Champions League: Bellingham Joins Ronaldo and Other Real Madrid Stars Who Won Final in Home Country

• Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund on Saturday to win the Champions League
• Jude Bellingham clinched the European Cup in his first season with the Spanish giants
• He joined other Real Madrid stars who won the Champions League in their home country

Real Madrid are champions of Europe once again, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final on Saturday, June 1.

Jude Bellingham became the latest player to win the Champions League final in his home country after Los Blancos' victory at Wembley Stadium.

Sports Brief looks at the Real Madrid stars who won the European Cup in their home country in the past decade after Bellingham accomplished that feat in England.

Stars who won UCL in home country

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1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, 2014)

The pressure was on Ronaldo to reach the Champions League final in 2014, with Lisbon hosting UEFA's showpiece event that year.

He hadn't reached the final of the European Cup since securing a blockbuster transfer from Manchester United in 2009.

The Portuguese star was on a mission to lead Real Madrid to victory at Estadio da Luz. They went unbeaten in the group stage to book a spot in the last 16, recording five wins and one draw.

They then stamped their class in the knockout rounds, beating German clubs Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich to reach the final against Atletico Madrid.

It looked like Ronaldo's homecoming would turn into a nightmare as Atletico headed into second-half injury time with a 1-0 lead.

Sergio Ramos scored a dramatic equaliser in the dying minutes of regulation to force extra time. Real Madrid took full advantage of that gift, scoring three unanswered goals in extra time to lift the European Cup.

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Ronaldo found the back of the net in the 120th minute through a penalty to seal the win for Los Blancos. Pepe and Fabio Coentrao were the other Portuguese players who won the Champions League in Lisbon.

2. Gareth Bale (Wales, 2017)

Bale was the next Real Madrid star to be afforded an opportunity to win the Champions League in his home country.

The Welsh legend was on a mission to lead the Spanish giants back to the final, with Cardiff hosting UEFA's showpiece event in 2017.

They qualified for the last 16 as the second-placed team in Group F, recording three wins and three draws.

They then defeated Napoli, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid in the knockout rounds to book a spot in the final at Millennium Stadium.

Bale started the match against Juventus as a substitute and replaced Karim Benzema in the 77th minute.

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Victory was already in sight for Real Madrid at that stage, with the Spanish giants holding a 3-1 lead following a brace from Ronaldo and a goal from Casemiro.

Marco Asensio completed the rout with a strike in the 90th minute to ensure Bale's homecoming was a huge success.

3. Karim Benzema (France, 2022)

Benzema was the next Real Madrid star to be given a chance to win the Champions League in his home country.

Stade de France was chosen as the venue for the 2022 final, and Benzema did everything in his power to lead Real Madrid there.

The Frenchman scored thrice in the two-legged semi-finals against Manchester City, helping Real Madrid record a thrilling 6-5 aggregate win.

He started in the final against Liverpool and achieved his dream of winning the Champions League in his home country. Vinicius Junior's goal in the 59th minute handed Real Madrid the 1-0 victory over the Premier League club.

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4. Jude Bellingham (England, 2024)

Bellingham added his name to the list of Real Madrid stars who won the Champions League final in their home country after Saturday's victory over Borussia Dortmund.

Dani Carvajal and Vinicius scored late goals for Real Madrid, who secured the 2-0 win at Wembley Stadium.

Bellingham started for the Spanish giants and delivered the assist for Vini's goal that sealed Real Madrid's 15th Champions League title, per The Guardian.

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Sports Brief recently reported on Benzema's pick to win the Ballon d'Or award this year, naming a Real Madrid star for the top honour.

That player ended the season with an impressive record of 24 goals and 10 assists across 39 appearances for the La Liga champions.