UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League (in English and officially, UEFA Champions League), also known as European Cup, is the most prestigious official international football tournament at club level in Europe. Organized by its continental establishment, UEFA, it has been contested annually since its establishment in the 1955-56 season, and its final is the most followed sporting event in the world, with an estimated audience between 350 and 400 million spectators, ahead of the NFL and the NBA.

Created at the initiative of the newspaper L'Équipe under the name of European Champions Clubs Cup (in French, Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens i>), and designed to define the best club on the continent, it was rejected in the first instance by UEFA, although after conversations with FIFA and various clubs still in its gestation, the European establishment gave its approval and it became your organizer. Started under a direct elimination format, in 1992 the tournament was restructured, incorporating for the first time the league or group stage competition format as a previous step to the knockout phase. For this reason, it was renamed with its current name in the 1992-93 edition, consolidating this format. Originally, the champion teams of the national leagues qualified for participation in the competition, but, in 1997, the runners-up and runners-up also began to participate., in 1999, those classified up to fourth place, depending on the UEFA coefficient of each league, having to overcome those with the lowest coefficient in a previous phase.

The winner of this competition competes in the European Super Cup against the champion of the Europa League - the second continental competition - and, as a representative of the confederation, in the FIFA Club World Cup. The current champion, after winning to Inter Milan, is Manchester City. while the Spanish Federation is the one that has won the most championships with nineteen, followed by England with fifteen and Italy with twelve.

History

Beginnings (1955-65)

In June 1955, UEFA approved organizing a competition between European clubs called the European Champions Clubs Cup (original name in French, Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens), —better known as European Cup—. This was promoted by the French sports newspaper L'Équipe by its director at the time Gabriel Hanot together with his colleague Jacques Ferran, and with the support of the president of the Real Madrid Football Club, Santiago Bernabéu, as well as Gusztáv Sebes, undersecretary of sports of Hungary and vice president of UEFA. The competition, whose creation was inspired by the South American Championship of Campeones, intended to unify a European-level tournament to designate the best club on the continent after the predecessors Copa Mitropa and Copa Latina, among others.

“1.♪ projet de L'Équipe: fevrier 1955.
Projet d'un règlement d'une Coupe d'Europe de football
1.o Une compétition de football réservé aux grandes équipes européennes est organisée, de la saison 1955-56, par le journal L'Équipe. Elle a nom "Coupe d'Europe de L'Equipe" et dotée d'un objet d'art par le journal organisateur. Se prendront part à cette compétition que les équipes invitées par les organisateurs. Une Commission d'Organisation, où entreront des représentants des grandes associations européennes, aura tout pouvoir pour appliquer le présent règlement”.

“1.♪ L'Équipe project: February 1955.
Project a regulation of a European Cup of Football
A football competition reserved for the big European teams is organized, starting from the 1955-56 season, by the newspaper L'Équipe. She has the name "Copa de Europa de L'Équipe" and has an art object by the organizer newspaper. The teams invited by the organizers will take part in this competition. An Organizing Committee, where representatives of the main European associations will enter, will have the power to enforce these regulations.”

Gabriel Hanot. Extract from the draft of the first regulation. February 1955. Paris

Finally, eighteen teams responded and supported the initiative—one for each territory represented—attending by invitation. Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Saarland Protectorate, Denmark, France, Hungary, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Germany and Scotland were the final representatives to a tournament that featured notable teams absent in this first edition due to the lack of consolidation of the newly created UEFA to give it sufficient projection and the indifference of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) with the incipient tournament. Among them, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and England did not finally contend., and the most notable was the non-appearance of an English team whose honor should have gone to Chelsea Football Club, current champion, but The Football Association urged the club not to participate for various reasons, and they were replaced by the Polish representative. Thus, the competition did not have an English representative after they and especially the Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club were indirectly the final promoters of the tournament. The West Midlands team was considered at the time as one of the best teams. These, after defeating Budapesti Honvéd Sport Egyesület in a friendly match - a team formed almost entirely by the "magical Magyars" members of the fearsome Hungarian team - were proclaimed by the English press as the "world champions", causing a boost final for the creation of the competition.

Thus, after UEFA validated the established bases and expanded the quota of participants to any federation that wished to participate without any other federation deciding to do so, sixteen teams were the final contenders.

The «Madrid of Di Stéfano»

The competition began in September of the following football season after the pairings were agreed upon in a meeting held in May by all the contenders, and which would be resolved, at the suggestion of the Belgian Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, by direct elimination matches from the round of 16 until deciding a champion in the final to be played in Paris, as it is the headquarters of the main promoter.

After the twenty-nine matches played, the first winner was the Spanish Real Madrid Football Club, who defeated the French Stade de Reims 4-3 in the final played at the Parc des Princes. The first match that opened the competition took place on September 4, 1955 between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Fudbalski klub Partizan at the National Stadium in Lisbon, ending with a three-goal draw, while the first goal of the competition was scored at 14 minutes of play by the Portuguese João Baptista Martins.

At the end of the first edition, a total of 127 goals were scored, and Miloš Milutinović of F. K. Partizan was the top scorer with eight goals in the just four games his team played before being eliminated, two ahead of Péter Palotás and Leon Glovacki. As for the teams, those who scored the most were Real Madrid C.F. with a total of twenty, Associazione Calcio Milan with nineteen and Stade de Reims with eighteen.

The hegemony of the Madrid club continued during the next four editions as it won in the finals against the Associazione Calcio Fiorentina, the Associazione Calcio Milan, again the Stade de Reims and Eintracht Frankfurt. In the Madrid team Players as important in the football scene as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Paco Gento, José Santamaría and Héctor Rial among others were playing at that time, who were considered years later as one of the best teams in this sport mainly due to these five titles., thanks to which they were baptized as the "Madrid of Di Stéfano" and with the nickname "Vikings" after the chronicle of the fifth final written in the English newspaper The Times, a nickname that since then accompanies the club:

“Real wanders through Europe as the Vikings once walked, destroying everything in its path.”
“The Real Madrid strolled through Europe as the Vikings were walking, dragging everything in their way.”

The Times. May 19, 1960. London.

That last final, referred to years later by various media as the best final in the history of the competition, allowed "the whites" to win five consecutive European Cups, which remain the best performance ever achieved. by a team in the history of the competition.

In those editions, only the champions of each participating country competed and other renowned teams such as Manchester United Football Club joined the competition as the first English representative, Futebol Clube do Porto, Ballspielverein Borussia or Fudbalski klub Crvena Zvezda Beograd among others, while the success of the first edition led to the number of participants increasing to 22 in its second year. For this reason, a preliminary round had to be played before the final eliminatory round. In it, another of the tournament's novelties occurred when Atlético de Bilbao qualified for its dispute, assuming that two teams from the same country participated for the first time, as Real Madrid C.F. was already classified as current champion, and the latter being the only one in repeat participation. The other fifteen remaining teams that took part in the round of 16 were all debutants. For its part, A. C. Fiorentina was on the verge of becoming champion in its debut season in the competition after finishing as runner-up.

The English were finally able to prove their worth in Europe in official competition at the hands of the representative of Manchester, who reached two consecutive semi-finals of the competition before being defeated by the current champion in 1957, and by the eventual runner-up in 1958.

In the coming years, new circumstances occurred, such as the first time the title was decided in extra time or the first meeting between two teams from the same country—Sevilla Club de Fútbol against Real Madrid C.F.—, both events taking place in the third edition, the repetition of a final between two teams —Stade de Reims against Real Madrid C. F.— and a match between two teams from the same city —Club Atlético de Madrid against Real Madrid C. F.—, produced in the fourth edition, or that a player for the first time he won the competition as a footballer and as a coach - Miguel Muñoz after Madrid's fifth title - among other events, while the number of participants increased to 27.

The success of the already consolidated competition led to the birth of another worldwide competition, the Intercontinental Cup, which would henceforth pit the European champion against the South American champion of the Copa Libertadores de América.

Eusébio and S. L. Benfica take over

In the 1960-61 edition there was finally a new champion, the Portuguese Sport Lisboa e Benfica. That year, the five-time champion Real Madrid could not get past the round of 16, and was eliminated for the first time in the competition, and curiously at the hands of its eternal rival, the Barcelona Football Club, who had just qualified in the round. preliminary to avenge their elimination at the hands of the Madrid team in the semi-finals of the previous edition. The Barcelona team reached the final held at the Wankdorfstadion in Bern in which the Benfiquistas, led by Béla Guttmann, They became the second team to lift the trophy after winning 3-2. In a final where the Catalans ran into the posts up to four times and which meant that they went from square to round.

Sport Lisboa e Benfica managed to retain the title of champion in the next edition as the Spanish had already done after beating Real Madrid 5-3 this time in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. A very young man was already a reference in the team Eusébio da Silva, author of the last two goals that gave the title to the Portuguese, overcoming the disadvantage thanks to three goals from Ferenc Puskás, the only player to score a hat-trick in the Cup final. Europe together with his teammate Di Stéfano, and with whom he added seven in the finals, also equaling the Argentine player (records still valid as of 2022). After the second victory, Béla Guttmann was fired for asking for a salary increase. The day he said goodbye, he did so by issuing a sentence that, at that time, was taken anecdotally, but that with the passing of time became a curse for the entity and its fans: «Benfica would never be without me. will win a European cup. Since then, the Portuguese have played a total of eight finals (five in the European Cup and three in the Europa League), having lost them all.

Commanded by Eusébio, who scored 47 total goals during his appearances, the Portuguese reached the final for the third consecutive time, this time being defeated by A. C. Milan at the Wembley Stadium in London by 2 -1. Italy finally won the title that it had been chasing in previous editions, since it was not in vain that it was considered one of the football powers of the time, as it would demonstrate in successive editions.

Continuing with the domination of the Latin teams from southern Europe, the following two editions were dominated by the Italian team of the Football Club Internazionale of Sandro Mazzola, Luis Suárez and Helenio Herrera, who defeated in their finals those until now the only champions of the competition, Real Madrid C. F. —who had seven finals— and S. L. Benfica —in their fourth appearance. These matches held at the Praterstadion in Vienna and at the Stadio San Siro in Milan ended with results of 3-1 and 1-0 respectively.

After two lost finals, it was again the Madrid fans who won the title in the 1965-66 edition, the sixth in their record and after having played eight of the eleven finals to date. In the final held at the Stade Roi Bauduin in Brussels, they defeated Fudbalski klub Partizan 2-1. The final was remembered, since it was the first time that a team won the title without any foreigners in its ranks, since they were all Spanish in this case. In the Madrid team, only the veteran Paco Gento remained as a representative of the golden Madrid generation, and he became the player who has won the European Cup the most times with six championships, a record still in force today.

It should be noted that to date, only the French Stade de Reims on two occasions, the German Eintracht Frankfurt and the recently mentioned Yugoslav F. K. Partizan have managed to access a final dominated to date by the teams from Latin Southern Europe.

Northern Europe enters the scene (1966-84)

For the 1966-67 season, the Scottish Celtic Football Club was proclaimed the winner, it was the first British team to be proclaimed winner since the teams from the British Isles began to participate in the second edition of the tournament. For the second time in the competition, a team without foreigners became champions after defeating "the Catholics" 2-1 against the Italians from F. C. Internazionale at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon. It was a prelude to the first victory of the inventors of football in the highest club competition at European level, since the following year the winner was the English Manchester United Football Club after winning the final held at the Wembley Stadium to the two-time champion S. L. Benfica 4-1 in extra time of a match in which the Portuguese reached their fifth final in thirteen years. However, complete English supremacy in the competition was yet to come.

The A. F. C. Ajax of Johan Cruyff and F. C. Bayern of Franz Beckenbauer were the rulers in the early 1970s.

Before, A. C. Milan was the only team from the award-winning Southern Europe capable of displacing the north of the continent as the winner. The 1968-69 final held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium pitted them against a team from the Netherlands, and it was the first of the five consecutive times that a team from that country would reach the final since then. In it, the Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax was defeated 4-1, a team in which a young Johan Cruyff was beginning to emerge.

The Dutch teams dominated the competition in the following four years, winning one title for Feijenoord and three for A. F. C. Ajax with the refined tactics and football technique acquired from the remembered Rinus Michels, called "total football", and who already practiced the national team Hungarian member of the “Golden Team” in the 1950s. The Rotterdamians beat Scottish Celtic F. C. 2-1 in extra time at the Stadio San Siro, while the Amsterdamers defeated Panathinaikós Athlitikos Omilos, F. C. Internazionale and Juventus Football Club, who entered for the first time. time to the final. In this way, the Dutch team became the second team after Real Madrid C.F. to win the trophy for winning the competition three times in a row.

During the following three seasons a new team appeared on the European scene. The Germans from Fußball-Club Bayern won the competition in the following three editions, thus also obtaining the trophy as their property. The team, which included players such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Sepp Maier, Uli Hoeneß and Paul Breitner, began by winning the 1973-74 final against Club Atlético de Madrid at the Stade Roi Bauduin in which is to date the longest final in the history of the tournament as it is the only one in which two games were necessary to obtain a champion. On that date there were no penalty shots to resolve a tie, so if at the end of extra time there was no winner, new matches had to be played until one of the two teams was the winner. After the Bavarians equaled the red and white's initial goal in the final moments of the match, they won the tiebreaker match 4-0. In the subsequent finals they got rid of the English Leeds United Football Club and the French Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne. Those were the years of German dominance in world football, where their team had just won both the European Championship and the World Cup. Their supremacy would seem to extend to the club level, until they were stopped by the inventors of football, England.

«The cradle of football» dominates Europe

Since 1977, a total of seven of eight championships have been won by English teams, and also the first six consecutively. However, it was the Soviet FC Dinamo kyiv that eliminated the reigning German champions. This was one of the few milestones achieved by a team from the brave and award-winning Soviet Union in a competition in which they did not manage to achieve meritorious performances, with the exception of these semifinals reached by some Kievites led by Oleh Blokhin and Volodymyr Onyshchenko.

Of the aforementioned succession of titles, four were achieved by Liverpool Football Club, one by Aston Villa Football Club, and two by Nottingham Forest Football Club, who equaled the best performance by a debutant team in the competition by winning not only the title in their first appearance in the tournament, but also being able to retain it in the following edition - matching the performance of the Madridistas in their first two editions. The victims of the English, in chronological order, were the Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen Mönchengladbach, the Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging, the Malmö Fotbollförening, the Hamburger Sport-Verein, the Real Madrid C. F., the F. C. Bayern and the Associazione Sportiva Roma.

This last one was the first final to date in the history of the tournament in which a team from the same city where the final was held lost, in addition to being the first decided from penalty kicks and thanks to which Liverpool was just one title away from being the fourth team to own the trophy. A fact that happened to him for the second time, since after having been proclaimed champion for the second time, he seemed the favorite in the 1978-79 edition, however, in his first match he had to face Nottingham Forest F.C., who not only eliminated him, but ended up winning the competition twice in a row, before being succeeded again by "the reds" by beating Real Madrid C.F. in the final, who reappeared in the final fifteen years later.

The only final not won during this period by an English team was the 1982-83 edition, which was won by Hamburger S. V. after defeating Juventus F. C. at the Olympiako Stadio Athinas by 1- 0. It should be noted that this streak of notable English hegemony was also reflected between 1968 (the date on which an English club won the competition for the first time) and until 1984 in the rest of the UEFA competitions. In total, the Anglo-Saxons won twenty-two European titles out of a possible sixty-one, or in other words, 36% of them.

On May 29, 1985, the final was played between Juventus F. C., who had just won the 1977 UEFA Cup, the 1984 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1984 European Super Cup, and the also successful Liverpool F. C. The Turin team won with a goal from its star Michel Platini, beating the English again as in the final of the previous European Super Cup. That day, before the match and provoked by English spirit, the "Heysel tragedy" occurred due to an avalanche of hooligans that caused the collapse of one of the walls of the Brussels stadium. The incident It caused 39 fatalities, 34 of whom were Italian followers, and more than 600 injured. The tragedy led to the expulsion of English clubs from European competitions for five years, as a measure to stop the violence of their most radical followers, the hooligans, a trend that was beginning to spread in football. Due to this, English supremacy in European competitions was stopped, in addition to marking the beginning of the era of fair play by FIFA as a measure to improve the security and image of football. In sports, the final also meant that the Italian team was the first to win all existing UEFA competitions, which is why it received a commemorative plaque from the highest European body.

The last years before the reform (1985-92)

A year after the events, the Fotbal Club Steaua București, a team that reached a final for the first time, and F. C. Barcelona faced each other for the title. Played at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, the Romanians won in the penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw at the end of the match, a circumstance that occurred for the first time in a final. Romanian goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam set an all-time record by stopping four shots in a row. Romania became the eighth territory to have a European champion team.

The following two years had two unexpected champions: Futebol Clube do Porto, which beat the three-time champion F. C. Bayern 2-1 in the final in Vienna; and Philips Sport Vereniging, which won the 1987-88 final, held at the Neckarstadion, against S. L. Benfica on penalties. This was the fourth final lost by the Lisbon team in the competition, the situation being called the "curse of Béla Guttmann". After his dismissal as a two-time champion with the Portuguese, Guttman predicted that the club would never again win a European competition without him as coach for the next hundred years. Since then, eight finals have been lost by the Lisbon team, the curse now lasting a total of 60 years.

In 1989 and 1990, A. C. Milan added two new titles to their titles for a total of four after beating F. C. Steaua București 4-0 and S. L. Benfica 1-0, preventing them for the fifth time in history from Lisbon won the title. The team, coached by Arrigo Sacchi, had in its ranks players such as Franco Baresi, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Paolo Maldini, being another of the most remembered teams both in the competition and worldwide. Maldini thus won the first two titles of the five he achieved throughout his active career, being the one with the most achievements after the six of the Spanish Paco Gento. This was also the last time in the competition in which a team managed to retain the title, until 2017. The following year, the Fudbalski klub Crvena Zvezda was proclaimed champion at the Stadio San Nicola in Bari. The Serbian team – Yugoslav at the time – defeated Olympique de Marseille in the final on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

A year later it was Johan Cruyff's FC Barcelona that was proclaimed the winner after playing its third final. The Spaniards beat Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1-0 in extra time at the Wembley Stadium, thanks to a goal from Ronald Koeman from a free kick in the 111th minute. The champion team was referred to in the press with the nickname "Dream Team", imitating the terminology that was used with the United States basketball team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, made up of the largest cast of "stars" ever seen in the competition. This was the last edition of the competition before being subjected to a profound restructuring in its format by the new president Lennart Johansson, seeking greater projection and from now on being called the UEFA Champions League.

The new name brings the most equal era (1992-09)

The new name brought some changes to the format in 1992, looking for a way to introduce new contenders into the competition that would make it more competitive, although these were not consolidated until years later with the consolidation of the current format in force since the edition. 1999-00. One of the most relevant was the inclusion of a group stage prior to the final, similar to the last edition of the European Cup in which the quarterfinals and semifinals were eliminated, and with direct access to the final of the first of each group. It was Olympique de Marseille who won the 1993 edition against Milan A.C. 1-0 with a goal from Basile Boli at the Olympiastadion in Munich, becoming the only French team to win the tournament to date. However, the scandal that arose that same year due to the discovered plot of bribery and financial irregularities committed by its president Bernard Tapie prevented the French team from fighting to defend its title in the following campaign, and it was the first time that the current champion He has not been able to defend his title.

In the 1993-94 edition, the semifinals were reinstated after the league system, which was definitively established and was gradually expanded from two to eight groups as the editions progressed. After them, F. C. Barcelona and Milan A. C. faced each other in the final in Athens. The Italians won 4-0, thus lifting their fifth title and achieving it in their own right, staying just one away from the six achieved by Real Madrid, whose drought had already lasted twenty-eight years and had not reached a final for thirteen. The following year the «rossoneri» reached the final for the third consecutive year - and fifth time in seven years -, but could not overcome A. F. C. Ajax, who won for the fourth time after twenty-two years since their last qualification. After 70 minutes of the game, a very young and almost unknown Patrick Kluivert entered the field to later score the only goal of the game with just five minutes remaining. The Dutch team reached the final again the following season, but was defeated by Juventus Football Club in the penalty shootout after 1-1 after 120 regulation minutes.

The controversial Bosman Law

For further analysis and detail of the impact and influence of the case in European football see Judgment and consequences of the Bosman Law

With the 1996-97 season, the Bosman Law came into force, which allowed community players to play on a team without occupying a foreign place, and which reciprocally led to the inclusion of more players from the rest of the world by freeing up the community players. Foreigner places allowed. This caused the clubs with more purchasing power to start hiring the best players on the international scene, increasing their potential to the detriment of other European clubs with less financial power. Since then, and with the exception of a single year, the winner of the competition has been a member of one of the four best football leagues in Europe: the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga, the Spanish First Division or Serie A. Italian. A controversial ruling whose repercussions took decades to become evident and which were some of the causes that marked the future of European football.

After the ruling, B. V. Borussia won the first Champions League in its history after defeating Juventus F. C. 3-1 in Germany, in an edition preceding the establishment of the new format of the competition. In this, approved for the 1997-98 season in which for the first time a format closer to the current one was seen, the number of participating teams was increased as a more noticeable measure. It was the year in which, finally, after thirty-two years of waiting, Real Madrid C. F. once again became the winner after defeating Juventus F. C. 1-0, who reached their third consecutive final.

We had to wait until 1998-99 to see an English club crowned again after the events that occurred in Heysel. Manchester United F. C. beat F. C. Bayern after turning the game around in injury time to end up winning 1-2 thanks to goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær, achieving one of the greatest feats in the history of the finals. It was the prelude to what seemed like the end of the competition, after the agreement of a Super League. Despite this, and perhaps because there was not enough time for such a complex restructuring, a series of changes were implemented in its place. to improve the tournament. One of the most relevant was an expansion of the participating teams and that also affected the UEFA Cup with a profound restructuring that led to the absorption and disappearance of the European Cup Winners' Cup.

With thirty-two teams participating in its final phase, they faced each other in the final at the Stade de France, and for the first time in the history of the competition, two teams from the same country: Real Madrid C.F. and Valencia Club de Fútbol, a team that reached the final for the first time. The Madrid team beat the Valencians by three goals to zero, with goals from Fernando Morientes, Steve McManaman and Raúl González. The Valencians tried to make up for the defeat the following year, but without luck. This time FC Bayern took the title by winning the penalty shootout thanks to the performance of goalkeeper Oliver Kahn who stopped three of the shots.

For the third time a Spanish team reached the final when Real Madrid C.F. again reached the last match of the 2001-02 edition that was played in Hampden Park, Glasgow. In their third final in five years, they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1, thus winning their ninth European Cup and third under the new Champions League format. In this match there was the memorable volley goal by Zinedine Zidane that gave victory to the Madrid team in the year of his centenary. This goal was considered by France Football and by UEFA, according to information from the time, as the best goal in the history of European competitions and the Champions League finals.

In the 2002-03 season again and for the second time in history two teams from the same country met in the final. Italy was represented in the Old Trafford final between A.C. Milan and Juventus F.C., who were playing in their fourth final in eight years, with the Milanese team winning the penalty shootout.

This led to the only edition with the presence of a country other than the four considered strongest in terms of football in Europe since the Bosman Law. Portugal and France, and more specifically F. C. Porto and Monaco – debutant in a final – faced each other so that the Portuguese were proclaimed winners for the second time in their history after defeating the French 3-0. Since then, the final has always been won by some representative of the four major leagues, also producing a curious alternation between the winners. It should be noted that to date, the so-called G-14, and later reestablished as the European Club Association (ECA), began to seriously study the possibility of creating a competition that would replace the Champions League made up exclusively of the strongest clubs in Europe.. These movements put UEFA on alert, which began to instigate new formulas that would establish its competition and give it greater projection.

England, Spain and Italy, in that order, alternated in winning the next six championships, which endorsed the idea of the ECA. Liverpool F. C. —who finally won their fifth title to be the last club to achieve it as a property— A. C. Milan, Manchester United and Internazionale were the winners along with F. C. Barcelona, who won two titles in this succession.

This period left numerous outstanding events in the finals of the competition. In the first of the aforementioned finals, the Liverpool team overcame a three-goal deficit, which was considered one of the best matches of the tournament. In the final, Maldini became the oldest player to score and establish the fastest goal in a Champions League final, the English managed to tie the game in the second half and force extra time before Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek gave the title to the British in the penalty shootout.

In 2006, in the final played at the Saint-Denis stadium in Paris, Ronaldinho's F. C. Barcelona came back from 0-1 after losing against Arsenal F. C., allowing Barcelona to win its second European Cup, leaving a score of 2-1. In this match there was the first expulsion in a Champions League final, that of the Gunners' German goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann. In the 2006-07 edition, the "Rossonero" club won its seventh title in a season marked by the Calciopoli scandal in the Italian league, which almost cost the Italian team its participation in the competition. The last of the notable events occurred in the victory of the Manchester team, being the first final of the competition between two English teams, and the third time that it occurred between teams from the same country and which was decided by a slip by John Terry in the fateful penalty shootout. In 1991, UEFA asked its commercial partner, Television Events and Media Marketing (TEAM), to help brand the Champions League.

Manchester United F. C. repeated the final the following year, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, this time against FC Barcelona, in a highly anticipated match that meant facing two of the most in-form players of the moment, the Argentine Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo. Barça completed its treble (Champions League, Spanish League and Copa del Rey) by defeating the English team 2-0, with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Messi himself, preventing Manchester from being the first team to win the competition two years in a row during the Champions League era.

The influence of the «four big leagues» (2009-21)

In the 2009-10 season, a new format was established in the competition that sought to make it more competitive and mainly alleviate the ECA initiative of an annexed competition. Among the measures, the increase in the number of participants stood out, in the previous phases, and that the date of the final was moved to Saturday, instead of the traditional Wednesday.

The trend did not change, much to the annoyance of UEFA, and once again Italy, Spain, England and Germany – who had not won for twelve years – once again became champions. Football Club Internazionale won its third title after defeating Fußball-Club Bayern 2-0. Barcelona and Manchester United met again two years after the final in Rome, this time at the new Wembley Stadium. Once again the culés won the duel, winning by a score of 3-1, thanks to the goals of Pedro, Lionel Messi, and David Villa, and the goal of Wayne Rooney, who had placed the temporary tie. The Blaugrana team thus won its fourth European Cup (second in three years) in the city where it was crowned for the first time, 19 years ago. Chelsea won their first title in 2012 after beating FC Bayern in the Allianz Arena in the penalty shootout, in another final with emotion in the minutes before the end of the match, while the Bavarians were able to make up for it the following year by winning by 2 -1 in the Wembley final against the neighboring Ballspielverein Borussia - the first final played between two German teams -, managing to become continental champions for the fifth time in their history.

In the 2013-14 season, a final was played for the fifth time by clubs from the same country, which was also the first in the history of the tournament to be played by teams from the same city. Cristiano Ronaldo set the record top scorer in the competition, scoring seventeen goals that helped Real Madrid win its tenth title, after beating Atlético de Madrid in the Lisbon final 4-1 in extra time, finishing the match 1-1 after 90 minutes.

In the 60th edition of the competition, Fútbol Club Barcelona won the title for the fifth time in its history, after beating Juventus Football Club 3-1 in the final in Berlin — equaling the five titles conquered by F. C. Bayern and Liverpool F. C.—and positioned itself as one of the most dominant teams in the recent history of the tournament, largely due to three of its players, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi, who were the only ones footballers from the same club awarded the first three places in the Ballon d'Or, and under the direction of Luis Enrique Martínez García. On the other hand, the transalpine team became the club with the most runner-up finishes in the competition with six.

Again in the 2015-16 season, Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid C.F. met in the final in Milan, it was the second time in history that two teams from the same city competed for the title, in addition to It was the sixth time that a final was repeated in the history of the tournament, and left Atlético as the club with the most lost finals, three, without having been proclaimed champion of the competition, after falling in the penalty shootout of said final. At an individual level, the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and the Argentine Lionel Messi broke the scoring record in the competition this season, which until then was held by Raúl González with seventy-one goals. The goals scored by Cristiano made him the first footballer to reach a hundred goals in UEFA competitions, in addition to establishing a new scoring record in a group stage with eleven goals and signing his fifth distinction as top scorer. —equaling Lionel Messi, who has the best scoring quotient per game in its new format—, highlighting that since 2008 this distinction has fallen to them, either to Real Madrid or Barcelona. Along with Real Madrid and Barcelona fans, the also mentioned stood out sportingly. F. C. Bayern, occupying between the three eighteen of the thirty-two semi-final places since the current format of the competition was established, and in which one of the three have managed to appear in one of the eight finals played since then and achieve six titles among the three that made clear the idea of these clubs to form a new Super League, which, however, was alleviated by UEFA with a new restructuring.

New reform and the influence of the ECA

Since the aforementioned European Club Association (ECA) in its original G-14 organization contemplated the possibility in the early 2000s of its big clubs leading a breakup to form a private European League or European Super League that brought together the considered best clubs on the continent, they entered into constant conversations with UEFA to seek a common future favorable to all parties. Although it is true that this initiative would not need UEFA for its conception, both parties consider that a joint collaboration is the most stable for the benefit of all, groups and clubs, without endangering too much livelihood. The discrepancies even reached the FIFA environment, and as of 2006 they were close to continuing their paths outside its structure.

Since then, UEFA directed many of its reforms taking into consideration the requests or needs of the ECA, such as that of the major leagues having more teams participating in the competition - accepted and established by UEFA in the competition in its last remodeling—as well as reconsidering distribution criteria or their influence on television revenues, to name a few. However, some of them, such as the Financial Fair-Play or the Market Pool They continue to be the subject of debate between both organizations. That is why both signed a three-year agreement in force between the 2018 and 2021 seasons in which the competition will undergo its greatest remodeling in favor of these large clubs and which seems to lead to the definitive restructuring of European competitions, until the entry into force of the new competition.

As for sports, the first season after signing said agreement once again left the big teams as the benchmarks in the competition. Of the 78 teams involved from the qualifying phases, and up to the 16 from the final knockout phase, only the Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Futebol Clube do Porto and Leicester City Football Club are not included within those considered large by the ECA that could make up the new competition, but they are all members of said organization. Four Spanish teams, three German, two Italian, two English and one French for a total of 12 are within the who lead this disintegration, and since 2004 some of them have won the Champions League.

In the final of the 2016-17 edition, Real Madrid Football Club was once again declared the winner after beating Juventus Football Club 4-1 in what was their second consecutive final, third final in four years. being the fifth team to play in a final as current champion under the current format. It marked the twelfth overall title for "the whites" and managed to be the first team to revalidate the title in the new competition - something it has already achieved under its name. of the European Cup—and it was his third title in four years, a record not seen since the seventies. Individually, the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo was proclaimed the competition's top scorer for the fifth consecutive year, raising his scoring figure in the competition beyond a hundred goals, to be the first footballer to achieve it.

Far from greater competitiveness, eight teams from the "four major leagues" reached the quarterfinals of the 2017-18 edition, a fact that occurred for the first time in the competition. Between them they had a total of 29 championships, and a total of 126 appearances in the aforementioned round, which greatly increased the idea of forming the European Super League for 2021, although it was paralyzed at the expense of the 2018-21 triennium. They were finally Real Madrid C. F. and Liverpool F. C. who reached the final in Kiev, with which the Madrid team became the team with the most finals played under the old and new competition format, at the same time that the 1981 final was reissued. The triumph of Madrid placed them as the first club to achieve three consecutive championships since FC Bayern did so in the 1970s, completing a full five years of Spanish victories in the competition (2014–18).

The following year the English club managed to become the winner after fourteen years without success by beating their compatriots from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, who were playing in their first final of the competition. With their sixth title, "the reds" became the third most successful club, just one away from reaching A.C. Milan, who had been absent from the competition for five consecutive years.

It was the prelude to new conversations and negotiations about the restructuring of the tournament, scheduled for 2021, but which could be delayed until 2024 due to the great controversy it arouses between clubs and organizations. Encouraged by some of the most influential clubs of the ECA under UEFA protection was, however, rejected by clubs and some of the national league bodies such as the Spanish, English and French, alleging that it could destabilize local competitions. A system of promotions and relegations between Champions League and Europa League, their dispute on the weekend, or expanding the tournament by four games through a new restructuring that would affect the group stage or the round of 16 are some of the most controversial issues raised.

In this vein and accentuating recent events, for the 2019-20 season the highest scoring record in the group stage was established with 308 goals scored in 96 games played, while for the first time in the history of the League of Champions, all the members of the round of 16 belonged to the territory's five major leagues: Spain, England, Italy, Germany and France. The dispute of the aforementioned tie coincided with an outbreak of the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 serious, a global viral pandemic that reached Europe from Asia. As different countries on the continent recorded cases of contagion and deaths, sports organizations began to take preventive measures and some of those matches were played behind closed doors (without an audience), and others were cancelled, to stop their progress. Despite this, the concern and infections did not cease, and there were cases in footballers and managers of various clubs, which is why UEFA studied the possibility of canceling the competitions. as the NBA or the Euroleague already did, to cite two examples of similar magnitude. Finally, on March 12, he confirmed that both the Champions League and the Europa League were suspended pending new events, and he cited his 55 federative members to a meeting by videoconference to decide the future. After this meeting, the 2020 Euro Cup was postponed to the following year in anticipation of freeing up the calendar and so that the paralyzed competitions could be completed if necessary. This is how the resumption of the Champions League for the month of August, with a format from the quarterfinals to a single match at the same venue, Lisbon. After the matches, two French teams—for the first time in the history of the tournament, and after not having resumed their domestic competitions due to the pandemic—and two Germans—the first to conclude their local championship after the pandemic—qualified for the semifinals, with three of the four qualified teams being able to become champions for the first time. Despite the That opportunity was finally F. C. Bayern who beat Paris Saint-Germain F. C. and thus equaled Liverpool F. C.'s six titles, as the third most successful clubs. They also achieved it with a total of victories, the first club to achieve the feat. On the contrary, the French clubs did not take advantage of the opportunity to proclaim themselves winners and interrupt the streak of the considered "four major leagues" in the record. F. C. Porto, in 2004, and Olympique de Marseille in 1993 remained for another year as the last occasions to break these trends.

The failure of financial control and the background of the Super League (since 2021)

With the latent background of a European super league, UEFA's disagreements with numerous clubs finally led to the establishment of The Super League, an association of some of the most influential clubs in Europe as compensation for decisions made by the European body that they believed in detriment to the future of the competition and football in general. Thus, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, Fútbol Club Barcelona, Club Atlético de Madrid, Associazione Calcio Milan, Football Club Internazionale Milano, Juventus Football Club, Liverpool Football Club, Chelsea Football Club, Manchester United Football Club, Arsenal Football Club, Manchester City Football Club and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club announced its establishment. A hasty decision, perhaps as a measure to encourage talks with UEFA, which produced rejection from different organizations that They even threatened the clubs involved, including national team competitions, with expulsion from their national leagues and international competitions, something prohibited by judicial authorities. In the event that any body took action against any of said teams, it would incur penalties. a judicial crime, while the case was brought to the Court of Justice of the European Union. Despite warnings from the courts, UEFA did not comply with the announced orders and continued its pressure on the clubs, even going so far as to financially sanction them. Based on the facts - which included protest demonstrations by fans - almost all of the clubs decided to apologize to UEFA and abide by its decisions and fines. Incurring possible contempt and monopolistic practices, something that is not permitted. In Europe according to the treaty of the European constitution, regulated by its commission, its president Aleksander Čeferin raged against the "surviving" clubs, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus of Turin. It should be noted that despite being the only three clubs that remain active with the project, none of the others have defected for legal purposes, since at the time they signed a binding contract with high penalty clauses. Despite looking after the interests of the Spanish clubs, to cite an example, LaLiga attacked these clubs, clashing with their position as a supporting establishment, in what appears to be a dispute with a larger background in the world of football, although it did indicate that changes were necessary in the current panorama.

This panorama is expanded and/or worsened with the controversial 2022 World Cup based in Qatar, and with the Financial Fair-Play. A framework in which the Asian country is the originating from Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of Bein Sports and who has the broadcast rights of the World Cup event and the Champions League until 2024, and was appointed by Ceferino as the new president of the Association of European Clubs and a trusted man. He is also president of the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club through a Qatari investment fund, and one of the so-called "state clubs" that have financial injections from outsiders - like the Manchester City Football Club. Precisely these two clubs were safeguarded by UEFA when there was clear evidence of financial doping, and it allowed them to continue playing European competitions against what was established by the regulations. Ceferin even went further by ensuring a reform of financial control that will even be more benevolent towards these "state clubs", and criticism did not take long to appear, such as the strong accusations made in November by Uli Hoeneß (former president of Bayern Munich).

In the midst of this open war, the competition started again with the presence of the majority of the tournament's historic clubs. On the first day of the group stage, Cristiano Ronaldo—back in Manchester—equaled Iker Casillas as the player with the most games played and later established the new mark at 187. On November 3, 2021, the Real Madrid Football Club reached one thousand goals in the tournament, authored by Karim Benzema, the first club to achieve it. The people of Madrid reached the figure after playing 455 games - at an average of 2.2 goals per game - in 52 editions, and facing 108 different rivals, Fußball-Club Bayern has scored the most goals against: 41, mainly due to the fact that it is the most repeated match in the history of the competition and for which it is known as "the European classic."

The draw for the knockout phase was historic, and described by the international press as "botched" and "shameful" in relation to its impact and supposed recognition. It was the first time that it had to be repeated in its history, after the pairings had been concluded and presented, due to an unusual error by UEFA in their preparation in which several balls were incorrectly added to the election pots, thus giving erroneous premises. Hours later, the continental body declared the draw "null" and repeated it in its entirety, alleging a "technical problem with the software of an external service provider.".

At the same time, the organization signed with the American financial company Citigroup to finance European clubs, greatly affected by the crisis and whose losses UEFA estimates at 9 billion euros, thus reaffirming, despite their denials, the version they gave. of the current reality of the clubs assigned to the Super League. In the absence of finalizing the agreement and the financing package in March, which could reach 7 billion, the project involves a debt that would be guaranteed with the broadcasting rights of the tournament, that is, a mortgage for the clubs for their television profits, similar to other agreements such as the one adopted by the venture capital fund CVC Capital Partners with the Spanish league - mortgaged until 2071 - something that Italy and Germany rejected at the time.

Competition system

For a complete detail of the participating clubs and the format of the competition see Format and clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League

Participants and format

Since the tournament emerged in 1955 with sixteen invited participants, a total of 530 different teams have participated in it. Starting with the second edition, it was the final classification in the European league system that gave access to compete in the competition, then moving on to twenty-two participants, the champions of each country or region plus the current champion. Although it was from the beginning the system chosen for the participants, the low acceptance that its first edition had among the clubs caused them to attend for the aforementioned invitation. This number increased to eighty-five participating in the last edition of 2014-15, of which thirty-two go on to compete in its final phase. It was in 1997 when the national runners-up also entered the tournament for the first time, and in 1999 until the fourth place taking into account the UEFA coefficient.

Since the 1999-2000 season, 32 teams have participated in the competition, which are organized in a first round that is played in league form. There are eight groups with four teams in each group (by UEFA rule, there cannot be two teams from the same country in a single group). The teams in the groups play each other round-trip and the first two teams advance to the next round, the round of 16; The third in each group will advance to the round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League.

In the first round draw, the calendars are also established so that two teams from the same country do not play, both at home or both away on the same day (or in the event that a country has three or four teams, so that two teams from that same country would not both play at home or away on the same day, taking into account that each matchday is played between Tuesday and Wednesday of the same week). Nor are UEFA Champions League matches allowed to be played at the same time on fields located less than 200 km away. This rule has an exception regarding Russian teams (negotiated by the former Soviet Union and which is maintained today), which, due to the low temperatures that this country registers in winter, establishes that on the last day of the first round no matches are played there. Paradoxically, this rule is not applicable to other former Soviet republics such as Ukraine, Estonia or Belarus, among others.

One of the traditional characteristics of the tournament until 2018 was that all its matches were played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 8:45 p.m. (Central European time) simultaneously, with the exception of the final and the Eastern European countries. or Eurasia. From then on, maintaining Tuesday and Wednesday as match dates, the schedules were divided into 6:55 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

In the 2021-22 edition, the tiebreaker criterion of "greatest number of goals scored in the opposing field" was eliminated for the direct elimination phases.

In the round of 16 there are 16 teams that face each other in a eliminatory manner. Each team will face another team in a double match and the winner will advance to the quarterfinals, in which there will be 8 teams facing each other again in an eliminatory manner. In the semifinals there are 4 teams. There will be two matches and the winner of each match will reach the final. The final is the only confrontation that is played in a single match and on a neutral field chosen by UEFA before the start of the competition.

Traditionally, the tournament has always allowed the current champion to defend the title without being league champion. After the restructuring and expansion of the number of participants in the strongest leagues, UEFA regulated this type of situation. Granting the champion the privilege of being first seeded in the draws, as well as direct access to the group stage. And leaving in the hands of the national associations the possibility of sending the current champion, but to the detriment of the last classified in access positions and always upon request to UEFA by the association. This is the case of Real Zaragoza and Real Madrid Football Club, fourth and fifth respectively in the 1999-2000 season. Or Everton Football Club and Liverpool Football Club in the 2004-05 season, in the same situation.

Starting in 2018, under a new restructuring promoted by the clubs themselves, the four best federations had four teams classified directly to the group stage, along with the best two of the next two. The champions of the federations with the best ranking from seventh to tenth place completed the direct quotas. On the other hand, the previous two-route classification system continued, based on the classifications in the domestic tournament, and the limit of a maximum of five clubs from the same country to participate was maintained, adding the possible current champion.

Team registration

To participate, at the expense of having previously obtained classification based on sporting merits, each club must meet certain requirements set out in article 43 of the tournament rules. They must send two lists of players to their respective federations (&# 34;A" and "B") who will make up their squad of players valid to play competition matches. These lists, which include the numbers to be used by each player, are verified, validated and sent to UEFA, who gives their final validity.

The "A" list It is made up of a maximum of 25 players, two of which have to be goalkeepers, and which is generally the same official formation of the club in its local competition. Among them there are a minimum of eight places reserved exclusively for locally trained players, that is, in the club's youth academy. If you have fewer than eight locally trained players on your team, the maximum number of players on list "A" will be reduced accordingly. For a player to be considered a player, he must have played for any of the club's teams between the ages of 15 and 21, or have played for another club in the same country.

If a club cannot have at least two goalkeepers registered on its "A" For long-term injuries or illnesses (of at least 30 days of convalescence), a club can temporarily replace him at any time during the season.

In the "B" Those born on or after January 1, 1995 are registered, provided they are eligible to play for the club in question for an uninterrupted period of two years from their 15th birthday (16-year-old players can register if they have been in the club in the previous two years). Clubs can register an unlimited number of players on the "B" list. during the season, but the list must be submitted no later than 24:00CET on the day before a match.

Clubs can change their teams during the season as long as they advance to the final knockout phase, the round of 16, and notify them before said date. They can register up to a maximum of three new players, and in any case the limit of 25 players on the "A" remains. Such players could have previously played in the Champions League or Europa League qualifying round, but only one of them can have played in the Europa League group stage; while none of the squad could represent two clubs in the Champions League from the group stage onwards, a circumstance that was revoked for the 2019-20 season with no restrictions of any kind, in line with the local championships and to not impose obstacles on transfers in the winter market.

Trophy and champion emblems

The cup that is awarded to the winner of the tournament has had two different designs throughout history. The first version of the cup was awarded from the first season (1955-1956) until the 1965-1966 season. In March 1967, the UEFA Executive Committee authorized Real Madrid C.F. to retain ownership of this first trophy that was donated by the newspaper L'Équipe at the origins of the competition when it was the most successful team to date. At that time, the people from Madrid were also the current champions, after winning their sixth championship and adding it to the first five achieved consecutively.

Starting in the 1966-67 season, the trophy was replaced by a silver cup designed by the Swiss Jörg Stadelmann, 74 centimeters high and 8 kilos in weight. This model is popularly known as "the orejona" #3. 4; in Spain and Latin America due to the large handles it has. In the 1968-69 season, a new rule was introduced: any team that was proclaimed champion of the tournament three times in a row or five times in succession, would be awarded ownership of the trophy, and a new cycle would then begin with a new trophy of the same design.
This rule remained in force until the 2007-08 season, where the teams that were proclaimed champions without completing the cycle had to return the trophy two months before the final of the following year, being given a smaller-scale replica in exchange. Since the 2008-09 season, UEFA has been the ad eternum owner of the trophy and delivers an exact replica to the champion—never again granting the authentic trophy ownership—as well as a special badge of recognition.

The only five clubs that have the authentic trophy in their cabinets are detailed below, in the chronological order of their obtaining:

• Real Madrid Club of Football (after winning the 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1966: 5 followed and 1 alternate).
• Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (after winning the 1971, 1972 and 1973 editions: 3 followed).
• Fußball-Club Bayern (after winning the 1974, 1975 and 1976 editions: 3 followed).
• Associazione Calcio Milan (after winning the 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990 and 1994 editions: 5 alternates).
• Liverpool Football Club (after winning the 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005 editions: 5 alternates).

Champion Emblems

Since the beginning of the 2000-01 season, six clubs have the right to wear the multiple-winner badge on the left sleeve of their shirt. For In order to obtain it, said teams must win three consecutive trophies or, failing that, five alternate trophies, having a design of an oval in a vertical position with a silver background, containing inside in white, the current logo of the silhouette of the competition trophy and the number of titles won by the club, with the official UEFA typography.

Unlike the old rule of obtaining the trophy ownership, the count to receive the badge does not start over when a team achieves any of these cycles, but is maintained.

Four clubs received the emblem automatically in 2000 for their achievements until then:

• Real Madrid Club of Football (the quake of 8 cups after winning the editions of 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000; later added 6 more to carry an emblem of 14 cups after the editions of 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022).
• Associazione Calcio Milan (between 5 cups after winning the editions of 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990 and 1994; later added 2 more to carry an emblem of 7 cups after the 2003 and 2007 editions).
• Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (quarter quake after winning the 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1995 editions).
• Fußball-Club Bayern (a 3-cup quake after winning the 1974, 1975 and 1976 editions, adding 3 more to carry a 6-cup emblem after the 2001 editions, 2013 and 2020).

Subsequently, two other clubs obtained the right to wear the emblem:

• Liverpool Football Club (French of 5 crowns after winning the 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005 editions; later added 1 more to carry a 6 cup emblem after the 2019 edition).
• Fútbol Club Barcelona (French of 5 glasses after winning the editions of 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015).

Also and since the beginning of the 2012-13 season, the champion carries during the following season a champion emblem similar to that of multiple champions with the silhouette of the trophy and the year that indicates him as current champion, being able to wear it until A new team is proclaimed the winner. Since then, Chelsea Football Club, the first bearer of the new emblem, on two occasions, Fußball-Club Bayern, on two occasions, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, on four occasions, as well as Fútbol Club Barcelona and Liverpool Football Club on one occasion, they have worn it.

Hymn

The competition has had its own anthem since 1992, written in the three main languages of the competition, English, German and French. The chorus plays before the start of each Champions League match. Likewise, television networks that broadcast Champions League matches are obliged to broadcast a reduced version of the match before and after the match.

“Lyrics:

Ce sont les meilleures équipes It's sind die allerbesten Mannschaften The main event Die Meister Die Besten Big echipes. The champions

Une grande réunion Eine grosse sportliche Veranstaltung The main event Ils sont les meilleures Sie sind die Besten These are the champions Die Meister Die Besten Big echipes. The champions

Die Meister Die Besten Big echipes.

The champions”

Letra of the anthem of the UEFA Champions League.

Proposals for a new continental competition

ECA European League

Both from the original G-14 and from the current European Club Association (ECA), a private organization formed by the big European clubs to ensure common interests, its most representative members advocated creating a closed European League at the level continental, which would replace the current Champions League, similar to the Euroleague, a competition sponsored in 2000 by the main European basketball clubs. Since its idea was born in the early 2000s —revisiting a 1998 proposal by Media Partners to UEFA—, they sought greater economic remuneration in addition to projecting a competition that would attract a greater number of income and sponsors more in line with the current development of football that would also grow in sports, as stated by its president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge:

“We should not exclude that in the future a European championship can be created with the great clubs of Italy, Germany, Spain, England and France; either through UEFA or in a private organization that would host twenty teams. The best clubs are getting stronger than the others in the big championships and another championship is already being born beyond the Champions League.”

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. November 21, 2016. Milan

The statements, produced after the advice on UEFA's financial Fair-Play, whose regulations they consider restrictive of their interests by coercing their investments for the benefit of supposed sporting equity with other minor clubs impact, were one of the first public demonstrations in favor of change. While it is true that the aforementioned measure, as well as others subject to the same controversy such as the distribution of income - especially the Market pool -, benefit a common good for all teams, it is It is true that the potential of the big teams is reduced compared to other sports with less impact worldwide and that receive greater benefits:

“The Champions League is worth €1.5 billion in television rights compared to almost €7 billion in the NFL. Market studies show that of the 2,000 million sports fans in the world, 1,600 are football fans and only 150 million are football fans. We must reflect on the unexplored potential in the current competition formats in football.”

Andrea Agnelli, president of the Juventus F. C.. November 21, 2016. Milan

Although the economic aspect is only one of the reasons given by the organization for the creation of what is popularly known as the Super League, its birth finds its greatest in the minor teams and in the federations and establishments of the respective national leagues. detractors alleging that they could see their income and sponsors substantially reduced, putting their livelihoods at risk. Despite this, the ECA repeatedly stated that it is a path in which they are working, and that it may see the light in 2021. Not in in vain, since the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League all the finalists of the competition were members of the ECA and are among the twenty clubs that are cited as candidates to create the Super League, a circumstance on which they also base their decision, reaffirming its difference with respect to the rest of the clubs.

After UEFA and ECA studied the case in the summer of 2016, there was a restructuring of the Champions League for a three-year edition starting with the 2018-19 season, valid until 2021. In that period the four best classified of the considered four best leagues in Europe will have a guaranteed fixed place in the tournament, a measure to delay and/or avoid its split or which will precede a new restructuring within the UEFA margin. Putting the renewed Euroleague of basketball, or the English Premier League, conversations were resumed in favor of finding a solution for both parties.

Despite the discrepancies, it is advocated that UEFA accept the competition within its framework, although it is not necessary to create it. The same case happened at the beginning of the Champions League, initially promoted by the newspaper L'Équipe. Some of the changes that have occurred or are in process to reduce the impact were to reduce the different national leagues to a maximum of 18 teams, so that every federation is represented in the organization. In economic terms, the increasingly globalized markets open possibilities for other options., such as being financed or disputed by territories such as America or Asia, adding clubs from around the world, or even merging the Champions League and the Europa League, as remote alternatives. In any case, they refer to an almost inevitable step that football must take in the coming years. Despite everything, in the spring of 2017 the ECA announced after a meeting with the UEFA competitions executive that the new reforms and restructuring effective in 2018 will satisfy their requests to a large extent, reaching an agreement to support, at least for the moment, the Champions League. Another of the measures approved after its study was the time change, going from 2018 to 18:55 and 21:00 instead of the usual 20:45 to favor television contracts from other continents.

A new meeting between the bodies was able to outline some issues to be implemented starting with the 2024-25 edition. In order to increase income and give the tournament a longer duration that benefits those involved, the possibility of increasing the amount by four was studied. number of matches to be played up to 17, including the final. The options considered were to replace the current round of round of 16 with a second group stage that was already in force in the competition; or restructure the current group stage of eight factions with four teams each in which the first two qualify, to one of six groups with six teams each in which the first two and the four best third parties qualify. Although It has not been confirmed by UEFA and is still being studied to see, in particular, what impact an increase in the number of matches that could affect other local competitions would have on the calendars.

European Super League

Although at first the European Super League and the ECA European League began as indistinct projects, the substance was the same, the creation of a European competition that brought together the best teams on the continent, distancing itself from the European League. Champions. The first meetings to establish a Super League took place in 1998, when the Media Partners group proposed it to UEFA as opposed to the Champions League. The case, studied at the Geneva congress of the establishment with the various representatives of the national leagues, was finally rejected, despite its initial agreement to begin in 1999, with the points and negotiations discussed unknown. Despite this, it was the result of various restructurings in the expansion of teams and that also affected the UEFA Cup and the disappearance of the European Cup Winners' Cup. It seemed like a prelude to the ECA's proposals from 2000 to completely restructure the tournament. The evolution of changes in the editions regarding the demands of the clubs changed the opinions on the matter between detractors and supporters, under the nickname of the European League.

Although the ECA had the project more established in principle, even having several meetings with UEFA, the idea was born from those considered to be the most influential clubs on the continent - extrapolated as founding members of the ECA. The evolution of the organization itself had a direct impact on the creation of the European League, since when more clubs joined as associates, the concerns of each other created a conflict of interests. That is why the most influential or founding clubs began to distance themselves from the ECA project to resume it on their own. At the same time, the restructuring that UEFA was adopting in the Champions League in favor of some demands from the big clubs paralyzed the measure the creation of the new competition.

Although the news about this was reduced after the agreements reached between clubs and UEFA until 2021, the idea remained present among the clubs in favor of a profound restructuring. On this occasion it was Stephen Ross—organizer of the International Champions Cup, a summer tournament that brings together some of the best clubs in the world during its preseason period—who contacted some of these teams to canvass their opinions regarding the creation of a parallel competition to the Champions League. After a recent resolution by the European Commission in favor of some Dutch athletes who denounced their competent international federation, which prevented them from competing in competitions outside their jurisdiction, a new path was reflected in the clubs after the discontent of UEFA and its possible retaliation if they decided to create it and abandon its protection. For the moment, the European Union's decision served as a means of pressure on the clubs to enforce their demands against UEFA, some of them concerning Fair-Play Financial, to the Market-Pool or to the participation of players with another club even though they had already played an edition with a first.

After a time with hardly any news of interest about the future competition, on October 27, 2020, the then president of the Barcelona Football Club, during his resignation speech from the club, announced that it could be created by the leaders of the big clubs. In this regard he stated:

“I can announce that yesterday we approved the requirements to be part of a European Superliga. The decision to play the competition must be ratified by the next Assembly. [...] The European Club Superlight will ensure that the club remains a member.”

Josep María Bartomeu. 27 October 2020. Barcelona.

As a result of the statements, other details came to light, such as its composition, which would initially be made up of a maximum of 18 clubs which would face each other under a round-trip round-robin league format. to then play a final play-off in the same venue to determine the champion (just like the basketball Euroleague, and also with a closed format under membership). Its start would be scheduled for the 2022 season. -23, at the expense of resolving important issues so nothing is confirmed. Neither FIFA nor UEFA, responsible for example for the arbitration assignments that give validity to the matches and therefore to the competitions, not only have they not given their approval, but are contrary to it. FIFA, aware of all the movements through the World Club Association (WFCA) - the namesake of the ECA worldwide - is in the creation of the Club Super World Cup that would clash with the European competition; and UEFA would see the interests of the current Champions League seriously harmed. Likewise, the national federations of each territory are also reluctant. The eight play-offs for the title would qualify for said play-off for the title. best teams after the conclusion of the regular league by the affiliates, which would continue to compete equally in their respective national championships, but it remains to be seen how it affects the current UEFA competitions. That is why since the first emerged rumors about the competition, the clubs have always been trying to reach a consensus with UEFA, ECA and FIFA. It should be noted that UEFA is also carrying out negotiations to improve the current Champions League, where slight changes and decisions for the future have already been seen in recent editions, so both competitions could clash in interests.

These "big clubs" are also supporters of the new Club World Cup proposed by FIFA, called the Club Super World Cup, whose first edition will be held in 2022. Although the new competition that could be called European Premier has had a response affirmative of the Barcelona club, the true involvement of the rest of the clubs is unknown. An example is the Real Madrid Football Club, who after this new news stated that they were aware of the project, but that there is still nothing concrete and therefore nothing about The tournament would be financed by the American bank JP Morgan Chase & Co. with a credit of 5,000 million euros. The revelation, however, could have been counterproductive for the interests of those involved due to the complexity and delicacy of the matter. It did give rise to new speculation when just two months later at the assembly of delegates of the Madrid club, its president Florentino Pérez stated that a change was necessary in current football, although he did not mention the competition, and that various media pointed out as a step to the Super League:

“Football needs a change and Real Madrid will be there to boost it. Football has to face this new time. There will be Real Madrid, as has always been throughout history. Always seeking, as the president of FIFA himself says, Gianni Infantino, which must be a priority for football, which are the interests of the fans. The reform of football cannot wait and we must face it as soon as possible. The big European clubs have billions of followers all over the world. We have the responsibility to fight for this change; a change we must face on the basis of solidarity.”

Florentino Pérez. 20 December 2020. Madrid.

In reference to the latest news published in this regard, FIFA issued a statement in which it stated that if it were carried out, neither the establishment itself, nor the rest of the continental confederations if it were carried out in more territories, It would not be recognized, depriving them of even participating in the rest of the current competitions:

“ In view of the recent media speculation about the creation of a European "Superliga" closed by some European clubs, FIFA and the six confederations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA) wish to reiterate once again and firmly emphasize that such competition would not be recognized either by FIFA or by the corresponding confederation. Any club or player involved in such competition, as a result, would not be allowed to participate in any competition organized by FIFA or its corresponding confederation.
According to the statutes of FIFA and the confederations, all competitions must be organized or recognized by the competent agency at its corresponding level; that is, by FIFA worldwide and by the confederations at the continental level. In this sense, the confederations recognize the FIFA World Cup of Clubs, with its current and new format, as the only world club competition, while the FIFA recognizes the club competitions organized by the confederations as the only continental competitions of clubs.
The universal principles of sports merit, solidarity, promotions and descents, and subsidiarity are the basis of the football pyramid that guarantees the overall success of football and, therefore, are enshrined in the FIFA and Confederations statutes. Football enjoys a long and successful history thanks to these principles. Participation in global and continental competitions must always be won on the playing field.”

Gianni Infantino and the six continental presidents. January 21, 2021. Zurich.

Information from the French newspaper Le Parisien indicated that a total of fifteen clubs could be the main creators of the tournament, and that they could alleviate the negative economic effects of the pandemic on European football. Six Englishmen, Manchester United Football Club, Liverpool Football Club, Arsenal Football Club, Chelsea Football Club, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and Manchester City Football Club, three Spaniards, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, Fútbol Club Barcelona and Club Atlético de Madrid, three Italians, Juventus Football Club, Football Club Internazionale and Associazione Calcio Milan, two Germans, Fußball-Club Bayern and Ballspielverein Borussia, and one French, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. Five invited clubs would join them to form a championship of twenty teams, where after a regular league - or regular league -, a play-off system would be disputed for the title. Regarding financial figures, the Parisian media points out that the top six finishers in the tournament could receive around 350 million euros, as opposed to the 70-80 that the UEFA Champions League champion currently receives.. The speculation of the arrival of new investors and sponsors, as well as the new audiovisual and broadcasting rights would accumulate a purse of four billion to be distributed - higher than the figure that UEFA accumulates for its three main club competitions -, It would be the main safe-conduct for the large economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, quantified around six and eight billion, according to Andrea Agnelli, president of the Association of European Clubs and Juventus Football Club. The main supporter, The financial company JP Morgan Chase, predicts that this economic injection will end up creating an economic flow between all the clubs, through these initial twenty, despite the continuous criticism received, and with UEFA pending to redesign a Champions League that Not only is it not able to make more profits, but it reduces them.

History

For a better detail of the finals see UEFA Champions League Finalists

Names and flags according to the era.

UEFA European Champions Club Cup
Temp.	Champion	Outcome	Subfield	Notes
1955-56	Real Madrid C. F. (1)	4-3	Stade de Reims
1956-57	Real Madrid C. F. (2)	2-0	A. C. Fiorentina	First champion team in his own stadium. First defence of title.
1957-58	Real Madrid C. F. (3)	3-2 (pro.)	A. C. Milan	First final defined in extension.
1958-59	Real Madrid C. F. (4)	2-0	Stade de Reims	First repeat final. Gol faster in a final.
1959-60	Real Madrid C. F. (5)	7-3	Eintracht Frankfurt	Record of consecutive championships. Final with more goals.
1960-61	S. L. Benfica (1)	3-2	C. F. Barcelona	Champion without foreigners.
1961-62	S. L. Benfica (2)	5-3	Real Madrid C. F.	First final between two champions. Champion without foreigners.
1962-63	Milan A. C. (1)	2-1	S. L. Benfica	First final without Spanish teams.
1963-64	F. C. Internazionale (1)	3-1	Real Madrid C. F.	Debutant and undefeated champion. Milan, first city to have 2 European champions.
1964-65	F. C. Internazionale (2)	1-0	S. L. Benfica
1965-66	Real Madrid C. F. (6)	2-1	F. K. Partizan	Graduate title in property and champion without foreigners.
1966-67	Celtic F.C. (1)	2-1	F. C. Internazionale	Campeón debutante y sin extranjeros.
1967-68	Manchester United F. C. (1)	4-1 (pro.)	S. L. Benfica	For the first time the criterion of marking goal outside the house was introduced; for 1st round.
1968-69	Milan A. C. (2)	4-1	A. F. C. Ajax	Substitutions during the match, fixed dates for parties and visitor goal at crosses
1969-70	S. C. Feijenoord (1)	2-1 (pro.)	Celtic F.C.
1970-71	A. F. C. Ajax (1)	2-0	Panathinaikós A. O.	First absence of Real Madrid; maximum winner after 15 appearances followed.
1971-72	A. F. C. Ajax (2)	2-0	F. C. Internazionale
1972-73	A. F. C. Ajax (3)	1-0	Juventus F. C.	Graduate title in property.
1973-74	F. C. Bayern (1)	1-1, 4-0 (des.)	Atletico de Madrid	First and only final determined in a playoff game.
1974-75	F. C. Bayern (2)	2-0	Leeds United F. C.
1975-76	F. C. Bayern (3)	1-0	A. S. Saint-Étienne	Graduate title in property.
1976-77	Liverpool F. C. (1)	3-1	Borussia Mönchengladbach
1977-78	Liverpool F. C. (2)	1-0	Club Brugge K. V.
1978-79	Nottingham Forest F. C. (1)	1-0	Malmö FF	Debutant champion, undefeated and unforeseen.
1979-80	Nottingham Forest F. C. (2)	1-0	Hamburger S. V.	Champion without foreigners.
1980-81	Liverpool F. C. (3)	1-0	Real Madrid C. F.	Undefeated champion without foreigners.
1981-82	Aston Villa F. C. (1)	1-0	F. C. Bayern	Record of consecutive championships of the same country. Debutant champion.
1982-83	Hamburger S. V. (1)	1-0	Juventus F. C.
1983-84	Liverpool F. C. (4)	1-1 (4-2 p.m.)	A. S. Rome	1st final determined by criminals. Undefeated champion. Self-stage loser.
1984-85	Juventus F. C. (1)	1-0	Liverpool F. C.	Heysel Tragedy. Sanction to English teams
1985-86	F. C. Steaua Bucureşti (1)	0-0 (2-0 p.m.)	F. C. Barcelona	1st Eastern European champion. 1st final without goals in 120 minutes. Champion without foreigners.
1986-87	F. C. Porto (1)	2-1	F. C. Bayern
1987-88	P. S. V. (1)	0-0 (6-5 p.m.)	S. L. Benfica	Champion with less victories.
1988-89	Milan A. C. (3)	4-0	F. C. Steaua Bucureşti	Undefeated champion.
1989-90	Milan A. C. (4)	1-0	S. L. Benfica
1990-91	F. K. Red Star (1)	0-0 (5-3 p.m.)	Olympique de Marseille	Undefeated champion.
1991-92	F. C. Barcelona (1)	1-0 (pro.)	U. C. Sampdoria	Penalty is lifted to English teams
UEFA Champions League
1992-93	Olympique de Marseille (1)	1-0	Milan A. C.	Restructuring the competition. Undefeated champion.
1993-94	Milan A. C. (5)	4-0	F. C. Barcelona	Gracious title on property. More lumped result under new format.
1994-95	A. F. C. Ajax (4)	1-0	Milan A. C.	Difference between pre-phase and final phase. First phase is played in 4 groups.
1995-96	Juventus F. C. (2)	1-1 (4-2 p.m.)	A. F. C. Ajax	First final determined in penaltis under new format.
1996-97	B. V. Borussia (1)	3-1	Juventus F. C.
1997-98	Real Madrid C. F. (7)	1-0	Juventus F. C.	League champions can participate. 1st team to lose ends in a row.
1998-99	Manchester United F. C. (2)	2-1	F. C. Bayern	It passes from 16 to 24 teams in 6 groups. Undefeated champion.
1999-00	Real Madrid C. F. (8)	3-0	Valencia C. F.	1st end between clubs of the same country and 1st between Spanish. 1st application of the EUFA coefficient.
2000-01	F. C. Bayern (4)	1-1 (5-4 p.m.)	Valencia C. F.
2001-02	Real Madrid C. F. (9)	2-1	Bayer Leverkusen
2002-03	Milan A. C. (6)	0-0 (3-2 p.m.)	Juventus F. C.	1st final without goals in the 120 minutes under the new format. 1st final between Italian teams.
2003-04	F. C. Porto (2)	3-0	A. S. Monaco F. C.	Deletion of the second phase of groups by the eighth finals.
2004-05	Liverpool F. C. (5)	3-3 (3-2 p.m.)	A. C. Milan	Final with more goals and goal faster in new format. Property title. Multiple Champion Emblem.
2005-06	F. C. Barcelona (2)	2-1	Arsenal F. C.	Undefeated champion; first expelled in a final.
2006-07	A. C. Milan (7)	2-1	Liverpool F. C.	First repeated final under the new format.
2007-08	Manchester United F. C. (3)	1-1 (6-5 p.m.)	Chelsea F.C.	Undefeated champion. First final among English teams.
2008-09	F. C. Barcelona (3)	2-0	Manchester United F. C.
2009-10	F. C. Internazionale (3)	2-0	F. C. Bayern
2010-11	F. C. Barcelona (4)	3-1	Manchester United F. C.	Second final repeated under the new format.
2011-12	Chelsea F.C. (1)	1-1 (4-3 p.m.)	F. C. Bayern	Self-stage loser.
2012-13	F. C. Bayern (5)	2-1	B. V. Borussia	First final between German teams.
2013-14	Real Madrid C. F. (10)	4-1 (pro.)	Atletico de Madrid	First final between teams from the same city.
2014-15	F. C. Barcelona (5)	3-1	Juventus F. C.	Crazy Multiple Champion emblem.
2015-16	Real Madrid C. F. (11)	1-1 (5-3 p.m.)	Atletico de Madrid	First repeated final between teams from the same country and the same city.
2016-17	Real Madrid C. F. (12)	4-1	Juventus F. C.	1st title defense under new format. Record of lost ends.
2017-18	Real Madrid C. F. (13)	3-1	Liverpool F. C.	First time a team wins 3 editions in a row under the new format.
2018-19	Liverpool F. C. (6)	2-0	Tottenham Hotspur F. C.	First edition with use of VAR.
2019-20	F. C. Bayern (6)	1-0	Paris Saint-Germain F. C.	Undefeated champion with full victories. Deleted format shortened and restricted to the public during their dispute.
2020-21	Chelsea F.C. (2)	1-0	Manchester City F. C.
2021-22	Real Madrid C. F. (14)	1-0	Liverpool F. C.	More repeated ending. Removed visitor goal rule
2022-23	Manchester City F. C. (1)	1-0	F. C. Internazionale	The city of Manchester equals Milan with 2 European champion teams

Note: pen. = Penalties; des. = Tiebreaker match; pro. = Extension.

Palmarés

Only 23 clubs among the 530 historical participants in the competition have managed to be declared winners, while 19 more for a total of 42 complete the list of clubs with a presence in a final. Among them, Spanish clubs dominate with thirty occasions, and they are also the ones that have won the most titles with nineteen. England is the one that contributes the most different champion clubs with six.

Equipment	Titles	Subfield	Years championships	Years underfield
Real Madrid C. F.	14	3	1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022	1962, 1964, 1981
A. C. Milan	7	4	1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007	1958, 1993, 1995, 2005
F. C. Bayern	6	5	1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013, 2020	1982, 1987, 1999, 2010, 2012
Liverpool F. C.	6	4	1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019	1985, 2007, 2018, 2022
F. C. Barcelona	5	3	1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015	1961, 1986, 1994
A. F. C. Ajax	4	2	1971, 1972, 1973, 1995	1969, 1996
F. C. Internazionale	3	3	1964, 1965, 2010	1967, 1972, 2023
Manchester United F. C.	3	2	1968, 1999, 2008	2009, 2011
Juventus F. C.	2	7	1985, 1996	1973, 1983, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2015, 2017
S. L. Benfica	2	5	1961, 1962	1963, 1965, 1968, 1988, 1990
Chelsea F.C.	2	1	2012, 2021	2008
Nottingham Forest F. C.	2	-	1979, 1980
F. C. Porto	2	-	1987, 2004
Celtic F.C.	1	1	1967	1970
Hamburger S. V.	1	1	1983	1980
F. C. Steaua București	1	1	1986	1989
Olympique de Marseille	1	1	1993	1991
B. V. Borussia	1	1	1997	2013
Manchester City F. C.	1	1	2023	2021
Feyenoord Rotterdam	1	-	1970
Aston Villa F. C.	1	-	1982
P. S. V. Eindhoven	1	-	1988
F. K. Red Star	1	-	1991
Atletico de Madrid	-	3		1974, 2014, 2016
Stade de Reims	-	2		1956, 1959
Valencia C. F.	-	2		2000, 2001
A. C. F. Fiorentina	-	1		1957
Eintracht Frankfurt	-	1		1960
F. K. Partizan	-	1		1966
Panathinaikós A. O.	-	1		1971
Leeds United F. C.	-	1		1975
A. S. Saint-Étienne	-	1		1976
Borussia Mönchengladbach	-	1		1977
Club Brugge K. V.	-	1		1978
Malmö F. F.	-	1		1979
A. S. Rome	-	1		1984
U. C. Sampdoria	-	1		1992
Bayer Leverkusen	-	1		2002
A. S. Monaco F. C.	-	1		2004
Arsenal F. C.	-	1		2006
Tottenham Hotspur F. C.	-	1		2019
Paris Saint-Germain F. C.	-	1		2020

Updated data: Final 2022-23 season.

Titles by country

10 federations have European champion clubs, with England being the one that contributes the most different champions with 6.

Country	Titles	Subcamp.	Clubs champions
Spain	19	11	Real Madrid C. F. (14) and F. C. Barcelona (5)
England	15	11	Liverpool F. C. (6), Manchester United F. C. (3), Nottingham Forest F. C. (2), Chelsea F. C. (2), Aston Villa F. C. (1) and Manchester City F.C. (1)
Italy	12	17	A. C. Milan (7), F. C. Internazionale (3) and Juventus F. C. (2)
Germany	8	10	F. C. Bayern (6), Hamburger S. V. (1) and B. V. Borussia (1)
Netherlands	6	2	A. F. C. Ajax (4), Feyenoord Rotterdam (1) and P. S. V. Eindhoven (1)
Portugal	4	5	S. L. Benfica (2) and F. C. Porto (2)
France	1	6	Olympique de Marseille
Scotland	1	1	Celtic F.C.
Romania	1	1	F. C. Steaua Bucuręsti
Serbia	1	1	F. K. Red Star
Greece	-	1
Belgium	-	1
Sweden	-	1

Updated data: Final season 2022-23

Statistics

For a complete statistical summary of the competition see UEFA Champions League statistics

Historical classification

The 651 points achieved by the Real Madrid Football Club place it as the leader in the historical classification of the competition among the 536 teams that have ever participated in it. 117 points below is the second classified, the German Fußball-Club Bayern, who in turn is 64 points above the third, Fútbol Club Barcelona.

Note: Historical score system of 2 points per victory up to 1994. In italics teams without participation in the 2022-23 edition.

Pos	Club	Temp.	Points	PJ	PG	PE	P	Pts. x3	Titles	% Title	% Partic.
1	Real Madrid C. F.	53	651	476	285	81	110	936	14	20.59	26.42
2	F. C. Bayern	39	534	382	229	76	77	763	6	8.82	15.38
3	F. C. Barcelona	33	470	339	197	76	66	667	5	7.35	15.15
4	Manchester United F. C.	30	389	293	160	69	64	549	3	4.41	10
5	Juventus F. C.	37	376	301	153	70	78	529	2	2.94	5.41
6	Liverpool F. C.	27	334	248	142	50	56	476	6	8.82	22.22
7	A. C. Milan	30	330	267	131	68	68	461	7	10.29	23.33
8	S. L. Benfica	42	327	287	130	67	90	457	2	2.94	4.76
9	F. C. Porto	37	303	269	121	61	87	424	2	2.94	5.41
10	A. F. C. Ajax	39	288	247	112	64	71	400	4	5.88	10.26

Updated to the last game played by one of the implicated 17 May 2023.

Historical table of scorers

For a complete detail see the UEFA Champions League top scorers.

The top scorer of the tournament is the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo with 141 goals, followed by the Argentine Lionel Messi with 129, the Polish Robert Lewandowski with 92, and the French Karim Benzema with 90, surpassing the Spanish Raúl González with 71 goals, being the only players to surpass the barrier of seventy goals in the history of the competition.

In addition, it is worth highlighting among the top scorers the German Gerd Müller for being the player with the best scoring average in the competition with 0.97 goals per game, ahead of José Altafini, Ferenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano with an average of 0.86, 0.85 and 0.84 respectively, adding 10 top scorer distinctions between them, four for the German, one for the Italian-Brazilian, three for the Hispanic-Argentine and two for the Hispanic-Hungarian.

Divided by rounds, the top scorer in previous qualifying phases is Andriy Shevchenko with 11 goals. In the group stage it is Messi with 80 goals, in the final eliminatory phases - starting with the round of 16 - Cristiano Ronaldo has 67 goals, and the same player has 42 from the quarter-finals onwards, while from In the semi-finals it is Di Stéfano with 18 who leads the record, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo's 17 and Ferenc Puskás' 14. In the finals Di Stéfano and Puskás dominate with seven each.

The previous records account for the previous qualifying phases. In terms of matches in the final phase of the tournament, the aforementioned Cristiano Ronaldo is the one who accumulates the most goals, with 140, followed by Lionel Messi's 129, Robert Lewandowski's 92 and Karim Benzema's 90.

Note: Accounted for matches and goals in previous rounds. In bold active players in the current edition and current club.

Pos. Player G. Part. Prom. Debut Clubs 1 Cristiano Ronaldo 141 187 0.75 2002-03 S. C. Portugal, Manchester United F. C., Real Madrid C. F., Juventus F. C. 2 Lionel Messi 129 163 0.79 2004-05 F. C. Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain F. C. 3 Robert Lewandowski 92 114 0.81 2011-12 B. V. Borussia, F. C. Bayern, F. C. Barcelona 4 Karim Benzema 90 152 0.59 2005-06 Olympique Lyonnais, Real Madrid C. F. 5 Raúl González 71 144 0.49 1995-96 Real Madrid C. F., F. C. Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 6 Ruud van Nistelrooy 60 81 0.74 1998-99 P. S. V. Eindhoven, Manchester United F. C., Real Madrid C. F. 7 Andriy Shevchenko 59 116 0.51 1994-95 F. C. Dynamo Kyiv, A. C. Milan, Chelsea F. C. 8 Thomas Müller 53 147 0.36 2008-09 F. C. Bayern 9 Thierry Henry 51 115 0.44 1997-98 A. S. Monaco F. C., Arsenal F. C., F. C. Barcelona 10 Filippo Inzaghi 50 85 0.59 1997-98 Juventus F. C., A. C. Milan 11 Alfredo Di Stéfano 49 58 0.84 1955-56 Real Madrid C. F. = Zlatan Ibrahimović 49 128 0.38 2001-02 See list A. F. C. Ajax, Juventus F. C., F. C. Internazionale, F. C. Barcelona, A. C. Milan, Paris Saint-Germain F. C., Manchester United F. C. 13 Mohamed Salah 48 89 0.54 2012-13 F. C. Basel, A. S. Rome, Liverpool F. C. 14 Eusébio da Silva 47 63 0.75 1961-62 S. L. Benfica = Sergio Agüero 47 83 0.57 2008-09 Atlético de Madrid, Manchester City F. C., F. C. Barcelona 16 Didier Drogba 44 94 0.47 2003-04 Olympique de Marseille, Chelsea F. C., Galatasaray S. K. 17 Alessandro Del Piero 43 91 0.47 1995-96 Juventus F. C. = Neymar da Silva 43 81 0.53 2013-14 F. C. Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain F. C. 19 Kylian Mbappé 42 65 0.65 2016-17 A. S. Monaco F. C., Paris Saint-Germain C. F. 20 Erling Haaland 39 34 1.15 2019-20 F. C. Salzburg, B. V. Borussia, Manchester City F. C. Updated statistics up to the last game played the 8 November 2023.

Players with the highest number of matches played

For a complete detail see Players with more presences in the UEFA Champions League.

The Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo is the player who has played the most games in the competition with 187, after surpassing the record of the Spanish Iker Casillas, and both followed by the 163 of the Argentine Lionel Messi and the 157 of the Spanish Xavi Hernández. Behind them are the Frenchman Karim Benzema with 152 and the former Welsh footballer Ryan Giggs - who led the record with 151 until he was surpassed in the 2014-15 edition.

The previous records account for the previous qualifying phases. In terms of matches in the final phase of the tournament, it is once again Ronaldo with 183 who accumulates the most appearances, also after surpassing Casillas' record, Messi's 163, Benzema's 152, Xavi's 151, Thomas Müller's 145 and the 142 of Raúl and Kroos.

Note: Accounted for matches and goals in previous rounds. Highlights active players in the current edition.

Pos. Player P. J. Prev. Tit. Debut Clubs 1 Cristiano Ronaldo 187 4 181 2002-03 S. C. Portugal, Manchester United F. C., Real Madrid C. F., Juventus F. C. 2 Iker Casillas 181 4 180 1998-99 Real Madrid C. F., F. C. Porto 3 Lionel Messi 163 - 150 2004-05 F. C. Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain F. C. 4 Xavi Hernández 157 6 132 1997-98 F. C. Barcelona 5 Karim Benzema 152 - 132 2005-06 Olympique Lyonnais, Real Madrid C. F. 6 Ryan Giggs 151 10 128 1992-93 Manchester United F. C. 7 Thomas Müller 147 2 112 2008-09 F. C. Bayern 8 Raúl González 144 2 137 1995-96 Real Madrid C. F., F. C. Gelsenkirchen-Schalke = Toni Kroos 144 2 129 2008-09 F. C. Bayern, Real Madrid C. F. 10 Sergio Ramos 140 - 140 2005-06 Real Madrid C. F., Paris Saint-Germain F. C., Sevilla F. C. 11 Paolo Maldini 139 31 134 1984-85 A. C. Milan 12 Manuel Neuer 134 2 134 2007-08 F. C. Gelsenkirchen-Schalke, F. C. Bayern 13 Andrés Iniesta 132 2 108 2002-03 F. C. Barcelona = Gianluigi Buffon 132 8 132 1997-98 Parma F. C., Juventus F. C., Paris Saint-Germain F. C. = Luka Modrić 132 11 114 2006-07 G. N. K. Dinamo, Tottenham Hotspur F. C., Real Madrid C. F. 16 Clarence Seedorf 131 6 116 1991-92 A. F. C. Ajax, Real Madrid C. F., F. C. Internazionale, A. C. Milan 17 Paul Scholes 130 6 112 1993-94 Manchester United F. C. = Gerard Piqué 130 2 122 2004-05 Manchester United F. C., F. C. Barcelona 19 Sergio Busquets 129 - 121 2008-09 F. C. Barcelona 20 Roberto 128 8 128 1995-96 Real Madrid C. F., Fenerbahçe S. K. = Zlatan Ibrahimović 128 4 116 2001-02 See list A. F. C. Ajax, Juventus F. C., F. C. Internazionale, F. C. Barcelona, A. C. Milan, Paris Saint-Germain F. C., Manchester United F. C. Updated statistics up to the last game played the 8 November 2023

Economy and finance

The competition is highly profitable for clubs that reach the group stage. UEFA distributes part of the money obtained from television contracts between these clubs. In the 2013-14 season, UEFA distributed 904 million euros among the 32 participants, from 12.2 million fixed euros as a minimum amount to 57.4 million for Real Madrid Football Club, winner of the competition. In addition, clubs make more money from ticket sales, merchandising, etc.

Financial fair-play

Due to the new UEFA regulations on financial fair-play nine clubs are being investigated individually, despite which, the figures distributed are included in the distributions in the absence of resolution of each case. The UEFA measure aims to clean up and establish financial rules for all clubs to improve the financial health of European clubs. The regulation directly affects the clubs at the time of signing possible signings, payments, and financial agreements under points common to all.

Fixed quantities

As a fixed amount, each club received 8.6 million euros thanks to its participation, reaching an amount for each club of at least 15.4 million adding market variables. Each club received approximately 1.7 million euros per game played in the group stage. An additional million was paid for a victory and 500,000 euros for each draw. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol and Club Atlético de Madrid were the teams that obtained the most profits in the group stage due to their results with 5.5 million euros.

Bonus per round

The 16 teams that qualified for the first knockout round received a bonus of 3.5 million euros each. Another €3.9 million went to each of the eight quarter-finalist teams and the four semi-finalists were rewarded with a further €4.9 million. Real Madrid Football Club received 10.5 million euros while Atlético de Madrid received 6.5 million euros for their places in the final, including 4 million more in the case of the former for their final victory.

Market value

With respect to the rest of the incentives, the part that each club received depended on its value in the national market, in addition to the number of teams per federation, the position in the national championships in the previous campaign and the number of games played. in the 2013/14 Champions League. Real Madrid Football Club received the highest amount of the season in the Champions League (57.41 million euros) followed by Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (54.41 million euros without reducing the possible sanctions due to non-compliance with the financial fair-play), and Club Atlético de Madrid (50.04 million euros).

Television rights

The Champions League is the annual sporting competition, with the largest cumulative global audience and its final, it is the most watched annual sporting event in the world, with an estimated global audience of 360 million viewers, and coverage in more than 200 countries. Its finale is one of the most watched sporting events of the year, with an estimated 360 million viewers.

Sponsors

Like the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor typically found in top-tier domestic leagues. When the Champions League was created in 1992, it was decided that a maximum of eight companies would be allowed to sponsor the event, with each corporation being allocated four advertising banners around the perimeter of the pitch, as well as logo placement in the lead-up spots. and later. post-match interviews and a certain number of tickets for each match. This, combined with an agreement to ensure that tournament sponsors had priority in television advertisements during matches, ensured that each of the tournament's major sponsors had maximum exposure.

Since the 2012-13 knockout phase, UEFA used LED billboards installed in the stadiums of the knockout participants, including the final phase. From the 2015-16 season onwards, UEFA has used this type of billboard from the play-off round to the final.

The main sponsors of the tournament for the 2021-24 cycle are:

• Oppo
• FedEx
• Turkish Airlines
• Heineken N.V.
  • Heineken (except Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Norway and Turkey)
    • Heineken Silver
• Just Eat Takeaway
  • 10bis (Israel only)
  • Menulog (Australasia only)
  • Bistró (only Slovakia)
  • Just eat
    • Denmark
    • France
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • Switzerland
    • United Kingdom
  • (Germany and Austria only)
  • Pyszne (only Poland)
  • Grubhub and Seamless (United States only)
  • SkipTheDishes (only Canada)
  • Take away food (only Belgium, Bulgaria and Luxembourg)
  • Thuisbezorgd (Netherlands only)
• Mastercard
• PepsiCo
  • Pepsi
  • Pepsi Max
  • Lay's (except Australasia, Balkan states, Turkey, Ireland and the United Kingdom)
  • Gatorade
  • Smith's (Australasia only)
  • Walkers (United Kingdom and Ireland only)
  • Ruffles (Turkey only)
  • Chipsy (Croatia, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Northern Macedonia only)
  • Rockstar
• Sony
  • PlayStation 5
• Socios.com (only in the United States)

Adidas is a secondary sponsor and supplies the official match ball, the Adidas Finale, and Macron supplies the referees' equipment. Hublot is also a secondary sponsor as the fourth official backboard of the competition.

Individual clubs may use advertising t-shirts. However, only two sponsorships are allowed per jersey other than the kit manufacturer, on the chest and left sleeve. Exceptions are made for non-profit organizations, which may appear on the front of the jersey, incorporated with the main sponsor or instead; or on the back, either below the team number or in the neck area.

If a club plays a match in a nation where the relevant sponsorship category is restricted (such as France's alcohol advertising restriction), then they must remove that logo from their shirts. For example, when Rangers played French side Auxerre in the 1996–97 Champions League, they carried the Center Parcs logo instead of McEwan's Lager (both companies at the time were subsidiaries of Scottish & Newcastle).