Uefa Champions League 2012-13 Final -

Ribéry, who had been anonymous for long stretches, found a sliver of space on the left touchline. He didn't try to beat his man. Instead, he contorted his body and back-heeled the ball—an absurd, balletic flick—into the path of . The Austrian crossed first-time, low and fizzed across the six-yard box.

Bayern slowly reasserted control. Thomas Müller, all gangly limbs and menace, began to find space. Robben stopped drifting and started driving.

From the first whistle, Dortmund were a yellow fever dream. Jürgen Klopp, all wild eyes and manic energy on the sideline, had his team pressing like wolves. Marco Reus drifted like smoke. Mario Götze—already announced as a future Bayern signing, the ultimate betrayal—pulled the strings. And then there was Robert Lewandowski, a battering ram with a poet’s touch. uefa champions league 2012-13 final

And there, sliding in at the far post, was . The man who missed a penalty in the 2012 final. The man they called a choker. The man who had just beaten his defender, sprinted 60 yards, and thrown himself into history.

Then, the 89th minute.

In the tunnel, Klopp congratulated Heynckes with genuine warmth. "The better team won," he said, and meant it. Götze stood apart, watching Bayern celebrate—his future teammates—with hollow eyes.

The ball hit his left foot and nestled into the roof of the net. Ribéry, who had been anonymous for long stretches,

Wembley inhaled. Then it exploded.