From a Barcelona masterclass to the Miracle of Istanbul, we count down the best Champions League finals ever and reveal our No. 1.
The Champions League final is the showpiece occasion of the European club season and the 2024/25 final takes place on May 31 at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Bayern’s elimination in the quarter-finals means they will not feature, with their conquerors, Inter Milan, facing the favourites in the football betting, Paris Saint-Germain.
The magnitude of the occasion means that finals can often be cagey affairs that bubble under before bursting into life.
There have been 32 finals since the European Cup became the Champions League in time for the 1992-93 campaign. Here is our rundown of the top 10 occasions of the modern era, and check out our guide to find out when and where the 2024/25 Champions League final takes place.
Best Champions League finals ever
10. AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona (May 18, 1994)
Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona side, winners over Sampdoria at Wembley in the 1991-92 season, won their fourth consecutive La Liga title in 1993-94.
However, that title only came thanks to a superior head-to-head record over Deportivo La Coruna, who missed a late penalty on the final day that meant the pair both finished on 56 points.
There had been signs that Cruyff’s Dream Team’s heyday was almost over and three days after being crowned domestic champions, they were hammered 4-0 by their Italian counterparts AC Milan, who made amends after losing 1-0 the previous year to Marseille.
With first-choice central defenders Alessandro Costacurta and Franco Baresi suspended, Fabio Capello rejigged his rearguard.
But, it was further forward where his team shone, overpowering the Blaugrana as a Daniele Massaro brace and further strikes from Dejan Savicevic and Marcel Desailly saw a rampant Rossoneri lift the trophy.
9. Ajax 1-0 AC Milan (May 24, 1995)
Milan were back to defend their title the following May in Vienna but ran into Louis van Gaal’s precocious young Ajax side.
UEFA Cup winners in 1991-92, Van Gaal had refused to settle on that success and brought through a group of brilliant youngsters, drilling them in his preferred 3-4-3 system. However, the experienced two-time European Cup winner with Milan, Frank Rijkaard, made the difference.
During his final game as a player, Rijkaard adapted his role by stepping back from midfield and into defence to play as an extremely deep-lying playmaker.
That provided additional space for those in front of him and substitute Patrick Kluivert, one of five members of the Ajax squad that night who would in the future represent the Rossoneri, scored an 85th-minute winner.
However, lightning wouldn’t strike twice, as Ajax lost to Juventus on penalties 12 months later.
8. Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool (May 26, 2018)
Bale’s second-half brace stunned Liverpool to seal a 3-1 victory in Kyiv in 2018.
A tepid first half was headlined by Ramos’ abrasive early challenge on Mohamed Salah that forced the Egyptian off with a dislocated shoulder, but the game came to life when Isco hit the crossbar soon after the break.
The deadlock was broken when Karim Benzema deflected Loris Karius’ throw into the German’s net, but Sadio Mane quickly responded by diverting past Keylor Navas.
Bale had been at loggerheads with the Madrid hierarchy and media for some time, but changed the game after his introduction on the hour.
Karius was at fault for Benzema’s opener but could do little as the Welshman put Los Blancos 2-1 up with a miraculous overhead kick. His second, however, was another nightmare for the German, who fumbled a long-range effort into his own net.
Liverpool responded by defeating Tottenham 2-0 in the following season’s final, while Real would win again when the duo met in the 2022 final, triumphing 1-0 thanks to Vinicius Junior’s goal.
7. Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Juventus (May 28 1997)
A recurring theme of the Champions League’s early days was clubs winning the trophy but losing the following year’s final and Juve were downed in the 1997 showpiece by an unfancied Borussia Dortmund side.
Marcelo Lippi’s team were built to bring the best out of playmaker Zinedine Zidane, but the Frenchman was marked out of the game by Paul Lambert, who also set up Karl-Heinz Riedle’s opener.
Riedle doubled the advantage before half-time, but substitute Alessandro Del Piero, a surprise omission by Lippi, halved the arrears before Lars Ricken famously lobbed Angelo Peruzzi with his first touch to send the Dortmund fans who had made the seven-hour trip to Munich into rapture.
6. Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United (May 28, 2011)
Barcelona won their second Champions League title by beating Arsenal 2-1 in the Paris rain in 2006 and secured a third with a one-sided 2-0 win over then-reigning champions Manchester United in 2009.
Ferguson’s side got a shot at revenge for their defeat in Rome when the duo faced off at Wembley in 2011, but the famously big pitch must have felt like an ocean to the Red Devils, who could barely get near their opponents.
Goals from the front three of Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa were all beautifully constructed and, while Wayne Rooney’s strike was equally excellent, there has never been such a one-sided final.
Sir Alex reflected afterwards, ‘Nobody’s given us a hiding like that’, admitting Barca’s team mesmerised his players in what would prove to be the pinnacle of Pep Guardiola’s reign at Camp Nou.
5. Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea – Manchester United 6-5 winners on penalties – (May 21, 2008)
After Milan avenged Liverpool by winning 2-1 in Athens in 2007, two more English teams competed for the prize in 2008 as Manchester United met Chelsea.
United were looking to add to their Premier League title, while Chelsea were out to make amends after a chaotic domestic season.
Ferguson sprung a tactical surprise, playing central midfielder Owen Hargreaves on the right in a 4-4-2, using Hargreaves’ crossing ability to help engineer aerial mismatches against Chelsea’s out-of-position right back Michael Essien.
Cristiano Ronaldo rose above the Ghanaian to head home Wes Brown’s cross from that flank for the opener, but Chelsea equalised before the break through Frank Lampard.
Both had chances but neither could take them, forcing penalties again. Ronaldo’s effort was saved by Petr Cech but on a wet and humid night in Moscow, John Terry slipped on the Luzhniki turf and his kick to win the tournament struck the post.
By now, Edwin van der Sar had worked out that the Chelsea players were going the opposite way to their natural side – e.g. right footers aiming the ball to his left – and he pointed to his left as Nicolas Anelka prepared for his penalty, psyching the Frenchman out as he saved to his right to seal United’s third European title.
4. Bayern Munich 1-1 Chelsea – Chelsea 4-3 winners on penalties (May 19, 2012)
It wasn’t meant to be like this. After losing the 2010 final 2-0 to Inter, a home showpiece at Allianz Arena was expected to see Bayern finally win their fifth European Cup.
The game started in jubilant fashion, but with both teams missing key defenders through suspension – Holger Badstuber for Bayern and Terry for Chelsea – the match lacked rhythm and, with Gary Cahill’s hamstring heavily strapped, the Blues sat deep.
Bayern failed to break their low block before Thomas Muller finally scored after 83 minutes, but Jupp Heynckes’ subsequent defensive changes invited pressure and Didier Drogba equalised with two minutes to go.
Arjen Robben had an extra-time penalty saved by his former team-mate Cech and, despite beating Real Madrid on penalties in the semi-finals, the occasion got the better of the hosts.
The Czech keeper saved from Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger to allow Drogba to convert for Chelsea’s first Champions League crown, repeating the feat in 2021.
Robben would make amends 12 months later, scoring the winner as Bayern beat Dortmund 2-1 at Wembley.
3. Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid AET (May 24, 2014)
It felt like all of Madrid descended on Lisbon as Real faced Atletico at the Estadio da Luz in May 2014.
Underdogs Atleti lost Diego Costa to injury after nine minutes but took the lead through Diego Godin after 36 minutes.
Los Colchoneros looked set to back up their La Liga title win with their maiden European Cup, but the pressure finally told when Sergio Ramos equalised after 93 minutes.
An exhausted Atleti played little part in extra-time as goals from Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed Los Blancos’ 10th European Cup.
It was 12 years after their last, with the quest for ‘La Decima’ taking on an almost mythical status. They beat Atleti again in 2016, this time on penalties and then Juventus in 2017.
2. Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich (May 26, 1999)
Nowadays, the media set up every second-leg tie with a team trailing and seen to be in an almost impossible situation as a potential ‘Remontada’.
However, the original comeback came in the 1999 final, when Manchester United scored twice in stoppage time to beat Bayern Munich.
Mario Basler’s clever free-kick under the wall put Bayern ahead after just six minutes and the Bavarians dominated the Red Devils, hitting the post and bar as Alex Ferguson’s side floundered in their attempt to complete a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
With Roy Keane and Paul Scholes suspended and Ryan Giggs on the right to accommodate David Beckham’s move inside as cover, all looked lost as the fourth official signalled three minutes of additional time.
Ferguson pointed to his watch and his team believed again. Teddy Sheringham swiped home Giggs’ misfired shot to equalise before flicking on a Beckham corner for super sub Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to poke home the winner.
Clive Tyldesley’s brilliant commentary deserves a mention, with his line of ‘and Solskjær has won it!’ etched in the collective minds of all who watched, as is the sight of poor Sammy Kuffour slamming the ground in disbelief at his team’s dramatic loss.
1. Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan – Liverpool 3-2 winners on penalties (May 25, 2005)
The ‘Miracle of Istanbul’.
After beating Juventus on penalties two years before, Milan looked on course for their seventh European title when Hernan Crespo put them 3-0 up on 44 minutes at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium.
Rather than throwing on attackers, Reds’ boss Rafael Benitez reacted in a characteristically thoughtful fashion, introducing defensive midfielder Dietmar Hamann from the bench to free up Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard got one back on 54 minutes before Vladimir Smicer made it 3-2 two minutes later and Xabi Alonso equalised just past the hour mark, following up after Dida had saved his initial penalty.
Watch the game back and you’ll see that for that 10 or so minutes aside, Milan dominated the game but could not find a winner, finding increasingly ludicrous ways to miss chances.
Drained of belief, Serginho and Andrea Pirlo missed their first two penalties in the shootout and Andriy Shevchenko, who scored the decisive spot-kick two years later, saw his effort saved by Jerzy Dudek to give Liverpool a 3-2 shootout win and their fifth European Cup.
