HomeFootballKnow about UEFA Champions League, History, Format, Stats and everything

Know about UEFA Champions League, History, Format, Stats and everything

‘Die Meister! Die Besten! Les Grandes Équipes! The Champions!’ as the song reverberates in the stadium, it does reverberate in the heart of the fans bringing the flurry of emotions, the emotion of joy, and the emotion of desperation. This is the UEFA Champions League where you never know when the elation would turn into misery and misery into ecstasy.

Every time a fan listens to the league’s theme song, he feels proud about his team, feels proud of what they have achieved and the song also inspires the dejected teams to turn improbable to possible. This is the most prestigious trophy a football club would ever dream to snatch off.  

History of  UEFA Champions League 

Well before WWII, the Champions League which had the name ‘European Cup’, had been played between only the title winners of various leagues in Europe. Over the years, the expansion of the league took place and several teams along with the title holders started to compete against each other. The first season was played in the 1955-56 season. 

The Champions league that we know today came into existence in 1992. The trophy has been considered the most esteemed; just second to the FIFA World Cup

Also Read: List of Top Five Highest Goal Scorers in Ligue 1 in 2020-2021

Qualifications criterias for the UEFA Champions League 

The competition is of 32 teams and rules of qualification and scenarios have always been complicated ones.

Depending upon the UEFA Coefficients of each league, how many teams would get a direct entry to the UCL is decided. As per current UEFA Coefficients, the top 4 teams at the end of the preceding season of EPL, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A get a direct spot in the group stages of UCL. The top two teams of Ligue 1 also qualify for the group stage. 

The teams from lower coefficient leagues can also make their way to this league by going through qualification rounds. The UCL winners get automatically qualified for the group stages of next season. 

What is the Format of  UEFA Champions League 

The 32 teams are divided into 8 groups of 4 members each. Two teams from a common league cannot be in one group. Each team plays home and away fixtures with other group members. The top 2 teams from each group get qualified for the round of 16 and that’s where the real game starts. 

From the round of 16 to the semi-finals, each fixture is two-legged, with one home and one away game. The knockout phases have an away goal rule. 

The significance 

People get a chance to witness the best clubs, the best players, the best managers across the globe competing against each other on the field of this beautiful game. The format similar to the FIFA World Cup makes the league even tougher and makes it even more significant.  

The league comes into its own, especially after the group stages and the neck-to-neck competition in the knockout stages takes the league to a different level. A player or a fan, in the stadium or in front of the TV, every spectator of this league experiences every emotion that he will experience in his life. 

 UEFA Champions League 

You feel excited and nervous, you anticipate a lot and at the same time, you tell yourself to be prepared because anything can happen. You feel exasperated, you curse your luck, and sometimes you are in the 7th heaven when your team pulls off something extraordinary. This is the UEFA Champions League for you. 

Also Read: Top Five Highest Goal Scorers in Serie A in 2020-2021

The UCL through stats 

Performance by clubs 

ClubTitle(s)Runners-up
Real Madrid133
Milan74
Bayern Munich65
Liverpool63
Barcelona53
Ajax42
Manchester United32
Inter Milan32
Juventus27
Benfica25
Chelsea21
Nottingham Forest20
Porto20
Celtic11
Hamburger SV11
Steaua București11
Marseille11
Borussia Dortmund11
Netherlands Feyenoord10
Aston Villa10
PSV Eindhoven10
Red Star Belgrade10
Atlético Madrid03
Reims02
Valencia02
Fiorentina01
Eintracht Frankfurt01
Partizan01
Panathinaikos01
Leeds United01
Saint-Étienne01
Borussia Mönchengladbach01
Club Brugge01
Malmö FF01
Roma01
Sampdoria01
Bayer Leverkusen01
Monaco01
Arsenal01
Tottenham Hotspur01
Paris Saint-Germain01
Manchester City01

Most appearances

PlayerAppearancesClubs
Iker Casillas177Real Madrid (150)Porto (27)
Cristiano Ronaldo177Manchester United (53)Real Madrid (101)Juventus (23)
Xavi151Barcelona
Lionel Messi150Barcelona (149)Paris Saint-Germain (0)
Raúl142Real Madrid (130)Schalke 04 (12)
Ryan Giggs141Manchester United
Karim Benzema131Lyon (19)Real Madrid (112)
Andrés Iniesta130Barcelona
Sergio Ramos129Real Madrid (129)Paris Saint-Germain (0)
Clarence Seedorf125Ajax (11)Real Madrid (25)Milan (89)
Thomas Müller125Bayern Munich

Most Goals

PlayerGoalsAppsRatioClub(s) (Goals)
Cristiano Ronaldo1351770.76Manchester United (16)Real Madrid (105)Juventus (14)
Lionel Messi1201500.8Barcelona (120)Paris Saint-Germain (0)
Robert Lewandowski75970.77Borussia Dortmund (17)Bayern Munich (58)
Karim Benzema711310.54Lyon (12)Real Madrid (59)
Raúl711420.50Real Madrid (66)Schalke 04 (5)
Ruud van Nistelrooy56730.77PSV Eindhoven (8)Manchester United (35)Real Madrid (13)
Thierry Henry501120.45Monaco (7)Arsenal (35)Barcelona (8)
Alfredo Di Stéfano 49580.84Real Madrid
Thomas Müller491250.39Bayern Munich

For more such interesting & unheard facts about cricket and sports, please visit thesportslite.com frequently.

Thank you for visiting. Have a good day ahead 🙂

Saurabh Karmarkar
Saurabh Karmarkarhttp://thesportslite.com/
An ardent Test cricket fan, a loyal Bayern Munich supporter who loves to write about sports and a fitness enthusiast.
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