Top 10 European Cup finals of all time

“Die Meister, Die Besten, Les Grandes Equipes, The Champions!”othing sounds as sweet for a football fan as hearing these words played to that magical piece of music, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Every season, every year, we have teams fighting to win and reach the promised land of club football, the UEFA Champions League, previously known as the European Cup.The best teams, the best stadiums, the best players and the best fans have made the European Cup an event rivalled in atmosphere and quality, only by the FIFA World Cup. And winning the most coveted club football trophy in the world is no easy task. Ask Arsenal, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain. They know.With the addition of more teams, more stages and more matches, winning the Champions League is right up there. And, the drama, spirit and excitement increases with the passage of every round. Indeed, the business end of the Champions League has given us so many great moments, that recalling all of them is a task bordering on impossibility.And all the action, drama and passion come down to that one night. That night when all the hard work of an entire season, culminates into agony or ecstasy. There is nothing like a Champions League Final. 58 years. 58 finals. Let’s look at the very best among them.Honourable Mentions Benfica 3-2 Barcelona, 1960-61, Wankdorf Stadium, Bern; Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich, 1981-82, Stadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam, Liverpool 1-1 Roma (4-2 on penalties), 1983-84, Stadio Olimpico, Rome.Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of the site.

#10 Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid - 2014

The most recent one to begin with. The first same city final in the history of the Champions League. But, what they had in geographical proximity wasnt reflected in financial, tactical or philosophical terms. Because, in every other aspect of the game, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were poles apart. Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, was about to witness something special, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Angel Di Maria and Diego Costa heading a star cast.

But, when the latter limped off early in the first half, Atleticos title hopes went with him or so it seemed. Diego Godin soon headed Atleti into the lead, yet again displaying his wonderful knack of scoring in big games. Atleti held on for 92 minutes.

And then, Sergio Ramos broke their hearts with a brilliant, brilliant header, taking the game to extra time. And, the first half of extra time again featured cagey football, with both teams working their socks off to not lose. The Rojiblancos finally gave in, in the second period of extra time as some fine dribbling from Di Maria left Bale with an easy finish. The floodgates were opened as Marcelo and Ronaldo scored in quick succession, giving the scoreline a very, very flattering look.

Atletico might have lost the match to a team that spent millions upon millions. But, they managed to win the hearts of millions and millions.