Ranking the 5 greatest UEFA Champions League teams of all time
The UEFA Champions League will return this week, with football's top superstars looking forward to getting back to business. As always, the battle promises to go down the wire, as European heavyweights prepare for an intense tussle to decide who goes home with the coveted trophy.
Premier League giants Chelsea won the last edition of the tournament in May. The Blues upset the odds, slaying clubs like Atletico Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid on their way to establishing themselves as kings of Europe. With that triumph, Thomas Tuchel's men wrote a beautiful chapter in the history of the competition.
However, they don't go far when compared to other iconic Champions League-winning teams in history. Without taking anything away from their amazing achievement, it goes without saying that there have been more inspiring Champions League triumphs than the Blues' over the years.
From mesmerisers to odds-defiers to total dominators, here is a look at five of the greatest UEFA Champions League teams of all time:
#5 Manchester United 2007-2009
Manchester United enjoyed a successful outing in the Champions League during the 2007-2008 campaign. A young Cristiano Ronaldo made the difference in attack, supported by Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.
The Red Devils dispatched opposition teams with elan on their way to the final, where they faced Premier League rivals Chelsea. An all-English final in Europe's elite tournament was highly hyped, and the game didn't disappoint.
Both teams played out a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, sending the game into a shootout, where United emerged triumphant to win their third Champions League crown.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men also ran riot in the subsequent season, securing back-to-back final appearances. This time though, they were upended by Pep Guardiola's brilliant Barcelona side.
#4 Liverpool 2017-2019
Mohamed Salah was the driving force for Liverpool, bagging ten goals in 12 games to lead the Reds to the 2018 Champions League final. They edged past Porto, Manchester City and Roma to set up an epic clash with Real Madrid in the title decider.
Unfortunately, the Reds lost their key man to injury midway through the first half of the final. That apparently killed their morale, enabling the Spanish giants to run away with a 3-1 victory.
However, there was no stopping Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp's men appeared at the same stage of the tournament the next season.
After beating Porto, Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the knockout phase, Liverpool faced Tottenham Hotspur in the final. A 1-0 victory ensured they won their first title in the competition since 2005.