Saturday evening will see Zinedine Zidane lead Real Madrid into not only their fourth Champions League final in five years, but their third successive one under his management.
So often hyped as an 'irresistible machine' that will grind out results on the big occasion regardless of the opposition, are Madrid's achievements being underrated?
Zidane matches up to Guardiola on the European stage
You only have to go back a few years to think about the praise that was heaped upon the bewildering Barcelona football witnessed at the Nou Camp under Pep Guardiola.
However, that football yielded 'just' two Champions League's in four years. Current Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane equalled that record in half the time and could beat it with a year to spare, becoming the first man to deliver the European Cup in three consecutive years.
Few are talking about the potential of that unprecedented triumph, because Madrid aren't trying to beat anyone to it - a year ago they became the first to do two in a row since the competition was rebranded. It's a case of extending the record.
It's not been easy for Real, though. Twice in the last four years they've defeated city rivals Atletico, a force to be reckoned with, in the final. Twelve months ago the foes were Juventus, themselves in their second final in three years.
Paris Saint-Germain (twice), Bayern Munich (twice), Manchester City and Napoli have also been swatted aside by Los Blancos in the last couple of years. Atleti and Juventus have both been out-done by Zidane's Galácticos in earlier rounds than the final.
Is it that Galáctico nature that makes Zidane's side more difficult to appreciate?
Whilst Barcelona's pantheon of star individuals; Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets and more, were there to be admired in the Guardiola era, the talk was about the team. The style. The unity. The collective.
Can Real compete with that? Zidane's side are callous in the way they play, but not captivating.
Are coaches around the world looking at Real Madrid's style as the model to follow? Are expecting fathers bursting to tell their children about the glory witnessed at the Bernabeu in recent years?
It could be something to do with a lack of consistency, with just one league title in Zidane's three years.
What more can Madrid do?
It's fantastic to watch Ronaldo, Bale and Ramos turn their individual talents on to win big games, but it's no match for the flowing organism that was Guardiola's Barcelona conquering each and every game over a sustained period of time, as they did with the infamous sextuple win of 2009.
Such achievements are rare, a first in fact. But three consecutive Champions League titles would also be rare, would also be a first.
So often in football, all the talk is about how trophies are everything.
Forget the way you play, the way you conduct yourself, it's a results business and those results take the highest importance.
However, is it the results? Or is it something less quantifiable?
You can argue the toss over a sextuple vs three straight European Cups, but you seemingly can't argue a case for Zidane's Madrid vs Guardiola's Barcelona without being shot down. There must be a reason.
Do Madrid need to be more of a team, perhaps winning with academy products and a free-flowing possession-based style?
Does their football have to have a knock on effect around Europe, or to the Spanish national team?
Or do they simply need to go three in a row and wait for the memoirs to be written to cement their place in history?
Only time will tell, but beating Liverpool in Kiev would do them no harm at all.