Ibrahim Tanko: Ghana Legend and UCL Winner Confident Underdogs Dortmund Can Surprise Real Madrid

• Legendary Ghanaian footballer Ibrahim Tanko has backed his former club, Borussia Dortmund, to win the UEFA Champions League
• The German giants will face 14-time champions Real Madrid in the final of the competition on Saturday in London, England
• Tanko, who coaches Ghanaian club Accra Lions, won the competition with the German outfit in 1996/97 when they defeated Juventus

Former Ghana striker, Ibrahim Tanko, believes Borussia Dortmund can pull a surprise in the final of the UEFA Champions League by beating Real Madrid at Wembley on Saturday, June 1.

The German outfit heads into the final as underdogs despite eliminating Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid en route to Wembley.

Tanko, a member of the Dortmund team that won the Bundesliga side's only UEFA Champions League title in the 1996/97 season, hopes the current team can win the second European trophy for Dortmund tonight.

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"In 1997, we were the underdogs and managed to win it so definitely this will motivate the young ones and then try to win it the second time. Apart from the World Cup, winning the Champions League is the biggest and I am sure, most of them want to be part of the names that won the UEFA Champions League with Dortmund," he told Super Sports.

On May 28, 1997, Dortmund stunned a star-studded Juventus, which had the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero to win the competition for the first time at the Olympiastadion.

The former Ghana international, who was just 19, watched from the bench as the Signal Iduna outfit made history.

Tanko won two Bundesliga titles to add to the UEFA Champions League title he won with Dortmund, per Transfermarkt.

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Essien predicts UCL winner between Real Madrid and Dortmund

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Ghana legend, Michael Essien picked his favourite to win the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, June 1.

The former Chelsea midfielder won the 2011/12 Champions League with the English club after losing in his first final against Manchester United in 2008.

He joined Real Madrid a year after winning the competition with Chelsea before eventually leaving England to move to Italy, where he joined AC Milan.