The 2025 Champions League final between Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain is nearly upon us and to celebrate, we have taken a look at five of the greatest finals to have already taken place this century.
And yesterday, we also provided a full betting preview for this year’s contest, in order to help you make informed decisions with your football bets online.
Liverpool vs AC Milan (2005)
Probably the greatest Champions League final of all time and the only appropriate place to start. AC Milan looked to have the match wrapped up by half-time as they stormed into a 3-0 lead in Istanbul courtesy of a brace from Hernan Crespo and a very early strike from Paolo Maldini. But after the break, Liverpool rallied to score three goals in a flash through Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso. Jerzy Dudek then had to pull off some miraculous saves to take the game to a penalty shootout, where the Reds emerged victorious thanks to Andriy Shevchenko’s uncharacteristic miss from 12 yards. A truly unforgettable night in the Turkish capital.
Manchester United vs Chelsea (2008)
European finals featuring two teams from the same country can often be boring affairs, but this was anything but. In the pouring Moscow rain, Chelsea and United – the two best teams in the world at that point in time – went toe-to-toe, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard netting goals in the regulation 90. Didier Drogba was shown a straight red card in extra-time for slapping Carlos Tevez, before some penalty drama of the highest order. Ronaldo’s miss paved the way for John Terry to win the final, but he famously slipped, hit the post and handed United a lifeline. Nicolas Anelka then fluffed his lines in sudden-death to hand Sir Alex Ferguson his second Champions League crown.
Barcelona vs Manchester United (2011)
This is perhaps the most one-sided Champions League final of the 21st century, but it deserves a spot on the list due to the sheer quality of performance delivered by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. Goals from Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and David Villa secured a 3-1 win at Wembley, with Wayne Rooney scoring from United’s only shot on target. Barca had 63% of the possession and registered 12 shots on target – and by the end of the match, they were toying with Fergie’s players. It is hard to think of a more complete performance from a professional football team.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid (2014)
This was the first Champions League final meeting between the Madrid rivals and it certainly lived up to the billing. Diego Godin’s looping header looked to have Diego Simeone’s side heading for a famous victory in Lisbon – but Sergio Ramos had other ideas. The former Real skipper scored one of the most iconic goals in the history of European football, a 93rd-minute header which made it 1-1 and paved the way for Los Blancos to claim ‘La Decima’. Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Ronaldo netted in extra-time to secure a 4-1 victory that kickstarted another era of Champions League success for the men in white.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool (2018)
A match which featured two scarcely believable mistakes and perhaps the greatest goal ever seen on the Champions League stage, so it just had to make the cut! Bale’s outrageous overhead kick in Kiev was sandwiched between two horrendous errors from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius. The first saw him roll the ball straight onto the foot of Karim Benzema, while the other was the poorest of attempts to stop a tame long-range effort from Bale, as the ball somehow burst through his hands. Liverpool performed well on the day too, with Sadio Mane deservedly scoring an equaliser. But sadly for the Reds, Karius endured perhaps the worst day at the office a professional footballer has ever had, as Real became the first team to win three consecutive Champions League trophies in the modern era.
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