SBF Official UEFA Champions League 2010/2011

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Football's premier club competition

Although it was launched one month after UEFA's first Congress, held in Vienna on 2 March 1955, the so-called "European Cup" was not a UEFA initiative.

 

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Football's premier club competition was launched one month after UEFA's first Congress, held in Vienna on 2 March 1955 yet, curiously, the so-called "European Cup" was not a UEFA initiative.

 

Whereas many of UEFA's founder members were more interested in establishing a national team competition, the French sports daily L'Equipe and their then-editor Gabriel Hanot, were championing the cause for a European-wide club competition. Hanot, together with colleague Jacques Ferran, designed a blueprint for a challenge tournament to be played on Wednesdays under floodlights.

 

The tournament initiated by L'Equipe did not stipulate that the participating teams had to be champions of their country, but they invited clubs who they considered had the most fan appeal. Representatives of 16 clubs were invited to meetings on 2 and 3 April 1955 and the L'Equipe rules were unanimously approved. The first European Champions Clubs' Cup fixture was played in Lisbon and Sporting Clube de Portugal were held to a 3-3 draw by FK Partizan. The Yugoslav side won the return leg in Belgrade 5-2 to advance to the next round.

 

Real Madrid CF immediately made the tournament their own by winning the first five finals. Since then, other clubs have also enjoyed fruitful runs in the competition with AFC Ajax and FC Bayern München both completing three consecutive wins. However, no one club has been able to claim long-term domination. Ajax waited 22 years to add a fourth title to the hat-trick obtained in the early 1970s; Madrid's win in 1998 was their first in 32 years; and Bayern's penalty shoot-out success in Milan in 2001 ended a 26-year wait for their fourth success.

 

Liverpool FC's four victories between 1977 and 1984 deserve special mention as the English club won its four trophies with essentially different teams. The Reds' European pedigree shone brightly again in 2005 when they battled back from 3-0 down to defeat AC Milan on penalties in what was perhaps the competition’s most exciting and memorable final.

 

Real Madrid and Milan have been the most successful sides in the UEFA Champions League, winning the competition three times. Madrid are also the most successful side overall with nine triumphs, followed by seven for Milan, five for Liverpool and four each for Bayern and Ajax. Madrid also hold the record for final appearances, with 12. Milan's 2002/03 success came after a marathon 19 games from the third qualifying round of the competition all the way to their penalty shoot-out success against Juventus in the final.

 

The major turning point in the evolution of the competition came in the 1992/93 season when the UEFA Champions League, involving a group stage in addition to the traditional knockout elements, was officially inaugurated after a pilot round robin during the previous season. The popularity of the group phase means the competition has grown from eight to 32 teams with matches taking place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays across Europe.

 

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Last updated: 14/06/10 14.19CET

 

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/index.html

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UEFA Champions League Previous Winners

 

2009/2010 Internazionale

2008/2009 Barcelona

2007/2008 Man. United

2006/2007 Milan

2005/2006 Barcelona

2004/2005 Liverpool

2003/2004 Porto

2002/2003 Milan

2001/2002 Real Madrid

2000/2001 Bayern

1999/2000 Real Madrid

1998/1999 Man. United

1997/1998 Real Madrid

1996/1997 Dortmund

1995/1996 Juventus

1994/1995 Ajax

1993/1994 Milan

1992/1993 Marseille

1991/1992 Barcelona

1990/1991 Crvena Zvezda

1989/1990 Milan

1988/1989 Milan

1987/1988 PSV

1986/1987 Porto

1985/1986 Steaua

1984/1985 Juventus

1983/1984 Liverpool

1982/1983 Hamburg

1981/1982 Aston Villa

1980/1981 Liverpool

1979/1980 Notts Forest

1978/1979 Notts Forest

1977/1978 Liverpool

1976/1977 Liverpool

1975/1976 Bayern

1974/1975 Bayern

1973/1974 Bayern

1972/1973 Ajax

1971/1972 Ajax

1970/1971 Ajax

1969/1970 Feyenoord

1968/1969 Milan

1967/1968 Man. United

1966/1967 Celtic

1965/1966 Real Madrid

1964/1965 Internazionale

1963/1964 Internazionale

1962/1963 Milan

1961/1962 Benfica

1960/1961 Benfica

1959/1960 Real Madrid

1958/1959 Real Madrid

1957/1958 Real Madrid

1956/1957 Real Madrid

1955/1956 Real Madrid

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Reserve Post 1

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Reserve Post 2 (Group Stage Fixtures)

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Reserve Post 3 (Knock-out Stage Fixtures)