The Champions League is again.
We’re celebrating 30 seasons of membership soccer’s best competitors this yr, and to have a good time the event’s unbelievable historical past and return this month, we’re counting down the 16 best moments within the competitors to this point.
You possibly can have your say too – examine the hyperlink under for particulars on vote – however this is 90min’s 16 best moments in Champions League historical past, ranked.
Have fun 30 Seasons of That #UCLFeeling by voting on your final second in #UCL historical past. Enter now to WIN unique prizes!
Lionel Messi’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 shocked the world, with followers curious to see how far he may take them within the Champions League.
He made a powerful begin at Parc des Princes, and sealed a victory towards Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis in 2021 with an superior hit from distance.
Messi performed a one-two with Kylian Mbappe and ball fell completely for the ahead to whip the ball into the highest proper nook, leaving Ederson stranded.
Jan Oblak is a monster between the sticks, and there isn’t any larger demonstration of that than his triple save towards Bayer Leverkusen in 2017.
With the scores stage and Atletico main 4-2 on mixture on this final 16 encounter, Oblak thrice denied Leverkusen a route again into the match in fast succession.
First he blocked Julian Brandt’s try, earlier than springing to his left to disclaim Kevin Volland and eventually bouncing up once more to repeat the trick. Unbeatable.
Arsenal have not been within the Champions League since 2016/17, when Mesut Özil was at his most superb.
The previous Germany worldwide was at his finest throughout that marketing campaign and helped the Gunners come away from Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets Razgrad with a 3-2 victory.
No Arsenal fan can overlook when Özil streaked in the direction of the hosts’ aim. He in some way chipped the goalkeeper, earlier than slicing inside two defenders and slotting in from shut vary.
It was a dramatic winner and probably the most fashionable strikes in Champions League historical past.
The imaginative and prescient from Andres Iniesta to set this aim up deserves some credit score, however Messi’s superb end is what steals the present.
The Barcelona man, confronted with the onrushing Manuel Almunia, dinked the ball over the Arsenal goalkeeper and watched it drop proper again on to his foot for a easy volleyed end.
It is a kind of objectives that does not look attainable to mere mortals, however Messi has made a profession out of it.
Actual Madrid vs Sheriff Tiraspol is about as a lot a Champions League mismatch as you may think about.
A sport between the 13-time European champions towards a facet who had by no means reached the Champions League group stage simply felt prefer it may solely have one final result, however Sheriff had already picked up a victory towards Shakhtar Donetsk earlier than they headed to the Bernabeu.
Jasurbek Yakhshiboev’s header had given them the lead within the first half, although Karim Benzema equalised with a penalty within the sixty fifth minute.
Giorgos Athanasiadis was immense within the Sheriff aim earlier than Sebastien Thill scored one of many competitors’s best objectives with a strike from vary.
Understandably, the Moldovan champions had been fairly pleased with their evening’s work.
Messi has completed the unthinkable on numerous events, a lot in order that when he comes up with one other second of magic, it is virtually swept underneath the carpet.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t the case in 2018/19, when he put Liverpool to the sword with an unbelievable free kick. He’d already scored as soon as, however this majestic set-piece curled over the wall and into Alisson’s high nook, giving the Brazilian no likelihood.
Underdogs Chelsea needed to battle their well past Barcelona to get to the ultimate in 2012, the place they accomplished the European dream with a victory over Bayern Munich in their very own stadium.
Didier Drogba headed residence a late equaliser for the Blues earlier than netting the profitable penalty with what seemed to be his ultimate kick of the ball for Chelsea earlier than his return in 2014.
Choosing up the trophy, Drogba sprinted across the pitch on the Allianz Area, basking within the second he established himself as a Chelsea legend.
Kaká placed on one of many all-time nice performances within the 2004/05 ultimate and was desperately unfortunate to not come out on the profitable facet.
The Brazilian was the orchestrator of Liverpool’s first-half downfall, at all times discovering house between the traces and inflicting the Reds all kinds of issues together with his imaginative and prescient, feather contact and ball-carrying skill.
Kaká performed a key cross within the build-up to the second aim earlier than taking part in a completely outrageous, defence-splitting by means of ball to Hernan Crespo, who produced an beautiful end for 3-0.
It is at all times exhausting to determine simply which second is the most effective from this clip of Lyon legend Grégory Coupet. Is it the diving header, or the unbelievable save from the rebound?
Truly, no. It is the header. Undoubtedly the header.
Positive, there’s a specific amount of luck concerned when crashing a header towards your individual crossbar, however it stays an unbelievable piece of goalkeeping which may by no means be replicated on the grandest stage.
Only a few gamers would even take into account capturing when lining up a free kick 40 yards out broad on the fitting flank, in a Champions League semi-final no much less – however Ronaldo is a kind of gamers.
With Man Utd already main 2-0 on mixture towards Arsenal in 2009, the Portuguese celebrity put the tie past them with a howitzer past the static Manuel Almunia from completely miles out. Thunderbolt.
Generally, phrases can fail you in relation to legendary Argentinian wizard Messi.
Undoubtedly certainly one of his most well-known objectives, Messi emulated his hero Diego Maradona by slaloming with the ball from near the midway line – leaving 5 defenders in his wake – earlier than squeezing a end past Iker Casillas on this mammoth Champions League semi-final.
A factor of pure magnificence, this was Messi at his beguiling finest on his technique to profitable the competitors with Barcelona.
So far as introductions go, this one from José Mourinho was fairly good.
Then an rising supervisor in Portugal, Mourinho took his Porto facet to Outdated Trafford to face Manchester United as huge underdogs. They’d gained the primary leg however appeared set to crash out on away objectives as they approached the ninetieth minute of this second leg.
With time winding down, Costinha pounced on a free ball within the field to offer Porto the benefit as soon as once more, after which Mourinho went sprinting down the Outdated Trafford touchline. Iconic.
A second that can reside eternally in Liverpool folklore, the Reds had already clawed their approach again to parity after a 3-0 defeat at Barcelona within the first leg.
Divock Origi scored early on and substitute Georginio Wijnaldum pulled them stage with a brace, however it was Alexander-Arnold who produced a second of magic to finish the exceptional turnaround.
With Barcelona’s defenders sleeping, the fitting again whipped the ball in the direction of the entrance publish, permitting an unmarked Divock Origi to information the ball previous Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Anfield went wild.
Actual Madrid had been proper of their Champions League candy spot after they travelled to face Juventus within the 2017/18 quarter finals.
Portugal ahead Ronaldo had already prodded in Isco’s cross for an early opener, however it was his second strike that went down in European soccer historical past.
Simply previous the hour-mark, the second of magic got here. Hovering above Juve’s defenders, Ronaldo linked sweetly with an overhead kick from Dani Carvajal’s cross, leaving Gianluigi Buffon with completely no likelihood of saving it.
It is fairly troublesome to recreate too – as StreetPanna & Ben Black not too long ago discovered. Take a look at their makes an attempt to recreate CR7’s acrobatics under.
A aim that also confounds soccer followers to this present day, Barcelona wanted an absolute miracle to beat a 4-0 deficit from their first last-16 leg with Paris Saint-Germain.
Fortunately for his or her followers at Camp Nou, the Catalan giants delivered.
A Luis Suarez strike, Layvin Kurzawa’s personal pen and Lionel Messi’s penalty had them 3-0 up on the evening, however Edinson Cavani’s rifled end gave the French facet the initiative once more.
Nevertheless, Neymar scored twice in three late minutes with a free kick and a penalty, earlier than Sergi Roberto popped up within the ninety fifth minute to poke in and full one of many all-time nice Champions League comebacks.
Absolutely the best comeback in Champions League historical past?
the story; Liverpool appeared useless and buried at half-time, 3-0 down due to an attacking masterclass from Milan within the first interval.
In some way, the Reds clawed their approach again into it by means of strikes from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso and compelled extra-time -and Jerzy Dudek’s penalty heroics accomplished probably the most exceptional of turnarounds.
Have fun 30 Seasons of That #UCLFeeling by voting on your final second in #UCL historical past. Enter now to WIN unique prizes!
