5 Greatest UEFA Champions League teams of all time
The UEFA Champions League came to a dramatic end with five-time winners Bayern Munich lifting their sixth European crown at the expense of Neymar's Paris Saint-Germain. The French champions hoped to witness the crowning moment of the Qatari-backed project in Paris by lifting their first-ever UCL, but their German counterparts proved to be too much of a challenge.
Hansi Flick's men have joined an illustrious list of clubs after completing the continental treble with their win in Lisbon. The Germans recorded their second such feat in eight years, levelling Barcelona's tally of two trebles.
Winning the coveted trophy by any means is an unbelievable achievement in itself. However, having done so in the unstoppable fashion that Bayern Munich did this year is worthy of a special mention. The Bavarians were simply relentless and unforgiving in their approach to the competition this year.
Here, we take a look at five of the greatest UCL teams of all-time.
#5 Ajax | 1994/45
In 1995, a group of young Ajax academy players took to the pitch against one of the most excellent sides in the last few decades, AC Milan, in the final of the UCL. They made history by winning the competition and going on to carve out respectable legacies for themselves individually.
Louis van Gaal's academy-dominated Ajax side impressed the world with their expansive brand of football with a group of youngsters. The squad included names such as Patrick Kluivert, Edwin van der Sar, Jari Litmanen, and the only man who went on to win the UCL with the most number of clubs, Clarence Seedorf.
They defeated a star-studded AC Milan side on three occasions in the competition, beating them twice in the group stage in the all-important competition final. Van Gaal's young side prevailed victorious against the likes of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, and a host of Milan superstars led by Fabio Capello. Kluivert came off the bench to become the then-youngest scorer in a UCL final after netting a late 85th-minute winner for Ajax. Many of the personnel from this great side and etched their names into the history books of the sport.
#4 Bayern Munich | 2019/20
Bayern Munich is currently home to one of the most spectacular football squads at the moment. The Bavarians have a host of superstars to call upon for any given game, at any given position. It was for this reason that Niko Kovac's relative underperformance in Europe came as a surprise, and was ultimately sacked after torrid 5-1 drubbing in the Bundesliga against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hans-Dieter Flick took over at the Allianz Arena and saw a drastic upturn in fortunes, having guided them to a historic treble. It is also worth noting that they won the UCL in buoyant fashion as well, romping their way through to the final and winning the final in Lisbon. Bayern became the first-ever team to have won the competition with a spotless record, having won all the 11 games they've played in this year's UCL.
This run included one of the most devastating scorelines in football history as they smashed eight goals past five-time UCL winners Barcelona in the quarter-finals. The 8-2 victory was perhaps the epitome of Bayern's relentless brand of football, one that took them to one of the most dominant UCL wins in recent times. The Germans also put seven past Tottenham Hotspur earlier on in the competition. Bayern ultimately beat PSG by just a goal in the final as Kingsley Coman made the difference after a splendid cross from Joshua Kimmich.
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