Ever since the competition’s early days, when it was known as the European Cup, the UEFA Champions League has always been the place where the best teams in Europe, filled with the world’s greatest players, have come together to compete for club football’s most prestigious prize. The history of the competition is full of moments of both individual magic and collective brilliance that live long in the memories of fans. In this bookazine, we celebrate some of the most iconic names of the Champions League era – from the pioneers of the 90s to today’s biggest stars, from the shot-stoppers to the goal machines, and from the entertainers to the record-breakers. You’ll find the likes of Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane, alongside giants of the game and legends of the Champions League, such as Paolo Maldini, Zinedine Zidane, Clarence Seedorf, and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, as we bring you a host of fascinating facts, super stats, remarkable records and iconic moments from the pinnacle of European football. And not only will you find 80 of the best players to star on club football’s biggest stage, but we also relive the ten greatest games in UCL history and uncover the competition’s most successful managers. And if all that’s still not enough, there are also eight stunning posters inside. Enjoy!
WELCOME
JUDE BELLINGHAM • A boy wonder no longer, he’s now one of the world’s best, and the Champions League is his playground
PAOLO MALDINI • The Italian legend was a true Rolls-Royce of a defender and a serial winner
FLORIAN WIRTZ • Bayer Leverkusen’s ascendance has been magnificent in recent years: thanks to whirlwind Wirtz in midfield
STEVEN GERRARD • The Liverpool legend managed to bring European glory back to Merseyside
LAMINE YAMAL • Still just a teenager, Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has the world at his feet
ANDREA PIRLO • With two titles and countless iconic moments, it’s simply ‘no Pirlo, no party’ in the Champions League
BUKAYO SAKA • Arsenal’s ‘Starboy’ put the club on his back – and brought Champions League nights back to North London
TOP 10 MATCHES • From unexpected thrashings to title-winning comebacks, these are the most stunning games in Champions League history
ERLING HAALAND • The Scandi superstar has taken the Champions League by storm – with his eye on every record in the competition
SERGIO RAMOS • A hero to some, a villain to others, Ramos left his mark on the Champions League like few players before or since
VIKTOR GYÖKERES • A newcomer to the Champions League, the Swedish dynamo has wasted no time in leaving his mark
KARIM BENZEMA • Versatile, intelligent and powerful, Karim Benzema is one of the best strikers in Champions League history
LAUTARO MARTÍnEZ • Martínez has already delivered silverware at the San Siro – now he wants a Champions League
ROY KEANE • Man Utd’s talismanic captain has put in some of the all-time great European performances
ZINEDINE ZIDANE • One of the world’s finest midfielders was a phenomenal player for both Juventus and Real Madrid
BEST OF THE REST GOALKEEPERS • Dive into this list of elite keepers who were the perfect last line of defence
CRISTIANO RONALDO • ‘Mr Champions League’ holds an unbelievable number of goalscoring and appearance records as one of the competition’s most iconic players
HARRY KANE • A record-breaking goal machine who proved he could mix it with the very best in Europe
DIDIER DROGBA • No one stood taller on the big occasion than Didier Drogba, scorer of the iconic 2012 winning penalty
KAKÁ • An artist and an architect in midfield, Kaká...