against Real Madrid than any other opponent, with 7 losses across all competitions. The 2022 final and 2023 Round of 16 thumping cemented that rivalry in modern memory.

What team does Liverpool hate?

Liverpool fans have deep rivalries with Manchester United and Everton, but in European competition, Real Madrid stands out as the club that has caused the most pain — two Champions League final defeats and a 5-2 aggregate humiliation.

Who beat Liverpool 6-1?

Liverpool’s heaviest recent defeat was 4-0 against Real Madrid in March 2009 and 5-2 in February 2023. No side has beaten Liverpool 6-1 in Champions League competition.

Has Cristiano Ronaldo lost a UCL final?

Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Champions League titles with Manchester United and Real Madrid, losing none in the final. His all-time UCL tally stands at 105 goals, according to UEFA records.

Who did Liverpool beat 9-0?

Liverpool have never beaten any side 9-0 in the Champions League. Their record win at Anfield against Real Madrid came in the 4-0 thrashing of March 2009.

Who did Liverpool beat 11-0?

Liverpool have no recorded 11-0 result in European competition. The Reds’ biggest competitive win in recent years was 4-0 against Real Madrid in 2009.

Who is Liverpool’s most loved player?

Among modern players, Mohamed Salah has accumulated 48 Champions League goals, per UEFA’s records. Fans often cite Steven Gerrard, Kenny Dalglish, and Ian Rush among all-time legends, but Salah’s consistency in the UCL has made him a contemporary fan favourite.