To football players around the world the UEFA Champions League is the Holy Grail. It’s where superstars like
Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Fernando Torres and Robert Lewandowski show off their awesome array of skills in front of one of the largest TV audiences in the world.
It’s also where guys like Patson Daka and Enock Mwepu of Zambia end up broken hearted when their club fails to qualify for the battle in Europe. To anyone and everyone who is serious about football, the Champions League is the where glory begins… and ends.
Liverpool may be celebrating their 6
th Champions League title but history tells us next season may be an entirely different prospect for The Reds. Let’s take a look at the fortunes of past Champions League winners and whether they managed to keep their dazzle on over the following 12 months:
Barcelona 2006-07
After Barca claimed the third of five Champions League titles, the Spanish club’s fortunes plummeted. In fact, pundits believe the following season was the worst ever in the club’s long and illustrious history.
Aside from winning the Supercopa, Frank Rijkaard’s charges failed dismally at every hurdle. They were the ‘nearly men’ in every sense of the word; men who included the likes of Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Deco, Samuel Eto’o and Xavi!
Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League in the Round of 16, were semi-finalists in the Copa Del Rey and runners-up in both the Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. To add insult to injury, the club finished second in La Liga losing to arch rivals Read Madrid on goal difference.
Chelsea 2012-13
A similar destiny awaited Chelsea after they clinched their first ever European league title in 2011-12. In what can only be called an ordinary season, The Blues managed to claim just one title in the form of the UEFA Europa League.
Manager Roberto Di Matteo became the most notable casualty of the season when he was sacked and replaced by Rafael Benitez. Despite fielding players like Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Eden Hazard and Ashely Cole, Stamford Bridge was an eerily quiet place in 2012-13.
Along with failing in the group stages of the Champions League, The Blues got as far as the semis in the FA and League Cups and ended the season in the third spot on the Premier League table. For the reigning European champions at the time, the following 12 months were a nightmare. Will Liverpool share the same fate?
Bayern Munich 2013 - 14
Following their triumph in Europe and under new head coach Pep Guardiola, Bayern Munich had a sensational follow-up season. The German club managed to buck the ‘loser’ trend and ended the 2013-14 season with more silverware than ever before.
Players like Franck Ribery, Mario Mandzukic, Thiago and Claudio Pizarro left their mark on the season’s statistics, racking up wins in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. The only blots in their copy book was a loss to Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Super Cup and semi-finalist status in the UEFA Champions League!
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The men from Allianz Arena dominated the Bundesliga, recording only two losses the entire season against FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund. They ended their campaign with 90 points, 19 clear of their nearest rivals at Borussia Dortmund.
One of the more memorable results for Guardiola’s men was the 7-0 spanking of Werder Bremen! If Liverpool can emulate the dominance of the German football giant, the sky really is the limit for the incumbent champions under Jurgen Klopp.
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