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Real Madrid vs. Man City: Complete Head-to-Head Record

Real Madrid and Manchester City have forged one of the most prolific and engrossing Champions League rivalries of the modern era.
James Cormack|
Real Madrid and Manchester City are familiar foes.
Real Madrid and Manchester City are familiar foes. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City. A fixture that as recently as 2012 had never been played but is now a mouthwatering prospect each and every time the pair draw each other in the Champions League.

The Cityzens have now got their hands on the fabled European Cup after years of agonizing exits, although they have a long way to go to catch record 15-time winners Real Madrid. They are at completely opposite ends of the history scale but are two of the best clubs on the planet.

Since that first meeting over a decade ago, City and Real have butted heads on a number of occasions, often with a place in the Champions League final on the line.

Real Madrid vs. Man City: Complete H2H Record

1. Real Madrid 3–2 Man City—September 2012

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner at the death. | PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images

City were the new kids on the block when they traveled to the Bernabéu for the very first time. They’d won the Premier League the season prior, but this was just their second-ever Champions League campaign.

Roberto Mancini’s side exited at the group stage during their maiden voyage and would endure an even worse fate in 2012–13 as they finished bottom of the group.

On Matchday 1, City pushed José Mourinho’s Real all the way amid a hectic second half during which all five goals were scored. Edin Džeko gave the visitors a 2–1 lead with five minutes remaining before a vintage Real late show saw them prevail as 3–2 victors. A certain Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner at the death.

2. Man City 1–1 Real Madrid—November 2012

Sergio Agüero celebrating.
Ex-Atlético Madrid striker Sergio Agüero got one over his former city rivals. | AMA/Corbis/Getty Images

City’s fate as the bottom dwellers in the group was all but sealed by the time the reverse fixture rolled around in Manchester.

Borussia Dortmund and Real were the two that progressed from the group, but Mancini’s side were able to thwart the Spanish side’s quest to finish top by holding them to a point on Matchday 5.

Sergio Agüero’s spot kick canceled out Karim Benzema’s early opener.

3. Man City 0–0 Real Madrid—April 2016

Joe Hart making a save.
Joe Hart was on fire against Real Madrid. | PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

City finally became relevant on the European stage under Manuel Pellegrini, and they progressed into the semifinals during the 2015–16 season.

The 2013–14 champions awaited them in the last four, but they were without Cristiano Ronaldo for the first leg at the Etihad.

This was a pretty forgettable affair with City rarely threatening. At the other end, Joe Hart made a couple of huge stops in the closing stages to keep a clean sheet and ensure the scores were level heading into the second leg in Madrid.

4. Real Madrid 1–0 Man City—May 2016

Real Madrid celebrating.
Real Madrid won the Champions League in 2016. | Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Ronaldo was back for the second leg, but it was Gareth Bale who made all the difference in the Spanish capital.

A confident Real start was rewarded when the Welshman’s cross-cum-shot was deflected in by City midfielder Fernando in the opening 20 minutes. Fernandinho came close to restoring parity just before halftime, but Real’s superiority was evident and they dominated the second half without extending their advantage.

Thus, it was a slender 1–0 aggregate win for the Spanish giants, and they’d go on to beat crosstown rivals Atletico in the final on penalties.

5. Real Madrid 1-2 Man City—February 2020

Riyad Mahrez (left) and Kevin De Bruyne.
Riyad Mahrez (left) and Kevin De Bruyne enjoyed a famous win. | Alejandro Rios/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Things were a little different the next time these two sides met four years later. City had established themselves as a major force under Pep Guardiola, and they headed into this round of 16 tie as the favourites.

Pep got funky with his starting XI and deployed a pair of false nines in Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, but they were forced to come from behind after Isco gave Real the lead on the hour.

The visitors were excellent, however, and their dominance was justly rewarded via goals from the superb Gabriel Jesus and De Bruyne in the final 15 minutes.

It represented City’s first-ever competitive victory against Real Madrid but this was nothing new for Guardiola. The former Barcelona boss became just the second manager in Champions League history to ever record two away wins in the competition against Real Madrid, alongside German boss Ottmar Hitzfeld.

6. Man City 2–1 Real Madrid—August 2020

Raheem Sterling (left), Kyle Walker (center) and Rodri celebrating.
An empty Etihad witnessed Man City’s win. | Chloe Knott-Danehouse/Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic meant the second leg was delayed by a few months, but eventually an empty Etihad played host to the contest as City sought to advance into the quarterfinals.

They were aided by one of Raphaël Varane’s worst games as a professional. The Frenchman gifted City both of their goals which arrived either side of Karim Benzema’s smart header that restored parity on the night.

Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus were the beneficiaries of Varane’s brain fades as City advanced as 4–2 aggregate winners.

Madrid’s previously imperious center back blamed these uncharacteristic blunders on a concussion which he had sustained a few days earlier. “I couldn’t concentrate on staying in my game, I was like a spectator,” Varane explained years later. “I questioned myself a lot and, finally, I realized that these unusual errors had not fallen from the sky.”

7. Man City 4–3 Real Madrid—April 2022

Manchester City players celebrating.
Manchester City are no strangers to Real Madrid. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

There have been some stellar encounters between these two, but this has to be the pick of the bunch, right?

Real had worked a pair of miracles to progress into the semifinals where they faced a majestic City side beaten in the final by Chelsea in 2021. The Cityzens looked for all money to return to the showpiece event after they raced into a 2–0 lead, but the miracle-workers kept coming back at them.

A topsy-turvy affair saw both sides land significant blows, but it was Los Blancos who ended the bout more content after Benzema scored a deft Panenka with eight minutes remaining to cut their deficit to one after City had enjoyed 3–1 and 4–2 leads in the second half.

“The result could have been better,” Guardiola noted. “Madrid is always Madrid.”

8. Real Madrid 3–1 Man City—May 2022

Real’s track record meant City left the Etihad uneasy, but their performance in the second leg was, for the most part, completely controlled.

It was a pretty uneventful encounter before Riyad Mahrez extended the Cityzens’ aggregate lead with 20 minutes remaining. With Real struggling to land a punch against Pep’s juggernaut, it seemed as if that would be the goal to see City through, but Real’s voodoo magic eventually manifested in the dying embers.

Once Rodrygo clawed one back in the final minute of normal time, there was a sense of inevitability about the end result. Six minutes went up on the fourth official’s board, but Carlo Ancelotti's side didn’t even need one as Rodrygo headed home his second to force the tie into extra time.

City were dead, and Benzema landed the killer blow five minutes into the extended period after he was brought down by Ruben Dias in the box. The Frenchman converted coolly, and the La Liga giants held on for a memorable triumph.

“It is tough for us, I cannot deny,” Guardiola sighed. “We were so close to the Champions League final. Now we need to process that and come back.”

9. Real Madrid 1–1 Man City—May 2023

A year later and it was time for Real and City to meet again in the semifinals, with the latter again favorites for the competition despite the former's pedigree.

City arrived at the Bernabéu unbeaten in 20 games across all competitions, but fell behind to a rip-snorting Vinicius Junior thunderbolt midway through the first half despite dominating the early exchanges.

All the talk ahead of kickoff had been dominated by Erling Haaland. As one headline read: “Viene el Ogro”—The Ogre is Coming. Yet, it was his creator-in-chief who struck the equalizer for City.

The quality of Guardiola’s side shone through eventually and De Bruyne whistled an unstoppable effort of his own into the corner to level the tie.

10. Man City 4–0 Real Madrid—May 2023

That first leg did little to foreshadow the absolute thumping City would hand out to Real in the return fixture at the Etihad.

Guardiola’s side were simply too hot for Los Blancos to handle as they banished the ghosts of two previous semi final defeats to the same opposition with a 4–0 win. As Guardiola noted postgame: “I have a feeling that for one year we had a fear in our stomach about what happened last season but today we went out with everything we had.”

Bernardo Silva’s first-half double set City on their way before Manuel Akanji’s deflected header and Julián Alvarez’s cool finish wrapped up the scoring and set up a Champions League final against Inter.

11. Real Madrid 3–3 Man City—April 2024

Man City and Real Madrid met for a third successive season after being drawn against one another in the 2023–24 Champions League quarter-finals, with the first leg producing one of the best matchups between the teams we have ever seen.

The tantalizing clash was full of goals at the Bernabéu, with three inside the opening 14 minutes. Silva’s smart free-kick bizarrely caught Andriy Lunin out after just three minutes, but two quick-fire goals from Real put them in the driving seat at the break.

The second half would produce another three goals, all of which were of an unbelievable standard. Phil Foden and Joško Gvardiol produced corkers to put the world champions back in front, with Federico Valverde slamming home an exquisite volley at the other end in a thrilling affair.

12. Man City 1–1 Real Madrid (3–4 pens)—April 2024

Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti has repeatedly gotten the better of Pep Guardiola. | IMAGO/Guillermo Martinez

With more than 200 Champions League wins as a manager between them—the most in history—it’s hardly surprising that all eyes were on the Etihad Stadium for a gargantuan clash between Guardiola’s titans and Ancelotti’s relentless winners.

What followed was a tremendous performance from Madrid, who maintained a fantastic shape to frustrate their possession-thirsty hosts. Rodrygo's 12th minute goal was a huge bonus - the Brazilian slotting home at the second time of asking after initially being denied by Ederson - and it looked as if they would keep a probing City at bay.

But De Bruyne came up with the goods, as he often does, to take the game to extra time. City continued to ask questions but Madrid's rock solid base stood firm, leading to a tense penalty shootout.

Luka Modric blinked first, only for Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovačić to have their efforts saved by Andriy Lunin. Antonio Rüdiger, who had marshaled Erling Haaland brilliantly, delivered the final blow, confidently dispatching his penalty into the corner to send the away fans wild.

13. Man City 2–3 Real Madrid—February 2025

Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham is Real Madrid's clutch player. | IMAGO/Crystal Pix

Having knocked City out of the competition at the Etihad the previous season, Madrid were looking for more joy in Manchester during the playoff round of the new-look 2024–25 Champions League.

Both sides had underwhelmed in the league phase and were forced into an unwanted two-legged playoff. Neither entered the first encounter in sensational form and defensive deficiencies resulted in an engrossing and dramatic thriller.

Madrid fired the early warning signs but it was City who took the lead as Haaland finished off a sweeping move. The Norwegian was back among the goals in the second half as he converted from the penalty spot to cancel out Kylian Mbappé’s miscued equalizer, with the hosts simply needing to hold on for 10 minutes plus stoppage time to secure a mighty triumph.

But that they couldn’t do as they self-destructed in the dying embers to offer Madrid the win. Goals from Brahim Díaz and Jude Bellingham completed a late comeback, offering the Spanish giants an invaluable lead to take home to the Bernabéu.

14. Real Madrid 3–1 Man City—February 2025

Having secured victory at the Etihad, Madrid knew they simply needed to avoid defeat in the second leg at the Bernabéu to progress to the Champions League last 16. However, Mbappé had other ideas.

The French superstar produced a sensational hat-trick to send City packing from the competition, lobbing Ederson early doors before two fine finishes completed the treble. He was simply too good for an out-of-sorts backline.

Nico González’s first City goal was the merest of consolations in stoppage time as Mbappe scooped up the match ball at fulltime and the visitors left the Bernabéu with their tails between their legs.

15. Real Madrid 1–2 Man City—December 2025

Xabi Alonso limped into Real Madrid’s league-phase clash with Manchester City with his job hanging by a thread. Guardiola’s advice for his former midfielder was unusual: “That he pee with his own one. And since he won’t be peeing cologne, he’ll be O.K.”

The City boss knew exactly what he was doing by using that Catalan expression—“You like that headline, right?” he grinned—but the sentiment was genuine: Alonso needed to continue doing things his own way.

Madrid lost 2–1 but produced a performance good enough to stop the axe from falling upon Alonso. That would come a few weeks later.

Man City vs Real Madrid H2H record

  • Games played: 15
  • Man City wins: 5
  • Draws: 4
  • Real Madrid wins: 6

Top scorers in Man City vs Real Madrid fixtures

Player

Team

Goals

Karim Benzema

Real Madrid

6

Rodrygo

Real Madrid

5

Kylian Mbappé

Real Madrid

4

Kevin De Bruyne

Man City

4

Bernardo Silva

Man City

4

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James Cormack
JAMES CORMACK

James Cormack is a freelancer soccer writer for Sports Illustrated FC. An expert on Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, he follows Italian and German soccer, taking particular interest in the work of Antonio Conte & Julian Nagelsmann.

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