Champions League winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Settle down, ladies.

Champions League Final

Hala Madrid, as they say.

Real Madrid had a tough time of it against local rivals and La Liga champs Atletico, but came through just in the nick of time. Ronaldo had been rushed back from injury to feature and he was clearly off the pace, while Gareth Bale found himself out of the action for long stretches too. Diego Costa had similarly been rushed back for Atletico, but it was a gamble that didn’t pay off, with Costa subbed off early. Still, Atletico grabbed a sloppy opener, and Real began to have doubts.

Clearly Real were the better team head to head – any team with Ronaldo is gonna look better – but they weren’t on their game against a stoic Atletico side. A second goal for the underdogs and things would have been well in their favour. A single goal is always a possibility though. And a dull game got more and more exciting as Real desperately pushed forward for the equaliser. The final 20 minutes may not have been fluid, flowing football, but the stakes alone made it thrilling. By that stage it was all Atletico could do to hold back and defend, and it looked like they may just hold on for an incredible win, only in the third of five added minutes a perfectly placed header from Sergio Ramos tied the game and Real Madrid were never going to lose from there. Bale, Marcelo and a Ronaldo penalty made it 4-1 after extra time. Real Madrid’s first Champions League title since the Zidane days of 2002, and a record tenth European Cup overall. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 17 goals in this tournament are a new record too.

For Atletico it was so near yet so far. You’ve gotta wonder though why they left the posts open from that corner. It’s not like they didn’t have enough men back defending.

Oh, and Diego Simeone seemed to take the loss well, didn’t he?

England

The final footballs of the English season were kicked over the weekend, with the playoff finals being played. QPR are back in the Premier League after a dramatic win over Derby, while Rotherham will making the jump to the Championship having earned the last League 1 promotion spot, thanks in no small part to this absolute stunner of an equaliser:

QPR are well suited to the top division. They’ve managed to keep most of their squad together from two seasons ago when they were relegated, including ‘Arry Redknapp as manager, so the transition back after a year in the Championship shouldn’t be as hard as it usually is. The likes of Joey Barton, Richard Dunne, Niko Kranjcar and Bobby Zamora all remain in hoops, and ‘Arry apparently has no small interest in filing the signatures of free agents Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard. Typical used car salesman transfer interests from Mr Redknapp.

Southampton are in the process of being completely decimated after their best season probably for 30 years. Manager Mauricio Pochettino seems likely to be helming Spurs next season, while Liverpool are closing in on Adam Lallana (and perhaps Nathaniel Clyne), and Man Utd for Luke Shaw. They’ll be hoping there’s some more life in an academy that produced the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in recent years. Gus Poyet, Dan Petrescu and Neil Lennon are favourites to replace Mauricio at the Saints.

Also Brendan Rodgers has extended his contract with Liverpool, cashing in while the going’s so very good.

Spain

How do you celebrate a Champions League win? 50,000 fans packed the Bernabeu for a laser show and some singing, following the usual open top bus parade through the city, while Cristiano Ronaldo apparently told the physio staff that his three-quarter of a million pound bonus for winning the title would be split amongst them and the rest of the technical staff in the form of a brand new car each (that’s about three weeks’ salary for CR7). The rest can go to charity, he said. What a top bloke.

For Atletico it was still a wonderful season, despite the final loss. They won the league and broke up the Clasico dominance. The test now is can they consolidate that success? Diego Simeone will be a wanted man after what he’s done with this team. Initially though, the Man in Black will have to face the authorities after his little UCL pitch invasion, initiated by Raphael Varane kicking the ball at the Atletico dugout after Ronaldo’s goal. He could be facing a European touchline ban of up to 6 games.

As for the playing staff, they are naturally reluctant to sell. Their hand may be forced if Chelsea come up with an unrefusable offer for Diego Costa, though that relationship between the clubs will be crucial to their quest to permanently sign on-loan Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois, who has already expressed his desire to stay in Madrid. Koke is a man rumoured to be sparking interest, yet he has no desire to leave the club he has supported all his life.

Barcelona’s transfer ban was short lived so expect them to make a splash soon. After a trophy-less season and with a new manager, some shakeups may be on the way. Cesc Fabregas is rumoured for Arsenal, Juventus are keen on Alexi Sanchez and Pedro is getting offers from all over. They need a goalkeeper and a couple defenders for sure, and a deal for Juan Mata is apparently one of their highest priorities. Mata had some good moments for Man Utd, but at times it has been hard to see where he fits in. Barca will need to top the transfer fee MUFC paid to Chelsea if it’s gonna happen.

Germany

A bit of an embarrassing week for Toni Kroos. Having seemingly burned a few bridges thinking that he was on the verge of a £20m move to Manchester United, his former manager Louis Van Gaal stepped in at the last minute and blocked the deal (Moyes had set in in motion a while back). Kroos had to do a little PR work to cover that happening, reasserting his dedication to the Bayern Munich cause. Bayern players are being linked to Man Utd all over the place now because of the Van Gaal connection, and so are Dutch players for the same reason. So obviously the Dutch winger for Bayern was gonna see his name in the papers, but Arjen Robben has batted away any chance of him leaving. He signed a contract extension till 2017 with the German champs just a year ago.

Bastian Schweinsteiger on the other hand could be available for just £10m with Pep Guardiola not considering the German midfielder a good enough passer to fit into his vision for the club. A proven international midfielder for just 10 mill? Every other club in Europe should be putting in a call. Guess who’s being linked the heaviest though? Yep, Manchester United. Not sure if that’s down to any legitimate evidence or just a theory based on the Van Gaal thing. United were allegedly offered Schweinny as an alternative to Kroos.

France

David Luiz looks set to become the highest paid defender in world football. The man who was behind both Gary Cahill and John Terry, who was once described as looking like he was being controlled by a 12 year old on a video game, is heading for the exit door at Chelsea. He will arrive in Paris, with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea agreeing terms. The deal is apparently worth a whole heap of money, the most for a defender ... ever. This comes as PSG are restricted with their signings thanks to FIFA's financial fair play rules, so it doesn't look like they'll be able to get many more players. They spent it all on Luiz.

A very reasonable footballer, Luiz isn't really going to stiffin up your defence as a Centre Half but he could slip in to a defensive midfield role as he has done before. They only people who displayed much logic in this deal appear to be Chelsea who have filled their coffers and got rid of someone who didn't really contribute a whole lot.

Sticking with both Chelsea and PSG, former Chelsea player and now the former PSG assistant coach Claude Makelele will get his first head coaching gig after being snapped up by Bastia. Meanwhile Bordeaux have reportedly given up their pursuit of Zinedine Zidane, who will be a head coach sometime soon.

Italy

Some interesting news out of Italy with Inter Milan looking to make some moves on the player market. They are showing some reasonable interest in Blackpool's Thomas Ince who spent time with Crystal Palace last season on loan. Those with a memory will remember Tom's father, Paul Ince spent time with Inter Milan so there appears to be a mutual interest and a need from both parties. Ince has been in demand for a while now and while Crystal Palace are keen to keep him on a permanent deal, the lure of Inter and possibly a bigger Premier League club will likely see him move on.

Inter are also sniffing around the likes of Erik Lamela and Luis Gustavo to add to Nemanja Vidic as their newbies. Lamela has been a bust at for Spurs while former Bayern Munich midfielder could do much better than toiling away with Wolfsburg.

Juventus could be a potential destination for Didier Drogba who has decided to part ways with Galatasaray. John Elkaam, top dog of the group who own Juve has signalled his interest in Drogba saying that Drogba is not too old to join Juve. That would make for a pretty intimidating strike force and could definitely enhance Juve's European hopes.