1993 proved to be the breaking of a longstanding barrier, as Olympique de Marseille became the first French side to win the European Cup, a full 37 years after Frenchman Gabriel Hanot invented the competition.
A solitary goal from Basile Boli was enough for l’OM as they sent the superstars of A.C Milan back to Italy empty handed, much to despair of their vocal travelling support.

LOYAL FANS: Marseille supporters, draped in blue and white, cheer their team on.
The pre-match talk had been focused on two subjects. Firstly, whether Marseille could banish …

When Glasgow was chosen to host the 1960 European Cup final, the city expected to see two top teams from the continent battling it out for the right to be crowned champions of Europe. The city got their wish, and a little bit extra.
This was familiar territory for the Real Madrid side of the late 1950’s as they had not only competed in the first four European Cup finals, but they came out on top on every occasion with wins over Stade De Remis twice and once over Italian giants …

If he hadn’t already made a name for himself by knocking out Manchester United en route to the final, this was the match which pushed Jose Mourinho over the bounds of mediocrity, and into the realms of speciality. Pre-match, the 2004 Champions League final between FC Porto and AS Monaco was not billed as a potential classic. However, it failed to disappoint, as Porto triumphed in the battle of the underdogs, with goals from Carlos Alberto, Deco and Dmitri Alenichev.
Both teams impressed throughout the competition, with Monaco overturning a 4-2 …

Aston Villa defied all odds as they beat a strong Bayern Munich side 1-0 to win the European Cup, this win kept up the dominance of English football at this level as this kept the European Cup in England for the sixth year running.
The game itself was exciting and action packed as witnessed by the 46,000 fans crammed into the Feyernoord Stadium in Rotterdam. Peter With may have been the goalscoring hero for the Villains but it was the performance of 23 year old goalkeeper Nigel Spink that stole the …

The performances of Bayer Leverkusen were a breath of fresh-air throughout the whole 2001-2002 UEFA Champions League campaign, which included victories over Liverpool and Manchester United in the Quarter and Semi-Finals of the competition. On paper, Klaus Topmoller had assembled a fantastic side which had the safe-hands of Hans-Jorg Butt, the solidity of Lucio and Boris Zivkovic, the class of Michael Ballack and Yildary Basturk and the potency of Dimitar Berbatov and Oliver Neuville.

Brilliant Ballack in the Bayer days
Their opponents need no introduction really and they secured their ninth European …

The all Italian Champions League final of 2003 may not have been a classic but it certainly wasn’t dull and boring.

The 2005 champions league final was contested by AC Milan and Liverpool, of Italy and England respectively. Considered by many football fans around the globe to be the best final of the decade due to the spectacle put on by the sides. Liverpool started the final as underdogs after finishing second in their group behind AS Monaco. AC Milan on the other hand were comfortable winners of their group, beating Barcelona to the top spot. Both sides faced tough challenges during the knockout stages with AC Milan beating PSV Eindhoven and …

The 2009 Champions League final was more than just a final, it was England ‘vs.’ Spain, it was the two best teams in the world from the two best leagues in the world, it was supposed to be a classic.
Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona though gave a master class; they put on a show of the highest quality. The Spanish central midfield pairing of Xavi and Andres Iniesta didn’t misplace a pass, Lionel Messi looked as if he had superglue stuck to his boots and Barcelona played a style of football, on …