The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is the pinnacle of European club football, with the best teams across Europe competing for the title annually since 1955. Every final in the UEFA has represented the culmination of a season’s worth of effort, dreams, and ambitions, as we’ll again see in the upcoming season.
However, times haven’t changed that much since the ‘50s as Real Madrid is the favourite to defend their title with odds standing at around 27/10 at most major sportsbooks with Man City close behind with odds of 11/4. However, as ever-present stalwarts of the competition, among the massive list of new betting sites we have these days, the likes of major clubs like Arsenal (8/1) Bayern Munich (11/1), Bayern Munich (12/1), and Liverpool (13/1) remain perpetual contenders too.
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While fans gear up for another great season of the Champions League ahead and hopefully one that culminates in another classic final, here’s a look back at the best and most memorable finals of the past.
1. Manchester United 2–1 Bayern Munich (1999)
The 1999 UCL final, where Manchester United faced Bayern Munich, is often regarded as the most dramatic finish in the competition’s history. Played at Barcelona’s iconic Camp Nou, it saw Bayern Munich take an early lead with Mario Basler scoring a free-kick goal in the 6th minute.
As the game approached the dying minutes, Bayern Munich seemed all but guaranteed the win. However, Man United managed to make UCL history with an extraordinary comeback that tied the game in stoppage time with the help of substitute Teddy Sheringham, who scored an equaliser in the 91st minute.
Then, two minutes later, the unthinkable as another substitute, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, scored a winning goal to give Man United their second European Cup win. It was their first under Sir Alex Ferguson, guaranteeing his status as one of the greatest managers of all time.
2. Liverpool 3–3 AC Milan (Liverpool win 3–2 on penalties) (2005)
The 2005 UCL final, later termed the Miracle of Istanbul, is also regarded as one of the greatest football comebacks of all time. In this game, AC Milan, who had been a powerhouse in European football for a long time, were the undisputed favourites on the night.
The men from Milan took control of the game early with Paolo Maldini scoring in the first minute and Hernán Crespo adding two more goals shortly after. By the break, Liverpool were 3 goals down and their hopes of lifting the trophy for the first time in 21 years were severely diminished.
Despite this, in the second half, Steven Gerrard stepped and showed why he’s still regarded as a legend when he scored the first goal for the English side in the 54th minute and injected his team and their fans with an unquenchable energy that swept through the stadium. Vladimir Smicer then added another goal two minutes later and Xabi Alonso scored the equaliser from a rebounded penalty in the 60th minute.
With the unlikeliest of comebacks complete, that sent the match into extra time and eventually penalties. Jerzy Dudek’s heroics secured an improbable win for Liverpool, sealing one of the greatest wins in the history of the competition—one most pundits and fans alike tout as the competition’s greatest-ever final.
3. Real Madrid 4–1 Atlético Madrid (2014)
The 2014 UCL final featured a dramatic all-Madrid affair between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. Held at Lisbon’s Estádio da Luz, it was a tightly contested battle with Real Madrid chasing their fabled ‘La Decima’ (10th European Cup win) and Atlético Madrid hoping to win their first-ever; after a terrific season that saw them finish as winners of La Liga against both Messi’s Barcelona and Ronaldo’s Madrid.
The first goal was Diego Godín’s, which gave Atlético Madrid the lead in the 36th minute, making it look like the underdogs were about to make history. Unfortunately for them, in the 93rd minute, as Atlético was seconds away from securing the title, Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos scored an equalising header to send the game into extra time.
In extra time, the momentum of the game shifted heavily in favour of Real Madrid. The team then used it to score three goals through Gareth Bale, Marcelo, and Cristiano Ronaldo—reigniting Real Madrid’s storied dominance in the cup and sealing CR7’s reputation as the icon of Real Madrid and football in general that he is today.
4. Barcelona 3–1 Manchester United (2011)
The 2011 UCL final hosted at Wembley was an exhibition of some of the best football the competition has ever had to offer, contested by one of the greatest teams to grace the competition. That team was Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.
In this game, Pedro gave Barcelona the lead in the first half, but Wayne Rooney scored an equaliser for Manchester United. However, in the second half, Barcelona controlled the game, with Lionel Messi and David Villa scoring sublime goals to secure a 3–1 victory and stamp their authority as one of the greatest teams of any era.
5. Chelsea 1–1 Bayern Munich (Chelsea win 4–3 on penalties) (2012)
Lastly, we have Chelsea’s 2012 UCL win against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, which is another final that was filled with drama and tension. Bayern Munich, who were playing at their home stadium, were seen as the favourites to lift the cup. Indeed, Bayern took the lead in the 83rd minute through Thomas Müller.
However, in another defining moment in Didier Drogba’s career, the forward headed in a late equaliser in the 88th minute to send the match into extra time. Later, Bayern won a penalty, but Chelsea’s goalkeeper Petr Čech saved Arjen Robben’s shot.
The game then went into penalties, where Čech was again Chelsea’s hero by saving two penalties, while Drogba scored the kick that saw the team take its first Champions League title home.
Conclusion
Since the old European Cup changed to the format we know today as the Champions League, these finals represent some of the greatest matches the competition has ever known. The fact that they were finals makes them all the more special. Set for a new format this year, fans are eagerly waiting to see which team will be the first to triumph amid this new era.