Iconic Champions League images
The Champions League is undoubtedly European club football’s top honour
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Since rebranding from the European Cup to the Champions League in 1992, the continent’s top club tournament has produced countless iconic moments.
Mesut Ozil scores a memorable goal against Ludogorets Razgrad
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33. Ozil’s outrageous chip (2016)
Mesut Ozil was more than capable of producing a moment of magic, as he proved to sensational effect for Arsenal against Ludogorets Razgrad during the 2016/17 Champions League group stage.
Sheriff celebrate their unlikely victory over Real Madrid
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32. Sheriff shock Real (2021)
In 2021, then 13-time European champions Real Madrid hosted competition debutants Sheriff in the group stage ā there was only going to be one winner, right?
Rooney celebrates after completing a hat-trick on his debut for Manchester United
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31. Rooney announces his Man United arrival in style (2004)
It was no great surprise that Wayne Rooney began his Manchester United career with a bang ā but to hit a hat-trick on your debut (both for the club and in the Champions League) is the stuff of dreams.
Didier Deschamps (pictured to the left of the trophy) captained Marseille to Champions League glory
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30. Marseille’s tainted victory (1993)
The first final of the fully rebranded Champions League saw Marseille become Franceās first European champions.
Albert Luque scored the goal which ultimately took Deportivo La Coruna through to the 2003/04 Champions League semis
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29. Depor’s incredible comeback (2004)
Deportivo La Coruna enjoyed heady days at the start of the 21st century, surprisingly winning the 1999/2000 LaLiga title and reaching the semi-finals of the 2003/04 Champions League.
Kingsley Coman scores the only goal of the game at an empty Estadio da Luz in Lisbon
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28. Coman wins the Covid final for Bayern (2020)
Bayern Munichās 2020 final victory over PSG was iconic for a couple of reasons, one of them rather depressing: it took place in an empty stadium as Covid restrictions kept fans out.
Jens Lehmann brings down Samuel Eto’o early in the 2006 Champions League final
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27. Lehmann makes unwanted history (2006)
In 2006, Arsenal appeared in their first Champions League final ā but they could hardly have got off to a worse start against Barcelona in Paris: Jens Lehmannās 18th-minute foul on Samuel Etoāo saw the goalkeeper became the first player ever to be sent off in a European Cup or UCL final.
Porto were crowned champions of Europe for the second time in 2004
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26. Porto win the underdog final (2004)
Porto and Monacoās meeting in the 2004 final represented a clash of Champions League underdogs ā in the fairly unglamorous host city of Gelsenkirchen.
Borussia Dortmund celebrate their victory at Bayern Munich’s Olympiastadion
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25. Dortmund triumph at the home of their rivals (1997)
Borussia Dortmund had already been UEFA Cup and Cup Winnersā Cup finalists ā winning the latter competition in 1966 ā but this was the big one.
Zizou celebrates a very special hat-trick
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24. Zidane leads Real to a three-peat (2018)
Real Madrid had won the first five European Cups back in the late 50s and early 60s, but this was the first three-peat of the Champions League era.
Ronaldo won his last four Champions Leagues in the space of five years
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23. Five-star Ronaldo (2018)
Undoubtedly one of the greatest players ever to grace the Champions League stage, Cristiano Ronaldo collected his fifth winnerās medal as Real Madrid defeated Liverpool in 2018.
Luka Modric and Toni Kroos: two of the most decorated footballers of the 21st century
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22. Modric and Kroos make it six (2024)
As Real Madrid claimed their 15th Champions League crown by defeating Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in 2024, two of their biggest stars equalled iconic Real captain Paco Gento in becoming European champions for the sixth time.
The Champions League is very much Carlo Ancelotti’s competition
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21. Ancelotti goes clear (2022)
Carlo Ancelotti underscored his reputation as one of the very best managers of all time by leading Real Madrid to glory in 2022.
Did it cross the line…?
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20. Garcia’s ghost goal (2005)
Was Luis Garciaās crucial goal for Liverpool in the second leg of the 2004/05 Champions League semi-final against Chelsea at Anfield over the line? Weāll probably never know for sure.
Ajax were the first Dutch winners of the Champions League era
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19. Ajax’s young guns win the biggest prize (1995)
Ajax rekindled their 70s glory days by being crowned champions of Europe for the fourth time with a 1-0 victory over Juventus in Vienna.
‘Don’t drop me, lads…’
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18. Guardiola goes airborne (2011)
Arguably no manager has ever come as close to perfecting football as Pep Guardiola ā whose extraordinary Barcelona side achieved peak tiki-taka en route to beating Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final.
Eric Abidal played all 90 minutes of the 2011 Champions League final, just months after undergoing major liver surgery
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17. Abidal’s special moment (2011)
The very same final which saw Pep Guardiola take flight was a particularly special one for Eric Abidal.
Ronaldo celebrates after scoring one of the great Champions League hat-tricks
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16. R9 downs Man United (2003)
A matter of months before they signed that Ronaldo, the āoriginalā Ronaldo tore Manchester United a new one at Old Trafford.
Didier Drogba rises high to rescue his team
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15. Drogba saves Chelsea (2012)
Chelsea won their first Champions League the hard way, beating Bayern Munich on penalties in the final on the German giantsā own patch, the Allianz Arena.
Lionel Messi doing Lionel Messi things
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14. Messi magic in El Clasico (2011)
The 2010/11 El Clasico semi-final clash was always likely to be a classic, and a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Camp Nou gave Real Madrid a slight but hardly insurmountable advantage over Barcelona heading into the return match at the Bernabeu.
Messi doing more Messi things
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13. Another glorious goal from the GOAT (2019)
Eight years later, Messi scored ā in FFTās view ā an even better goal. The stage was the same: the Champions League semi-finals; the opponents were different: Liverpool.
Cristiano Ronaldo doing Cristiano Ronaldo things
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12. Ronaldo’s acrobatic stunner (2018)
With 15 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo was the 2017/18 Champions League top scorer by a fair distance ā and he scored the single best goal of that seasonās tournament by a fair distance.
Tottenham couldn’t have reached their maiden Champions League final much more dramatically
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11. Moura sparks Spurs pandemonium (2019)
Tottenham lost the 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool, but their fans are never going to forget how they got there ā for the first time in their history.
We’re struggling to think of a more famous corner
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10. Origi scores from THAT corner (2019)
The night before Spursā incredible comeback, Liverpool mounted a magnificent recovery mission of their own.
Jose Mourinho celebrating PROPERLY
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9. Mourinho’s memorable celebration (2004)
Before guiding Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles, Jose Mourinho made his mark in England as manager of Porto. Specifically, he did so by masterminding a 3-2 aggregate win over Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The look on poor Edwin van der Sar’s face…
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8. Messi’s improbable header (2009)
In 2009, Manchester United were aiming to become the first side to retain the Champions League / European Cup since Milan 19 years earlier.
John Terry takes a tumble at the worst moment
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7. Terry’s disastrous slip (2008)
The previous year, United were crowned champions of Europe for the third time, defeating Chelsea on penalties in an all-English final at a sodden Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Gareth Bale takes flight against Liverpool
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6. Bale’s brilliance on the biggest stage (2018)
Without question one of the very best British footballing exports of all time, Gareth Bale won it all with Real Madrid ā and the Welsh wing wizard won his fourth Champions League with one of the great final performances.
Derby day: there’s nothing like it
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5. Materazzi and Costa take it all in (2005)
As flares rained down upon the San Siro and shrouded the stadium in red mist during the first leg of the Milan derby quarter-final in the 2004/05 Champions League, Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa stood side by side, making for one of the great sporting photos.
Sergi Roberto celebrates scoring one of the most notable goals in Barcelona’s history
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4. Roberto completes La Remontada (2017)
Down 4-0 from the first leg, Barcelona would have to make Champions League history to overcome PSG in the last 16 of the 2016/17 tournament ā and thatās exactly what they did on a truly unforgettable night at the Camp Nou.
A goal we could watch on repeat for days on end
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3. Zidane’s dazzling winner (2002)
Any winning goal in a major final is hugely significant, but some are markedly more momentous than others.
The moment Manchester United sealed an historic treble
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2. Solskjaer secures the treble for Man United (1999)
Ok, we found a better example of a momentous winner than Zidaneās: Ole Gunnar Solskjaerās treble-clincher for Manchester United in the 93rd minute of the 1999 final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona.
Liverpool celebrate the most miraculous Champions League final win ever
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1. The Miracle of Istanbul (2005)
No logical person thought Liverpool had the faintest chance of winning the 2005 Champions League final when they went in at half-time 3-0 down to a rampant Milan side. This, though, is a sport which regularly defies logic to Spock-infuriating levels.
