The UEFA Champions League, sometimes abbreviated as C1 and formerly known as the European Champion Clubs Cup (from its inception in 1955 until 1992), is an annual football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and bringing together the best clubs on the European continent. It is the most prestigious club football competition in Europe ahead of the Europa League.
| General | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Football |
| Creation | 1955 |
| Other name(s) | European Champion Clubs Cup (1955–1992) |
| Organizer(s) | UEFA |
| Editions | 68 (in 2022-2023) |
| Category | Continental |
| Periodicity | Annual |
| Nations | Europe |
| Participants | 32 qualified for 79 participants |
| Status of participants | Professional |
| Official website | uefa.com |
| Hierarchy | |
| Hierarchy | C1 |
| Lower level | Europa League |
| Records | |
| More title(s) | Real Madrid (14) |
| Top scorer(s) | Cristiano Ronaldo (141) |
| Best setter(s) | Cristiano Ronaldo (42) |
| More appearances | Cristiano Ronaldo (187) |
The winner of the competition is automatically qualified for the next edition. He also participated in the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Real Madrid, the defending champions, is the most successful club in the history of the competition with fourteen victories.
UEFA history
Creation of the competition
The idea of a European Interclub Cup was born in the minds of Parisian journalists; the Wolverhampton Wanderers – Honvéd Budapest and Wolverhampton Wanderers – Spartak Moscow shocks of December 1954 convinced them. Indeed, after the victories of Wolves, the Daily Mail proclaimed the club the “world champion of clubs”. Gabriel Hanot responded in L’Équipe by launching an appeal for the foundation of a European Cup: a series of articles in the Parisian sports daily explained for weeks the advantages of such an event, and the first reactions were rather positive. As of December 16, 1954, Jacques de Ryswick signs an article presenting the “project of European interclub cup”.
In response to positive reactions from all over Europe, L’Équipe writes the January 25, 1955, preliminary draft regulation signed by Jacques Ferran. On February 3, 1955, the newspaper published the list of clubs invited to compete in the first edition of the event, and during the month of February, the clubs confirmed their participation. On February 26, 1955, FIFA contacted L’Équipe to confirm that its statutes did not prevent the organization of such a competition: “The organization of such a tournament is not subject to the prior authorization of FIFA, whose statutes (art. 38) apply only to competitions between national representative teams”.
UEFA has only just emerged from limbo, and its statutes are almost blank. On March 1, the UEFA Executive Committee declared itself unfit to properly organize such an event and left it up to each federation to decide whether or not to take part in this event. We then roll up our sleeves at L’Équipe by taking care of canvassing the federations. The FFF is finally convinced despite the delicate issue of overloading the calendar. Each federation must appoint its representative and most of them do not designate the defending champion but make a choice by the popularity of the club provided that it has already won the national championship at least once. On April 2 and April 3, L’Équipe brings together the leaders of the participating clubs in Paris to define the dates of the competition and have them approve the regulations.
Reversal of the situation on May 8, while everything is completed with sixteen clubs starting (the arbitrary designation of the knockout stages has even already taken place). FIFA sensed the danger of leaving the handling of competitions to external stakeholders and finally pushed UEFA to take charge of the organization of the event. FIFA even prohibits the use of the word “Europe” in the name of the event wishing to reserve this term for competitions between national teams. UEFA and FIFA are doing their utmost to decide the English to participate but the FA remains inflexible. Chelsea FC is, however, going; But his forfeit was made official on July 26, 1955.
European Champion Clubs’ Cup (1955-1991)
The European Champion Clubs Cup (CCC) was a huge success in its first edition (but it dealt a fatal blow to the prestigious friendly matches that once embellished the midweek). It is then played in home-and-away matches with the exception of the final.
After two editions of this competition, the Latin Cup, which saw the champions of Spain, Italy, France and Portugal compete against each other, became much less important and was finally dissolved. In 1960, UEFA and CONMEBOL created the Intercontinental Cup, which pitted the winner of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup against the winner of the Copa Libertadores and the winner was considered the “best club in the world”.
With the establishment of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1960 and the UEFA Cup in 1971, it is sometimes abbreviated to C1, in reference to the ranking of the three European competitions that take place at that time.
The first edition of the UEFA(1955-1956)
The first edition of the European Cup of European Champion Clubs saw sixteen major clubs from the continent compete against each other and among them seven were the reigning champions of their own countries. The first match was held on September 4, 1955, in Lisbon in front of 30,000 spectators: Sporting Portugal and the Yugoslav Partizan Belgrade drew 3-3, João Baptista Martins scored the first goal of the competition in the 14th minute.
Following the low attendance of the supporters of the Stade de Reims during the match against the Danes of AGF Aarhus in the eighth final (6,500 spectators), the president of the Champagne club decided to play the following matches at the Parc des Princes. A choice paid off since more than 35,000 people attended Reims’ victories in the first legs of the quarter-final and semi-finals.
Stade de Reims, led by its attacking midfielder Raymond Kopa, reached the final on April 18, 1956, by eliminating Hibernian FC (aggregate score: 3-0). Real Madrid won in the semifinals against AC Milan of the formidable Gunnar Nordahl despite a 2-1 defeat at the San Siro stadium (aggregate score: 5-4). The final takes place on a single match in Paris on June 13, 1956; led 2-0 and 3-2 by Stade de Reims, Real Madrid ended up winning 4-3 following an equalization by Marquitos and a last goal by Héctor Rial.
The show is therefore at the rendezvous and the participating clubs reap large profits, Jacques Ferran indicates in his diary: “if Reims reached the final, its profit would be 20 million“. The European Cup of Champions Clubs also increased the sales of the newspaper L’Équipe compared to the previous year by 7.5% in December 1955, by 30.05% in April 1956 for the semi-final of Reims and 12.5% in the week of the final.
The undivided reign of Real Madrid (1956-1960)
Following the success of the first edition, UEFA decided to invest more in the competition and required each federation to send its champion. Real Madrid, although not the Spanish champions, were still able to participate as the defending champions. Five new nations joined the competition, including the English with Manchester United. With 22 starting teams, a preliminary round is set up and a draw designates the 12 clubs that participate, the other clubs join Real Madrid in the knockout stages.
The final pits Real Madrid against Italy’s ACF Fiorentina, on May 30, 1957, at the Santiago-Bernabéu stadium in front of more than 120,000 people. Madrid won 2-0 after a penalty scored by Alfredo Di Stéfano and a goal by Francisco Gento. The trophy was presented to Captain Miguel Muñoz by General Franco.
Real Madrid also won the following three editions: in 1958 against AC Milan, in 1959 again against Stade de Reims and in 1960 against Eintracht Frankfurt, after a prolific final (7 goals to 3) in which Ferenc Puskás scored a quadruple and Alfredo Di Stéfano a hat-trick.
Latins in power (1960–1966)
Real Madrid’s dominance ended in 1961: that year, Benfica Lisbon played its first final against FC Barcelona at the Wankdorf Stadium in Switzerland. Led by its captain and center-forward José Águas (who finished as the best director of the competition with 11 goals) and its playmaker Mário Coluna, the Portuguese won 3 goals to 2.
The following season, Benfica Lisbon played its second final against the ogre of the competition, Real Madrid and its stars Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Francisco Gento. This final, which took place at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, allowed the emergence of a very young player who scored a double, Eusébio, and saw Benfica Lisbon win 5 goals to 3. In 1963, Benfica Lisbon reached its third consecutive final.
Despite a goal from Eusébio, the Portuguese lost 2 goals to 1 against AC Milan. Then in 1964, it was Milan’s other club, Inter Milan, who beat Real Madrid 3 goals to 1 and won the trophy. In 1965, Benfica Lisbon played its fourth final in five editions against Inter Milan who won the final for the second time in a row with the score of 1 goal to 0. Finally, in 1966, Real Madrid returned to the forefront and won its sixth C1 (and also the sixth for Francisco Gento, a record) against the surprising Partizan Belgrade (2-1).
The Anglo-Saxon Awakening (1966–1969)
The first non-Latin team to win the trophy was Celtic Glasgow in 1967. The Scots beat Inter Milan 2 –1 in the final. The English Manchester United succeeded them the following year by also disposing in the final of a former double winner of the decade, Benfica Lisbon, on the score of 4 goals to 1 after extra time. AC Milan’s second success, in 1969, was a bit like the swan song of Latin teams: winners of twelve of the first fourteen editions, it would take sixteen years before one of them (Juventus) again added his name to the list. The unfortunate finalist of this edition, Ajax Amsterdam, foreshadows the Dutch domination to come…
The Dutch period (1969-1973)
Feyenoord Rotterdam’s victory over Celtic Glasgow in 1970 was followed by a hat-trick for Ajax Amsterdam. In 1971, the team coached by Rinus Michels – who advocated a rather revolutionary “total football” – won against the surprising Greeks Panathinaikós 2 goals to 0. The departure of Rinus Michels did not prevent the Amsterdammers from retaining their trophy the following year, beating Inter Milan thanks to a double from Johan Cruyff. Then in 1973, against Juventus, 1 goal to 0. However, this European domination ends with the departure or end of the career of its senior players.
Bayern Munich treble (1973-1976)
Ajax Amsterdam’s hat-trick was followed by another hat-trick, that of Bayern Munich of Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier, who then formed the backbone of the FRG national team, European champions in 1972 and world champions in 1974.
The first coronation of the Bavarians in 1974 almost did not take place, Bayern equalizing only in the last minute of extra time in the final against Atlético de Madrid. As the penalty shoot-out rule was not yet introduced, the final was replayed the day after (this would be the only case in the history of the competition) and Bayern Munich won 4 goals to 0. He won again in 1975 against Leeds United. The exactions of English fans during this final at the Parc des Princes will be worth three years of European suspension to the English club. The Germans will retain their trophy again in 1976, beating AS Saint-Étienne 1 goal to 0.
English rule (1976-1985)
Already winner the previous year of the UEFA Cup, Liverpool FC beat in the final in 1977 the Germans Borussia Mönchengladbach on the score of 3 goals to 1. The Reds retained their trophy in 1978 against the Belgians FC Brugge but, unlike its two predecessors, did not manage the pass of three: they were eliminated in the first round of the 1978-1979 edition by another English club, Nottingham Forest. Promoted from D2 the previous year, the surprising English champion goes to the end and is crowned against Malmö FF (1-0).
Brian Clough’s men also retained their European title in 1980 against Hamburg SV. The club thus goes down in history as the only one to have been more times European champion than the national champion. In 1981, Liverpool FC recovered its property by disposing of Real Madrid in the final. Then it is another English team, Aston Villa, which succeeds him the following year by beating Bayern Munich. The English clubs’ run of six consecutive victories (a record) was briefly interrupted by the coronation of Hamburg SV in 1983 at the expense of Juventus. However, it was Liverpool FC who won again in 1984 against AS Roma, who became the first club to be beaten in the final on their home ground. This final was also the first to be played on penalties and the series was marked by the performance of Reds goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.
Liverpool FC was a finalist again the following year against Juventus, but the English domination was stopped by the drama of the Heysel where 39 spectators, most of them Italian, died in a stampede before the kick-off of the final. The victory of Juventus (1 goal to 0 on a penalty of Michel Platini) goes almost unnoticed: the delivery of the cup is done quickly in the locker room, without ceremonial. Following what is the climax of the excesses of English fans during their travels on the continent, UEFA excludes all English clubs from European cups for five years, and Liverpool FC for an indefinite period.
Post-Heysel (1985–1992)
No country will benefit from the banning of English clubs for the long term. The winners of the next three editions are unprecedented: in 1986, Steaua Bucharest became the first club from the East to win by beating FC Barcelona on penalties to everyone’s surprise (in a session where Romanian goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam repelled all four Catalan attempts); He was succeeded by FC Porto in 1987 and PSV Eindhoven in 1988. Only one former winner will win during this period, led by his Dutch trio Ruud Gullit – Marco van Basten – Frank Rijkaard, AC Milan of Arrigo Sacchi signs a double in 1989 and 1990. The last winner of the knockout formula was also unprecedented: Red Star Belgrade won the cup in 1991 by beating Olympique de Marseille on penalties.
The following year is a transitional edition: the cup changes format and sees the introduction of a group stage after the knockout stages (two pools of four teams for the remaining eight teams, instead of the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the group winners facing each other directly in the final). This last edition under the name European Champion Clubs’ Cup, sees the first coronation of FC Barcelona which wins against UC Sampdoria after extra time (1-0). This final of the Genoese club opens a record series of seven consecutive finals of an Italian representative (for only two victories).
The Champions League (since 1992)
In 1992, the cup was renamed the Champions League. Since then its format has evolved steadily: the eight-team group stage, which appeared a year earlier, was expanded to sixteen teams in 1994 (the “group stage” was now preceded by only one or more preliminary rounds), then twenty-four teams in 1997 and finally thirty-two in 1999. This group stage of thirty-two qualified the first two teams for a second phase also contested in groups by the sixteen remaining teams. Since 1994 the quarter-finals followed this or these group stages. In 2003, the knockout stages returned to replace the second group stage, allowing a lighter schedule for the teams (13 games in total instead of 17 for the finalists, excluding possible qualifying rounds).
Historically, the competition took the format of a cup where only the champions and the defending champion participated. However, since 1997, the national vice-champions of the best countries can participate, followed by the third and fourth since 1999.
Then the Bosman decision will change the situation, since (except for the 2003-2004 edition and the 2019-2020 edition), no team not part of the four major European championships (Germany, England, Spain and Italy) will manage to reach the final.
Italy monopolizes the finals (1992-1997)
The first edition under this new name saw the first – and so far the only – coronation of a French club, Olympique de Marseille, which beat in the final on May 26, 1993, AC Milan 1-0 on a header from Basil Boli just before half-time. In 1994, AC Milan took revenge and outclassed Johan Cruyff’s FC Barcelona, despite being favorites, 4-0. The following year, when a 16-team group stage was introduced, AC Milan reached the final for the third consecutive edition, but lost to Ajax Amsterdam 1–0 (who won the last Champions League title for a Dutch club to date). In 1996, Ajax Amsterdam was again a finalist against another Italian team, Juventus, who won on penalties and won the trophy for the second time.
In 1997, for the third consecutive year, the defending champion met in the final and lost. Indeed, that year, Borussia Dortmund won its first title by beating Juventus – despite being favorites – on the score of 3 to 1.
The return of Real (1997-2003)
In 1997-1998, 24 teams took part in the competition, with the runners-up of the eight major championships being allowed to participate for the first time. That season, Juventus reached the final for the third consecutive year but lost to Real Madrid 1–0. It is the return to the front of the stage of the Madrid club which wins its seventh trophy, thirty-two years after its last coronation. In 1999, another team ended a long drought (thirty-one years): in the final, Manchester United – led by the score from the beginning of the match – scored two goals in stoppage time to overthrow Bayern Munich (2-1). This is the first title of an English club since the tragedy of the Heysel in 1985. Alex Ferguson’s club also won the league and the FA Cup, offering themselves a historic treble.
In 1999-2000, 32 teams participated in the event, this time the third and fourth of the major championships entered the competition which was presented in a format with two group stages. Real Madrid confirmed their return to the forefront by winning the competition for the eighth time. Led by Raúl and Fernando Redondo, he defeated Valencia CF 3-0 in the first final between two teams from the same country. The following year, Bayern Munich erased the trauma of 1999 by overcoming Valencia CF (unfortunate finalist for the second time in a row) on penalties (1-1 ap, 5-4), thanks in particular to a great performance by its goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. Then in 2002, Real Madrid with its “Galactics” won its third title in five years by dominating Bayer Leverkusen 2 goals to 1.
In 2003, three Italian clubs were present in the semi-finals with Real Madrid. The final again pits two clubs from the same country against each other with a poster between AC Milan and Juventus. The match, very closed, remains at 0-0 after extra time. The Milanese finally won 3-2 on penalties and won their sixth trophy.
The Porto surprise and the miracle of Istanbul (2003-2005)
In the 2003-2004 edition, a new change of formula took place, the second group stage was replaced by knockout stages. This format, more conducive to surprises and uncertainties, allows you to attend one of the most surprising finals of this period, opposing the Portuguese FC Porto to the French AS Monaco. At the end of a one-sided match, Jose Mourinho’s men outclassed those of Didier Deschamps, quickly deprived of their playmaker Ludovic Giuly on injury, on the score of 3-0. The early eliminations of the winners of the last editions (Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Juventus in the knockout stages, Real Madrid and AC Milan in the quarterfinals) mark this edition, including that of the “Galactics” of Real Madrid against AS Monaco (4-2, 1-3).
For its fiftieth edition, the competition ends with the craziest final of the event. Indeed, on May 25, 2005, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Liverpool FC won the fifth title in its history against AC Milan after an incredible turnaround. Leading 3-0 at half-time, the Reds scored three goals in six minutes before the hour mark, before resisting the many assaults of Milan for sixty minutes and triumphing on penalties by 3 goals to 2.
Spanish domination (2006-2018)
In the twelve years that followed, two clubs stood out from the rest: FC Barcelona, which managed to qualify for the semi-finals eight times and won the trophy four times and Real Madrid, which qualified for the semi-finals eight times consecutively (a record) and won the trophy four times.
In 2006, FC Barcelona beat Arsenal FC in the final. In 2007, Liverpool FC and AC Milan meet again for a new face-to-face but this time it is the Italian club that wins (2 goals to 1) allowing its emblematic captain Paolo Maldini to lift his fifth trophy. The following year saw the first 100% British final with Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea FC. The Red Devils and their star Cristiano Ronaldo reached the final again in the following edition but faced FC Barcelona of Lionel Messi who scored the goal of 2-0. Champion of Italy for five years, Inter Milan is again the winner of the C1 in 2010 (forty-five years after its last success in this competition) by beating Bayern Munich 2 goals to 0.
Then in 2011, there is a remake of the final of 2009, which again sees a success of the Catalan club against the Mancunians (3 goals to 1). In 2012, nine years after the purchase of Chelsea FC by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich marked a new era for the club, the Blues finally won the C1 by beating Bayern Munich at home at the Allianz Arena. It was the fifth defeat in the final of the German club which opened the scoring in the 83rd minute but the English equalized two minutes before the end of regulation time and then won the match 4 penalties to 3. The Bavarians made up for it the following year by winning their fifth trophy against Borussia Dortmund 2 goals to 1 (first 100% German final).
The 2013-2014 edition saw the first final between two clubs from the same city: Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid. The latter opened the scoring in the 36th minute but the Merengues equalized with a header from Sergio Ramos in stoppage time (90+3). Real eventually won 4 –1 in extra time. This is the tenth long-awaited victory of the club from the Spanish capital in the competition. The following year saw the return to the forefront of FC Barcelona, with Juventus returning twelve years after their last final. Leading from the start, Barça finally won 3-1 for the fifth victory in their history.
Real Madrid’s treble (2016-2018)
In 2016, two years after its Decima against its great rival Madrid, Real Madrid – coached this time by Zinedine Zidane – won once again at the expense of Diego Simeone’s Atlético de Madrid. Back to back (1-1) at the end of regulation time, the Merengues finally won 5 penalties to 3. Still in great form, Real Madrid found themselves again in the final in 2017 against Juventus, unfortunate finalists two years earlier. Madrid won 4-1 thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo double, becoming the first team to win the competition two years in a row since the transition to the Champions League format. The following year, Real Madrid won the competition again by beating Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool FC 3-1 to achieve the treble, something that had not happened since Bayern Munich from 1974 to 1976. Zinedine Zidane also became the first coach to win this competition three times in a row.
New English domination (since 2019)
In 2019, fourteen years after the last title against AC Milan in the “miracle of Istanbul”, Liverpool won the competition against Tottenham (who were playing their first final in the competition) in a 100% English final (the second in history after that of 2008 which saw Manchester United win over Chelsea). Jürgen Klopp’s men won the sixth title of the club from the north of England. This edition saw the surprise elimination of Real Madrid, three-time winners and defending champions, in the knockout stages by Ajax Amsterdam.
The following season saw Bayern Munich win their sixth Champions League, winning all their games (a first in the competition) and thus achieving the treble Championship-European Cup-Domestic Cup. The German club won in the final against Paris SG, who were playing the first final in its history.
In 2021, the final again pits two Premier League clubs against each other. Indeed, Chelsea FC takes over Manchester City (1-0), which plays its first final of the competition.
For the 2021-2022 edition, Real Madrid won its 14th trophy by winning 1-0 in the final against Liverpool FC at the France stadium.
Around the UEFA competition
Trophy
The original trophy is provided by L’Équipe to UEFA. It is awarded for one year to the winning club, which must return it two months before the next final. In 1966, Real Madrid won the cup for the sixth time; UEFA decided to donate it definitively to the Madrid club.
The new trophy put into play the following season took the form we know it today, that of “the cup with big ears”.
The trophy is made of solid silver, adorned with the UEFA logo and the initial name of the competition, inscribed in French: “European Champion Clubs’ Cup”. It is 73.5 centimeters tall and weighs 7.5 kilos. It is made by Jürg Stadelmann, a craftsman from Bern.
From then on, any club that won the competition three times in a row or five times in total was awarded the current edition of the original trophy. So the club started the cycle from scratch and a new trophy was made.
Thus five clubs have kept an original trophy, distributed as follows:
- Real Madrid, owner of the first trophy (1956-1966);
- Ajax Amsterdam, owner of the second trophy (1971-1973);
- Bayern Munich, owner of the third trophy (1974-1976);
- AC Milan, owner of the fourth trophy (1963-1994);
- Liverpool FC, owner of the fifth trophy (1977-2005).
All new trophies were manufactured by Stadelmann until 2006; the trophy underwent a minor modification in 1995, the words “European Champion Clubs’ Cup” being engraved entirely in capital letters. In 2006, the Bertoni company (which notably created the UEFA Cup trophy), took over the design of the trophy, identically, except for the fact that all the winners of the competition are engraved on the back of the trophy (and no longer the only winners since the remanufacture of the trophy).
Since 2009, the regulations provide (under the same conditions of obtaining) a special distinction instead of the presentation of the original trophy. This takes the form of a badge, worn by players during Champions League matches, which mentions the total number of wins of the competition by the club. The original trophy, which can for example be seen during the final of the competition, is kept by UEFA while an identical replica of it is given to the winning club.
The UEFA logo
The Champions League logo, known as Starball, appeared at the same time as the anthem during the 1992-1993 edition. It is composed of eight black stars forming a ball, representing the eight clubs that are then present during the group stage.
This logo has changed little over time: the only major modification being the mention UEFA added in 1993, the other modifications being only changes of font or the appearance of the stars on the perimeter of the Starball.
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Official anthem
The UEFA Champions League anthem was commissioned by UEFA in 1992 by composer Tony Britten. It is an arrangement of the hymn Zadok the Priest composed by Georg Friedrich Handel in 1727 for the coronation of King George II of Great Britain. It is performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the choirs of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. The lyrics, which evoke the fact that the competition brings together “the best teams”, are recited in the three official languages of UEFA, namely English, French and German.
The chorus of the anthem is played before each Champions League match, as well as at the beginning and end of the television broadcasts of the matches. The full anthem lasts three minutes, and includes two short verses and the chorus. The anthem is a strong symbol of the Champions League: a survey in the early 2000s showed that it is more identified by fans with the competition than the logo or even the name.
Between the 2008-2009 edition and the 2018-2019 edition (except in 2013), the anthem of the final is performed live by one or more artists.
Financial aspects of the UEFA
Revenues generated by the Champions League, such as television broadcasting rights or ticket sales, are centrally managed by UEFA.
A large part of this revenue is redistributed to the clubs that participated in the competition: part is used to cover the costs of organizing the competition and the rest goes to UEFA.
The redistribution of revenues to clubs is distributed as follows:
- the thirty-two clubs participating in the group stage receive a fixed share called “participation bonus”, a variable part indexed to the sporting results in the competition, a share based on the club’s performance (Ranking by a coefficient) and a share called “market pool” linked to the television rights obtained in each country which takes into account the proportional value of their national television market;
- eliminated barragists receive a fixed quota;
- clubs eliminated in the qualification phase benefit from the “solidarity payments”;
- For all participating clubs, revenue from ticket sales is centralized and then reallocated to home clubs (in the final, which is the only match played on neutral ground, the two finalists receive an equal share of ticket sales).
| Redistribution of revenues to participating clubs in 2018-2019 (in millions of euros) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recipients | Premium | Amount per club | Total amount | |
| 41 clubs eliminated in the qualifying | Solidarity payments | National Champion | 0,260 | 107,5 |
| Preliminary round | 0,230 | |||
| Round 1 | 0,280 | |||
| Round 2 | 0,380 | |||
| Round 3 | 0,480 | |||
| 6 clubs eliminated in the playoffs | Fixed quota | 5 | 30 | |
| 32 qualified clubs | Participation bonus | 15,25 | 488 | |
| Performance bonus | Group stage win | 2.7 | 585 | |
| No group stage | 0.9 | |||
| Qualification in the 8th final | 9,5 | |||
| Qualification in 1/4 finals | 10.5 | |||
| Qualification to the semi-finals | 12 | |||
| Qualification to the final | 15 | |||
| victor | 4 | |||
| Classification by coefficient | variable | 585 | ||
| Television rights | variable | 292 | ||
Format
Current format
The number of qualified clubs per federation and their entry point into the competition are determined by UEFA coefficients. The best associations can have a maximum of four clubs in the Champions League while for the weakest associations, only the champion can take part in the competition. During the draws for the preliminary rounds and group stage matches, UEFA takes care to ensure that two clubs from the same association do not meet. The titleholder is automatically qualified, the same goes for the winner of the Europa League.
With the exception of the final, all matches are played on Tuesday and Wednesday (if the first leg is on Tuesday, the second leg is on Wednesday and vice versa). For home-and-away knockout matches, the team with the most goals for them wins (before the 2021-2022 season, the away goals rule applied). In the event of a tie, the second leg is increased by extra time and, if it yields nothing, a penalty shoot-out.
Since 2018, the UEFA Champions League formula has been as follows:
- A preliminary round, played as a single-leg knockout mini-tournament, involving four national champions. The two winners of the first two matches then face each other in a decisive match with the winner advancing to the first qualifying round. The three losing teams are drafted in the second qualifying round of the Europa League;
- Four qualifying rounds, the last of which is called a “play-off”. The clubs are separated into two qualifying rounds, one lane for national champions and the other for eleven non-champions. Four teams from the Champions Way and two clubs from the League Way qualify for the “group stage”. The clubs eliminated during these qualifying rounds are all returned to the Europa League;
- a group stage, which is the main round of the competition and brings together 32 teams divided into eight groups of four. Within each group, all teams compete in home-and-away matches, according to the championship formula (6 rounds, from September to December). The first two of each group qualify for the knockout stages, the third is relegated to the sixteenth finals of the Europa League. In the event of a tie between two or more teams, the tie-breaker is first made on the direct confrontations between the teams concerned (number of points obtained then particular goal difference);
- A knockout stage in home-and-away matches, from the knockout stages to the semi-finals. From the quarter-finals, the draw is integral, without seeding, and with the possibility of meetings between teams from the same country;
- a final, played on a neutral ground designated two or three years earlier. Extra time or even penalty shoot-out in case of a tie. Since 2010 it has been held on Saturdays, whereas traditionally it was played on Wednesdays.
The winner of the UEFA Champions League is officially European Club Champion. He met the winner of the Europa League for the start of the following European season in the UEFA Super Cup. In December of the same year, he also participated in the FIFA Club World Cup, organized by FIFA in a given country, and which brought together the six continental winners (the European club was directly admitted to the semi-finals).
Prior to 2005, the winner of the competition faced the winner of the Copa Libertadores (South America) in Tokyo in the Intercontinental Cup.
New format from 2024
On April 19, 2021, in the midst of a crisis due to the announcement of a dissident European Super League the day before, UEFA announces a new format for its European competitions from the 2024-2025 season.
The competition increased from 32 to 36 teams; The four additional teams are:
- the club ranked third in the fifth association championship in the UEFA rankings
- The national champion of the highest-ranked association not directly qualified
- the two clubs with the best UEFA coefficient that are not qualified directly for the group stage via their championship but qualified for a European competition (Champions League qualification phase, or any phase of the Europa League or Conference Europa League).
The group stage of eight pools is replaced by a single championship stage.
Each club will play against eight different opponents (four home matches and four away matches). The teams will be divided into four hats of 9 teams according to their UEFA index. Each team will play (in a single game) two teams from its own hat, and two teams from each of the other hats:
- The top eight qualify for the knockout stage
- The clubs ranked from 9th to 24th place play qualifying play-offs for the knockout stages.
- Teams ranked after 24th place are eliminated, without repechage in the Europa League.
The UEFA charts
Awards by edition
| Awards by edition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Edition | Victor | Final score | Finalist | Venue of the final | Crowd |
| European Champion Clubs’ Cup | ||||||
| 1 | 1956 | Real Madrid | 4 – 3 | Reims Stadium | Parc des Princes (Paris) | 38 239 |
| 2 | 1957 | Real Madrid (2) | 2 – 0 | ACF Fiorentina | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid) | 124 000 |
| 3 | 1958 | Real Madrid (3) | 3 – 2 | AC Milan | Heysel Stadium (Brussels) | 67 000 |
| 4 | 1959 | Real Madrid (4) | 2 – 0 | Reims Stadium | Neckarstadion (Stuttgart) | 80 000 |
| 5 | 1960 | Real Madrid (5) | 7 – 3 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Hampden Park (Glasgow) | 127 621 |
| 6 | 1961 | Benfica Lisbon | 3 – 2 | FC Barcelona | Wankdorf Stadium (Bern) | 26 732 |
| 7 | 1962 | Benfica Lisbon (2) | 5 – 3 | Real Madrid | Olympic Stadium (Amsterdam) | 61 257 |
| 8 | 1963 | AC Milan | 2 – 1 | Benfica Lisbon | Wembley Stadium (London) | 45 715 |
| 9 | 1964 | Inter Milan | 3 – 1 | Real Madrid | Prater Stadium (Vienna) | 71 333 |
| 10 | 1965 | Inter Milan (2) | 1 – 0 | Benfica Lisbon | San Siro Stadium (Milan) | 89 000 |
| 11 | 1966 | Real Madrid (6) | 2 – 1 | Partizan Belgrade | Heysel Stadium (Brussels) | 46 745 |
| 12 | 1967 | Celtic Glasgow | 2 – 1 | Inter Milan | National Stadium (Lisbon) | 45 000 |
| 13 | 1968 | Manchester United | 4 – 1 | Benfica Lisbon | Wembley Stadium (London) | 92 225 |
| 14 | 1969 | AC Milan (2) | 4 – 1 | Ajax Amsterdam | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid) | 31 782 |
| 15 | 1970 | Feyenoord Rotterdam | 2 – 1 | Celtic Glasgow | San Siro Stadium (Milan) | 53 187 |
| 16 | 1971 | Ajax Amsterdam | 2 – 0 | Panathinaikos | Wembley Stadium (London) | 83 179 |
| 17 | 1972 | Ajax Amsterdam (2) | 2 – 0 | Inter Milan | Feijenoord Stadium (Rotterdam) | 61 354 |
| 18 | 1973 | Ajax Amsterdam (3) | 1 – 0 | Juventus | Red Star Stadium (Belgrade) | 89 484 |
| 19 | 1974 | Bayern Munich | 1 – 1 (4 – 0) |
Atlético de Madrid | Heysel Stadium (Brussels) | 48,722 23,325 |
| 20 | 1975 | Bayern Munich (2) | 2 – 0 | Leeds United | Parc des Princes (Paris) | 48 374 |
| 21 | 1976 | Bayern Munich (3) | 1 – 0 | AS Saint-Étienne | Hampden Park (Glasgow) | 54 864 |
| 22 | 1977 | Liverpool FC | 3 – 1 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Olympic Stadium (Rome) | 52 078 |
| 23 | 1978 | Liverpool FC (2) | 1 – 0 | Club Brugge | Wembley Stadium (London) | 92 500 |
| 24 | 1979 | Nottingham Forest | 1 – 0 | Malmö FF | Olympic Stadium (Munich) | 57 500 |
| 25 | 1980 | Nottingham Forest (2) | 1 – 0 | Hamburg SV | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid) | 51 000 |
| 26 | 1981 | Liverpool FC (3) | 1 – 0 | Real Madrid | Parc des Princes (Paris) | 48 360 |
| 27 | 1982 | Aston Villa | 1 – 0 | Bayern Munich | Feijenoord Stadium (Rotterdam) | 46 000 |
| 28 | 1983 | Hamburg SV | 1 – 0 | Juventus | Olympic Stadium (Athens) | 73 500 |
| 29 | 1984 | Liverpool FC (4) |
1 – 1 (4 – 2) |
AS Rome | Olympic Stadium (Rome) | 69 693 |
| 30 | 1985 | Juventus | 1 – 0 | Liverpool FC | Heysel Stadium (Brussels) | 58 000 |
| 31 | 1986 | Steaua Bucharest |
0 – 0 (2 – 0) |
FC Barcelona | Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium (Seville) | 70 000 |
| 32 | 1987 | FC Porto | 2 – 1 | Bayern Munich | Prater Stadium (Vienna) | 57 500 |
| 33 | 1988 | PSV Eindhoven |
0 – 0 (6 – 5 ) |
Benfica Lisbon | Neckarstadion (Stuttgart) | 68 000 |
| 34 | 1989 | AC Milan (3) | 4 – 0 | Steaua Bucharest | Camp Nou (Barcelona) | 97 000 |
| 35 | 1990 | AC Milan (4) | 1 – 0 | Benfica Lisbon | Prater Stadium (Vienna) | 57 500 |
| 36 | 1991 | Red Star Belgrade |
0 – 0 (5 – 3) |
Olympique de Marseille | San Nicola Stadium (Bari) | 56 000 |
| 37 | 1992 | FC Barcelona | 1 – 0 | UC Sampdoria | Wembley Stadium (London) | 70 827 |
| UEFA Champions League | ||||||
| 38 | 1993 | Olympique de Marseille | 1 – 0 | AC Milan | Olympic Stadium (Munich) | 64 400 |
| 39 | 1994 | AC Milan (5) | 4 – 0 | FC Barcelona | Olympic Stadium (Athens) | 70 000 |
| 40 | 1995 | Ajax Amsterdam (4) | 1 – 0 | AC Milan | Ernst-Happel Stadium (Vienna) | 49 730 |
| 41 | 1996 | Juventus (2) |
1 – 1 (4 – 2) |
Ajax Amsterdam | Olympic Stadium (Rome) | 70 000 |
| 42 | 1997 | Borussia Dortmund | 3 – 1 | Juventus | Olympic Stadium (Munich) | 59 000 |
| 43 | 1998 | Real Madrid (7) | 1 – 0 | Juventus | Amsterdam ArenA (Amsterdam) | 48 500 |
| 44 | 1999 | Manchester United (2) | 2 – 1 | Bayern Munich | Camp Nou (Barcelona) | 90 245 |
| 45 | 2000 | Real Madrid (8) | 3 – 0 | Valencia CF | Stade de France (Saint-Denis) | 80 000 |
| 46 | 2001 | Bayern Munich (4) |
1 – 1 (5 – 4) |
Valencia CF | Giuseppe Meazza Stadium (Milan) | 79 000 |
| 47 | 2002 | Real Madrid (9) | 2 – 1 | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | Hampden Park (Glasgow) | 50 499 |
| 48 | 2003 | AC Milan (6) |
0 – 0 (3 – 2) |
Juventus | Old Trafford (Manchester) | 62 315 |
| 49 | 2004 | FC Porto (2) | 3 – 0 | AS Monaco | Arena AufSchalke (Gelsenkirchen) | 53 053 |
| 50 | 2005 | Liverpool FC (5) |
3 – 3 (3 – 2) |
AC Milan | Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Istanbul) | 69 600 |
| 51 | 2006 | FC Barcelona (2) | 2 – 1 | Arsenal FC | Stade de France (Saint-Denis) | 79 610 |
| 52 | 2007 | AC Milan (7) | 2 – 1 | Liverpool FC | Olympic Stadium (Athens) | 63 000 |
| 53 | 2008 | Manchester United (3) |
1 – 1 (6 – 5) |
Chelsea FC | Luzhniki Stadium (Moscow) | 67 310 |
| 54 | 2009 | FC Barcelona (3) | 2 – 0 | Manchester United | Olympic Stadium (Rome) | 62 467 |
| 55 | 2010 | Inter Milan (3) | 2 – 0 | Bayern Munich | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid) | 73 490 |
| 56 | 2011 | FC Barcelona (4) | 3 – 1 | Manchester United | Wembley Stadium (London) | 87 695 |
| 57 | 2012 | Chelsea FC |
1 – 1 (4 – 3) |
Bayern Munich | Fußball Arena München (Munich) | 62 500 |
| 58 | 2013 | Bayern Munich (5) | 2 – 1 | Borussia Dortmund | Wembley Stadium (London) | 86 298 |
| 59 | 2014 | Real Madrid (10) | 4 – 1 | Atlético de Madrid | Estádio da Luz (Lisbon) | 60 976 |
| 60 | 2015 | FC Barcelona (5) | 3 – 1 | Juventus | Olympic Stadium (Berlin) | 70 442 |
| 61 | 2016 | Real Madrid (11) |
1 – 1 (5 – 3) |
Atlético de Madrid | Giuseppe Meazza Stadium (Milan) | 71 942 |
| 62 | 2017 | Real Madrid (12) | 4 – 1 | Juventus | Millennium Stadium (Cardiff) | 65 842 |
| 63 | 2018 | Real Madrid (13) | 3 – 1 | Liverpool FC | Olympic Stadium (Kiev) | 61 561 |
| 64 | 2019 | Liverpool FC (6) | 2 – 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | Metropolitano Stadium (Madrid) | 63 272 |
| 65 | 2020 | Bayern Munich (6) | 1 – 0 | Paris Saint-Germain | Estádio da Luz (Lisbon) | In camera |
| 66 | 2021 | Chelsea FC (2) | 1 – 0 | Manchester City | Dragon Stadium (Porto) | 14,110 |
| 67 | 2022 | Real Madrid (14) | 1 – 0 | Liverpool FC | Stade de France (Saint-Denis) | 75 000 |
| 68 | 2023 | – | Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Istanbul) | |||
| 69 | 2024 | – | Wembley Stadium (London) | |||
| 70 | 2025 | – | Fußball Arena München (Munich) | |||
Honors by club
22 clubs have won the tournament since its inception in 1955. Real Madrid are the most successful in the history of the Champions League with 14 titles in 17 finals played.
20 clubs have reached the final without ever managing to win it. Atlético de Madrid is the most unfortunate finalist with three finals played and therefore no wins.
Juventus and Benfica Lisbon are the only two clubs to have lost more finals than they have won. They both remain on a series of 5 consecutive defeats in the final.
| Honors by club | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Club | Titles (editions) | Lost finals (editions) |
| 1 | Real Madrid | 14 (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022) | 3 (1962, 1964, 1981) |
| 2 | AC Milan | 7 (1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007) | 4 (1958, 1993, 1995, 2005) |
| 3 | Bayern Munich | 6 (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013, 2020) | 5 (1982, 1987, 1999, 2010, 2012) |
| 4 | Liverpool FC | 6 (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019) | 4 (1985, 2007, 2018, 2022) |
| 5 | FC Barcelona | 5 (1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015) | 3 (1961, 1986, 1994) |
| 6 | Ajax Amsterdam | 4 (1971, 1972, 1973, 1995) | 2 (1969, 1996) |
| 7 | Manchester United | 3 (1968, 1999, 2008) | 2 (2009, 2011) |
| Inter Milan | 3 (1964, 1965, 2010) | 2 (1967, 1972) | |
| 9 | Juventus | 2 (1985, 1996) | 7 (1973, 1983, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2015, 2017) |
| 10 | Benfica Lisbon | 2 (1961, 1962) | 5 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1988, 1990) |
| 11 | Chelsea FC | 2 (2012, 2021) | 1 (2008) |
| 12 | Nottingham Forest | 2 (1979, 1980) | 0 |
| FC Porto | 2 (1987, 2004) | 0 | |
| 14 | Celtic Glasgow | 1 (1967) | 1 (1970) |
| Hamburg SV | 1 (1983) | 1 (1980) | |
| Steaua Bucharest | 1 (1986) | 1 (1989) | |
| Olympique de Marseille | 1 (1993) | 1 (1991) | |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1 (1997) | 1 (2013) | |
| 19 | Feyenoord Rotterdam | 1 (1970) | 0 |
| Aston Villa | 1 (1982) | 0 | |
| PSV Eindhoven | 1 (1988) | 0 | |
| Red Star Belgrade | 1 (1991) | 0 | |
| 23 | Atlético de Madrid | 0 | 3 (1974, 2014, 2016) |
| 24 | Reims Stadium | 0 | 2 (1956, 1959) |
| Valencia CF | 0 | 2 (2000, 2001) | |
| 26 | ACF Fiorentina | 0 | 1 (1957) |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 0 | 1 (1960) | |
| Partizan Belgrade | 0 | 1 (1966) | |
| Panathinaikós | 0 | 1 (1971) | |
| Leeds United | 0 | 1 (1975) | |
| AS Saint-Étienne | 0 | 1 (1976) | |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 0 | 1 (1977) | |
| Club Brugge | 0 | 1 (1978) | |
| Malmö FF | 0 | 1 (1979) | |
| AS Rome | 0 | 1 (1984) | |
| UC Sampdoria | 0 | 1 (1992) | |
| Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 0 | 1 (2002) | |
| AS Monaco | 0 | 1 (2004) | |
| Arsenal FC | 0 | 1 (2006) | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 (2019) | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 0 | 1 (2020) | |
| Manchester City | 0 | 1 (2021) | |
Honors by nation
Clubs from 10 different countries have won at least one edition of the tournament.
Spanish clubs have been the most successful, winning a total of 19 editions.
England is second with 14 wins and Italy is third with 12 wins.
| Honors by nation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Nation | Final | ||
| Won | Lost | Total | ||
| 1 | Spain | 19 | 11 | 30 |
| 2 | England | 14 | 11 | 25 |
| 3 | Italy | 12 | 16 | 28 |
| 4 | Germany | 8 | 10 | 18 |
| 5 | Netherlands | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| 6 | Portugal | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 7 | France | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | Scotland | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Romania | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Serbia | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 11 | Greece | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Belgium | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Statistics
Records and statistics by club
- Real Madrid is the most successful club with 14 wins in total.
It is also the one that has won the most successive titles with 5 consecutive victories from 1956 to 1960. - Juventus is the club that has failed the most in the final with 7 failures.
- Juventus and Valencia CF hold the record for consecutive failures in the final (2).
- Nottingham Forest are the only team to have won the Champions League more times (2) than their domestic league (1).
- Since 2010, Inter Milan holds the record for the largest gap between two titles (45 years).
- Real Madrid holds the record for consecutive appearances in the Champions League with 25 appearances, from 1997-1998 to 2021-2022 (series ongoing).
- The most contested match in the history of the Champions League is Bayern Munich-Real Madrid (25 times).
- Bayern Munich is the only club to have won the competition by winning all its games (11 wins in 2019-2020).
- FC Barcelona holds the record for consecutive matches without defeat on its ground (38).
- AS La Jeunesse d’Esch holds the record for the number of consecutive defeats in the Champions League with 16 consecutive defeats between 1973 and 1987.
- Feyenoord Rotterdam’s 2-12 victory at KR Reykjavik (1969-1970 season, 32nd final) represents both the most goals in a match (14) and the most goals for a single team (12).
- Dinamo Bucharest’s 11-0 win over Crusaders FC (1973-1974 season, round of 16) was the biggest gap in the competition.
- Borussia Dortmund’s 8-4 win over Legia Warsaw on November 22, 2016 represents the most goals in a match (12) since its modern form.
- Olympique de Marseille (winning 7-0 at MŠK Žilina on November 3, 2010) and Shakhtar Donetsk (winning 7-0 at BATE Borisov on 21 October 2014) set the record for the largest away win in the Champions League since its modern form.
- The match Real Madrid 7-3 Eintracht Frankfurt is the most prolific match achieved in a final (1960). The gap of 4 goals in the final was also achieved 3 times on the score of 4-0, by Bayern Munich in 1974 and by AC Milan in 1989 and 1994.
- In 2017–18, Paris Saint-Germain set the record for the most goals scored in the group stage (25), following a 7–1 win over Celtic FC on November 22, 2017, followed by a goal scored in the last away group match against Bayern Munich (1-3 defeat).
- Liverpool’s victory in 2005 after being led 0-3 by AC Milan represents the biggest turnaround in a final. 15 times the winner was first led to the final before winning (9 times between 1956 and 1970). Real Madrid have won 5 times in these conditions, Benfica Lisbon twice. These two teams, along with AC Milan, Celtic FC, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich, have both won a final by having been led and beaten by opening the scoring.
- Real Madrid is the only club to have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League 8 times consecutively, from 2011 to 2018.
- The city of London is the only one to have three different finalist clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham). Milan is the only one to have two different winning clubs: AC Milan and Inter Milan.
- The city of Madrid is the only one to have placed two of its clubs, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, in the same final (2013-2014 and 2015-2016).
- The qualification of FC Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain in the eighth leg of the final (6-1) on March 8, 2017 is a record. This is the first time in the history of UEFA competitions that a team has qualified for the next round despite a 4–0 defeat in the first leg.
- In the 2018–19 season, Manchester United qualified for the quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain after a 2–0 defeat at home. This is the first time in the history of the competition that a club has been eliminated after winning 2–0 away.
Records and statistics by nation
- Spain is the country that has won the competition the most times (19).
- Italy is the country that has failed the most times in the final (16).
- England holds the record for consecutive victories in C1 (6).
- England is the country that has won the competition with the largest number of different clubs (5: Manchester United, Liverpool FC, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Chelsea FC).
- England is the country with the highest number of different finalist clubs (9: Manchester United, Leeds United, Liverpool FC, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City).
- There were eight finals in which only one country was represented:
- 3 100% Spanish finals in 2000 (Real Madrid-Valencia CF), 2014 (Real Madrid-Atlético de Madrid) and 2016 (Real Madrid-Atlético de Madrid)
- 3 100% English finals in 2008 (Manchester United-Chelsea FC), 2019 (Tottenham Hotspur-Liverpool FC) and 2021 (Manchester City-Chelsea FC)
- 1 100% Italian final in 2003 (Juventus-AC Milan)
- 1 100% German final in 2013 (Borussia Dortmund-Bayern Munich).
- Germany (1974) is the only nation to have won the Champions League and the World Cup in the same year. The Netherlands (1988) are the only nation to have won the Champions League and the Euro in the same year.
- Italy in 1990 (AC Milan in the Champions Clubs’ Cup, UC Sampdoria in the Cup Winners’ Cup, Juventus and ACF Fiorentina in the UEFA Cup) and England in 2019 (Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC in the Europa League are the only countries to have had four clubs in the European Cup final in the same year.
- France is the country with the lowest success rate in finals: 14% (1 win for 7 finals played)
Records and statistics by player and coach
- Most games:
Players and coaches currently participating in the 2022-2023 Champions League are listed in bold.
| layers who have played the most matches in the Champions League (May 17, 2023) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Clubs | Games | Goals | Trophy(s) |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Sporting Portugal (1), Manchester United (62), Real Madrid (101), Juventus (23) | 187 | 141 | 5 |
| 2 | Iker Casillas | Real Madrid (152), FC Porto (29) | 181 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona (149), Paris Saint-Germain (14) | 163 | 129 | 4 |
| 4 | Xavi | FC Barcelona (157) | 157 | 12 | 4 |
| 5 | Karim Benzema | Olympique Lyonnais (19), Real Madrid (133) | 152 | 90 | 5 |
| 6 | Ryan Giggs | Manchester United (151) | 151 | 30 | 2 |
| 7 | Raúl González | Real Madrid (132), Schalke 04 (12) | 144 | 71 | 3 |
| 8 | Thomas Müller | Bayern Munich (144) | 144 | 53 | 2 |
| 9 | Toni Kroos | Bayern Munich (43), Real Madrid (98) | 141 | 12 | 5 |
| 10 | Paolo Maldini | AC Milan (139) | 139 | 3 | 5 |
| Coaches who have managed the most matches in the Champions League (May 17, 2023) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Coach | Clubs | Games | Trophy(s) |
| 1 | Alex Ferguson | Aberdeen FC (8), Manchester United (201) | 209 | 2 |
| 2 | Arsène Wenger | AS Monaco (17), Arsenal FC (184) | 201 | 0 |
| 3 | Carlo Ancelotti | Parma FC (8), Juventus (10), AC Milan (77), Chelsea FC (18), Paris SG (10), Real Madrid (51), Bayern Munich (12), SSC Napoli (12) | 198 | 4 |
| 4 | Pep Guardiola | FC Barcelona (51), Bayern Munich (36), Manchester City (74) | 162 | 2 |
| 5 | Mircea Lucescu | Rapid Bucharest (2), Inter Milan (3), Galatasaray SK (32), Beşiktaş JK (6), Shakhtar Donetsk (88), Dynamo Kiev (17) | 148 | 0 |
| 6 | José Mourinho | FC Porto (17), Chelsea FC (57), Inter Milan (21), Real Madrid (32), Manchester United (14) , Tottenham Hotspur (4) | 145 | 2 |
| 7 | Rafael Benítez | Valencia CF (14), Liverpool FC (76), Inter Milan (6), Chelsea FC (1), SSC Napoli (8), Real Madrid (6) | 111 | 1 |
| 8 | Massimiliano Allegri | AC Milan (34), Juventus (68) | 102 | 0 |
| 9 | Ottmar Hitzfeld | Grasshopper Club Zurich (2), Borussia Dortmund (19), Bayern Munich (80) | 101 | 2 |
| – | Louis van Gaal | Ajax Amsterdam (32), FC Barcelona (40), Bayern Munich (21), Manchester United (8) | 101 | 1 |
- Carlo Ancelotti (AC Milan and Real Madrid) is the most successful coach in the history of the competition with (4 trophies).
- Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) is the first and only coach to win the Champions League three times in a row (2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018).
- Ernst Happel (with Feyenoord Rotterdam in 1970 and Hamburg SV in 1983), Ottmar Hitzfeld (with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and Bayern Munich in 2001), José Mourinho (with FC Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010), Jupp Heynckes (with Real Madrid in 1998 and Bayern Munich in 2013), and Carlo Ancelotti (with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007 and Real Madrid in 2014 and 2022) are the only coaches to have won two cups in charge of two different clubs.
- Raymond Goethals (Olympique de Marseille), at the age of 71 years and 230 days, is the oldest coach to have won the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola (FC Barcelona), at the age of 38 years and 129 days, is the youngest coach to have won it.
- Only seven have won the Champions League as both players and coaches: Miguel Muñoz, Giovanni Trapattoni, Johan Cruyff, Carlo Ancelotti, Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane.
Three were Real Madrid coaches (Muñoz in 1960 and 1966, Ancelotti in 2014, Zidane in 2016, 2017 and 2018) and three others FC Barcelona (Cruyff in 1992, Rijkaard in 2006, Guardiola in 2009).
- The Sanchis (Real Madrid), Maldini (AC Milan) and Busquets (FC Barcelona) families are the only ones whose father and son have won the cup. The Alonso family (Real Madrid and Chelsea FC), meanwhile, is the only one where the grandfather and grandson won the cup.
- The Spaniard Francisco Gento is the player who has won the most cups (6 cups in 8 finals with Real Madrid).
Alfredo Di Stéfano (for 7 finals), Argentine by birth, is the only South American to have won five Champions Cups.
Samuel Eto’o (3 finals), is the only African to have won it three times, as well as Keylor Navas (4 finals) for the North and Central America zone.
Park Ji-sung (3 finals) for Asia and Harry Kewell (2 finals) for Oceania have won it once.
- Clarence Seedorf (Ajax Amsterdam, Real Madrid, AC Milan) is the only player to have won 4 cups with 3 different clubs, including two with AC Milan.
- Only four players have managed to win two Champions Leagues in a row at two different clubs: Marcel Desailly (Olympique de Marseille, AC Milan), Paulo Sousa (Juventus and Borussia Dortmund), Gerard Pique (Manchester United and FC Barcelona) and Samuel Eto’o (FC Barcelona and Inter Milan).
- Goalkeeper Marco Ballotta (Lazio Roma) is the oldest player to have played in a Champions League match at the age of 43 years and 252 days (against Real Madrid on December 11, 2007. Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund) is the youngest to have played a match at the age of 16 years and 19 days (against Zenit Saint Petersburg on December 8, 2020).
- Francesco Totti (AS Roma), at the age of 38 years, 1 month and 29 days, is the oldest goalscorer in the Champions League (against CSKA Moscow, on November 25, 2014). Włodzimierz Lubański (Górnik Zabrze) at 16 years and 258 days, is the youngest goalscorer in the history of the competition (in 1963).
- Roy Makaay holds the record for the fastest goal scored in the Champions League, after 9.9 seconds of play, for Bayern Munich against Real Madrid, the 7 March 2007.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) is the competition’s top scorer in a season with 17 goals (2013-2014).
- James Milner (Liverpool FC) is the best passer of the competition over a season with 9 assists (2017-2018).
- On April 11, 2018, Real Madrid’s Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his eleventh consecutive game (17 goals), he is the first player in the history of the competition to achieve such a performance.
- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo hold the record for trebles in the Champions League: eight.
- In 2011, Zinedine Zidane was voted best player of the last 20 years of the competition.
References (sources)
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