"You got this," the Adidas billboard declared pre-match, bearing the face of Jude Bellingham. For the midfielder, this always felt like destiny. A Champions League final at Wembley, against the club he departed last summer, in his first season at Real Madrid, a season in which he catapulted himself into the Ballon d'Or conversation for the first time.
At 20 years old, it probably won't be the last. La Liga's player of the season went into this final as 3/1 second favourite to win this year's France Football award, behind only team-mate Vinicius Junior. By the end of the night, he was a European champion for the first time - when the Ballon d'Or gets handed out though, he might yet regret allowing Vinicius to score Real Madrid's second goal.
Several hours earlier, in the middle of Wembley Way, the sign was raised in hope rather than expectation. "Suche 2 Karten," read the tiny piece of cardboard, held by a Borussia Dortmund fan. 'Seeking two tickets'.
He wasn't the only one. Outside the stadium, many had signs with the same request, desperate to find their way into Wembley for the biggest game in club football. They surely knew their chances of success weren't great, they could have stayed in Germany and accepted the inevitable, but they had to give it a try.
The bond between a fan and their football club is just too great. Matches like this don't come around very often - well, unless you're a Real Madrid fan. Songs rang out from every bar in the vicinity, some in German, some.
