The 65th season of the globally celebrated UEFA Champions League is underway and the top clubs in Europe are fighting it out for the honours. This year there is more than €82 million at stake - and it can all go to the team that prevails to the end.
Players Homegrown in Europe? Not so Much!
The Champions League may be the battle of supremacy in Europe but in the tournament’s long and eminently satisfying history only three clubs have won the kudos with solely homegrown players - Celtic in 1967, Real Madrid in 1966 and FC Steaua Bucharest in 1986.
Europe’s top tier has shaken off the continental shackles and is now for all intents and purposes an international free for all. Even countries that are not known for sending their best players en masse to the northern climes are represented in Europe.
Debut for Third Player from Zambia
Take Zambia for instance, a landlocked country in south central Africa that is not particularly renowned for its sporting prowess. This year’s Champions League witnessed the debut of the precociously talented Patson Daka for Redbull Salzburg.
Daka is the third Zambian after Fwayo Tembo and Kalusha Bwalya to compete in one of the truly great spectacles in professional football!
Big Name Clubs Dominate
Despite the international flavour - or perhaps because of it - only 22 clubs out of around 80 have ever won the illustrious title.
As can be expected it is the big names of the domestic leagues that have dominated proceedings, with Real Madrid winning an unassailable 13 titles - six more than closest rival AC Milan.
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Los Blancos racked up five consecutive titles between 1956 and 1960 and followed that up with three back to back wins in 2016, 2017 and 2018!
Beware the Modern-Day Spanish Armada
As far as national pride goes Spain is obviously top of the pops. To date the modern-day Spanish Armada has fought 24 battles and won 18. What is really extraordinary about this incredible achievement is the fleet only consists of two battle hardened warriors - Real Madrid and Barcelona!
England has claimed 13 titles with five different clubs - defending champions, Liverpool (6), Manchester United (3), Nottingham Forest (2), Chelsea and Aston Villa (1).
For Nottingham Forest it is Champions League 2 vs Premier League 1 - an interesting anomaly in anyone’s books!
Lucky Break - England Banned!
How did clubs like Red Star Belgrade, Steaua Bucharest and PSV Eindhoven grab the title? They were the unlikely winners of the league over the six-year period that England was banned from competing. Naughty boys? You betcha!
Who’s the Daddy?
Who’s the daddy as far as the top UEFA Champions League goalscorer of all time goes? Well, surprise, surprise it’s none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. To date the Portuguese striker has accumulated 127 goals in 164 appearances for three different clubs - Real Madrid (105), Manchester United (15) and Juventus (7).
Messi vs Ronaldo
How does Lionel Messi compare? The Argentine is 15 short of his fiercest rival as his 112 goals in 137 Champions League appearances for Barcelona attest.
What Messi does have that Ronaldo doesn’t is the Champions League record for the most goals scored in a match. He shares the honours with Luiz Adriano, both of whom scored five goals apiece.
Hattrick in Under Eight Minutes!
How about hattricks? Well both Messi and Ronaldo have scored eight hattricks each but the fastest three-for in the history of the tournament goes to French striker Bafetimbi Gomis. He netted three goals for Lyon in under eight minutes!
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