Man City vs. Real Madrid: Head-to-head record and past

Sports Mole looks at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 14

Man City wins: 4

Draws: 4

Real Madrid wins: 6

The head-to-head record between two European superpowers in Manchester City and Real Madrid is about as even as one might suggest, as from 14 previous contests at Champions League level, the Premier League giants have won on four occasions, Los Blancos six, and the other four clashes have ended level.

The 15-time European champions edged ahead on the wins counter during two frenetic 2024-25 Champions League playoff legs, as a stunning 3-2 Etihad success in the first encounter preceded a 3-1 home win, where Kylian Mbappe’s treble sent Man City out prematurely.

Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti also oversaw an unforgettable 2023-24 quarter-final first leg, a 3-3 bonanza at the Bernabeu, where spectacular strikes were the order of the day.

Nothing could separate the sides in the reverse fixture at the Etihad, which ended 1-1 after 120 minutes, but thanks in no small part to a horrendous Bernardo Silva penalty, Los Blancos eliminated the 2022-23 winners on spot kicks to complete a sweet revenge mission.

In doing so, Ancelotti made it to his 10th Champions League semi-final – drawing level with Guardiola – as Real Madrid knocked out the reigning Champions League holders for the sixth time.

Less than a year before silencing the sky blue wall, Real Madrid’s defence of their 2021-22 crown came to an end with a whimper against Guardiola’s side, who settled for a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital before a 4-0 slaughter at the Etihad, which marked Real’s joint-highest loss in any Champions League round.

That success coincidentally saw Man City avenge their semi-final loss to Los Blancos in the 2021-22 edition, where the Citizens succumbed to a barnstorming Bernabeu comeback in a 6-5 aggregate defeat, two years on from sinking the Spanish giants 4-2 over two legs in the 2019-20 last 16.

Another semi-final battle in the 2015-16 went Real Madrid’s way – a Fernando own goal did the damage on that occasion – while a pair of meetings in the 2012-13 group phase saw Los Blancos come up trumps 3-2 at home before settling for a 1-1 draw in Manchester.

Before departing for the riches of Saudi Arabia, Karim Benzema struck six goals against Man City to lead the way in this fixture, although Rodrygo, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Mbappe are not too far behind on four apiece.

Now, Manchester City and Real Madrid are set to clash once again in what has become a consistent fixture in recent Champions League seasons, with the two clubs drawn to meet at the Santiago Bernabeu in the league phase of the 2025-26 competition.