Barely a month on from Manchester City’s greatest triumph, lifting the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club’s history and sealing a coveted treble in the process, the greatest competition in European club football is back. The qualifying campaign for the 2023/24 installment of the tournament, and there are already plenty of talking points despite only one qualifying round being completed. Hungarian champions Ferencvaros were stunned by Faroese minnows KI Klaksvik who managed to walk away from Budapest with a 3-0 victory, while Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad successfully managed to overturn a two-goal deficit against Kosovan side Ballkani, eventually running out 4-2 aggregate winners.
The final of this year’s tournament emanates from the home of football, Wembley Stadium, and over the years, the biggest games in sports are when the planet’s superstars secure their legendary status. Michael Jordan delivered one of the greatest NBA finals performances in history back in 1997 to give his Chicago Bulls a 1-0 lead over the Utah Jazz, while in more recent times, Patrick Mahomes was in scintillating form back in February when he led his Kansas City Chiefs to yet another Super Bowl triumph. Every sports star has their iconic moments on the grandest stage, and the UEFA Champions League is no different.
From the euphoria of moments of sheer brilliance to displays of resilience in the face of adversity, the tournament’s showpiece fixture has witnessed some of the most legendary performances in sporting history. In this article, we relive four of the greatest performances in the UEFA Champions League final history.
Steven Gerrard in 2005
The 2005 Champions League final is still perhaps the most iconic game of football ever played, even now, almost two decades on. An underdog Liverpool team that finished fifth in the Premier League that season somehow managed to battle their way past the likes of Juventus and English champions Chelsea into the Istanbul showpiece. There they would meet perhaps the greatest AC Milan team of all time and the Italian outfit were heavily favoured for glory.
In the first half on a sweltering night in Turkey, AC Milan raced ahead to a 3-0 lead courtesy of a goal inside 60 seconds from captain Paolo Maldini and a brace from Argentinian hitman Hernan Crespo. Things looked dire for the Merseysiders, however, captain and leader Steven Gerrard refused to give up and rallied his teammates to come back from the brink of defeat. The England international pulled one back early in the second-half goal, which ignited his team to mount a spirited comeback.
VladimírŠmicer would smash home a second barely minutes later before Captain Fantastic himself surged into the Milan penalty area and earned his side a penalty. Xabi Alonso would slot home at the second time of asking and the comeback was complete. Then, it was over to Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek to make himself the hero in a nail-biting penalty shootout and hand Liverpool the European Cup for the fifth time in the club’s history.
Henrik Larsson in 2006
Barcelona’s Henrik Larsson’s efforts spurred his team to lift the trophy during UEFA Champions League 2006 final against 10-man Arsenal. Gunners ‘keeper Jens Lehmann was sent off barely 15 minutes into the Paris showpiece but despite that, the English side took a shock lead through defender Sol Campbell’s bullet header. As the match progressed, the Catalonians couldn’t press home their one-man advantage, and a side containing the likes of Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o they were looking void of ideas.
Step forward, Henrikk Larsson. Coming on as a substitute, he assisted the aforementioned Eto’o to level things up at one apiece. Then he strengthened his contribution, setting up the winner for full-back JulianoBelletti, with his performance going down in history as one of the greatest substitute cameos of all time.
Diego Milito in 2010
Diego Milito was Inter Milan’s great hope in the UEFA Champions League final of 2010 against Bayern Munich. His performances throughout the course of the season helped the Nerazzurri secure a league and cup double. However, it was his display at the Santiago Bernabeu that was truly magical, scoring both of Inter’s goals en route to a 2-0 victory.
The Argentine striker’s tireless work rate, intelligent runs, and clinical finishing saw his side win their first Champions League title since 1965, and his second goal of the game – a goal in which he turned defender Daniel Van Buyten inside out before slotting home – will go down in history as one of the Champions League final’s finest ever goals.
Lionel Messi in 2011
Lionel Messi has lit up the Champions League numerous times. He scored in Barcelona’s 2-0 victory against Manchester United in Rome back in 2009, as well as combining sensationally with Neymar and Luis Suarez to secure a 3-1 victory in Berlin in 2015. However, it was his remarkable performance against Manchester United in 2011’s final that will stand the test of time.
The current Inter Miami man’s breathtaking ability to carry the ball at pace from midfield scythed through United’s defense ruthlessly. He scored the second goal in the match, celebrating a 3-1 victory under the Wembley Arch as the king of football.
