A total of 22 clubs have won the tournament since its 1955 inception, with Real Madrid being the only team to win it eleven times, including the first five. Only two other clubs have reached ten or more finals: Milan and Bayern Munich. A total of 12 clubs have won the tournament multiple times: the three forementioned clubs, along with Liverpool, Ajax, Barcelona, Internazionale, Manchester United, Benfica, Nottingham Forest, Juventus and Porto. A total of 17 clubs have reached the final without ever managing to win the tournament.
Clubs from ten different countries have provided tournament winners. Spanish clubs have been the most successful, winning a total of 16. Italy and England are joint-second with 12, while the other multiple-time winners are Germany with seven, Netherlands with six, and Portugal with four. The only other countries to provide a tournament winner are Scotland, Romania, Yugoslavia and France. Greece, Belgium and Sweden have all provided losing finalists.
Clubs from a total of 35 European cities have participated in the tournament final. Clubs from 21 cities have provided winners, with the clear city leaders being Madrid (winning eleven) and Milan (winning ten); though both Milan and Internazionale have helped the city of Milan be successful, only Real Madrid have won it for the city of Madrid, with Atlético Madrid losing all three of their finals (albeit two of these were against city rivals Real Madrid, therefore by the time of these two finals, a win for the city of Madrid was guaranteed).
As of 2015–16 season
As of 2015–16 season
All-time top ten European Cup and Champions League table
As of 7 December 2016
A total of 134 clubs from 32 national associations have played in or qualified for the Champions League group stage.
Team in Bold: qualified for the knockout phase.
European Cup group stage participants
only one season was played in that format
1991–92
Anderlecht
Barcelona
Benfica
Dynamo Kyiv
Panathinaikos
Red Star Belgrade
Sampdoria
Sparta Prague
By semi-final appearances (European Cup and UEFA Champions League)
Note: In the 1992 and 1993 seasons there were no semi-finals as the finalists qualified via a group stage. The winners (Sampdoria and Barcelona in 1992, Marseille and Milan in 1993) and runner-ups (Red Star Belgrade and Sparta Prague in 1992, Rangers and IFK Göteborg in 1993) of the two groups are marked as semi-finalists in the table.
Jaap van Praag and Michael van Praag are the first father and son to have won the competition during the presidency of the same team, Ajax. This team won the Champions League in different periods with these presidents, in 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73 and 1994–95.
Angelo Moratti and Massimo Moratti are the second father and son to have won the competition during the presidency of the same team, Internazionale. This team won the Champions League in different periods with these presidents, in 1963–64, 1964–65 and 2009–10.
Nine clubs have won either the European Cup or the Champions League unbeaten, only four clubs have done this twice:
Liverpool had 6 wins and 3 draws in 1980–81 and 7 wins and 2 draws in 1983–84.
Milan had 5 wins and 4 draws in 1988–89 and 7 wins and 5 draws in 1993–94.
Ajax had 7 wins and 2 draws in 1971–72 and 7 wins and 4 draws in 1994–95.
Manchester United had 5 wins and 6 draws in 1998–99 and 9 wins and 4 draws in 2007–08 (Manchester United is the only team in the Champions League era to go unbeaten twice).
Five clubs have achieved it on one occasion:
Internazionale had 7 wins and 2 draws in 1963–64.
Nottingham Forest had 6 wins and 3 draws in 1978–79.
Red Star Belgrade had 5 wins and 4 draws in 1990–91.
Marseille had 7 wins and 4 draws in 1992–93.
Barcelona had 9 wins and 4 draws in 2005–06.
The team to have won the European Cup with the fewest games won is PSV Eindhoven (1987–88), managing just three victories in the entire tournament (including none from the quarter-finals onwards).
The team to have won the Champions League with the fewest games won is Manchester United (1998–99), five wins
Two teams have won the Champions League with the most games lost, Milan (2002–03) and Real Madrid (1999–00), both losing four games
Only two clubs have appeared in the final of the European Cup/Champions league more than once, with a 100% success rate:
Nottingham Forest (1979, 1980)
Porto (1987, 2004)
Four clubs have appeared in the final once, being victorious on that occasion:
Feyenoord (1970)
Aston Villa (1982)
PSV Eindhoven (1988)
Red Star Belgrade (1991)
On the opposite end of the scale, 18 clubs have played at least one final, but never won. Only three of these have appeared in the final more than once, losing on each occasion:
Reims (1956, 1959)
Valencia (2000, 2001)
Atlético Madrid (1974, 2014, 2016)
Of the 22 teams who have won the trophy, only two have lost more finals than they have won:
Juventus two wins (1985, 1996) and six losses (1973, 1983, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2015)
Benfica two wins (1961, 1962) and five losses (1963, 1965, 1968, 1988, 1990)
Real Madrid have the record number of consecutive participations in the European Cup, taking part in the first 15 tournaments from 1955–56 to 1969–70.
Real Madrid hold the record number of consecutive participations in the UEFA Champions League with 20 from 1997–98 to 2016–17. Arsenal (from 1998–99 to 2016–17) have participated in 19 consecutive campaigns.
Real Madrid hold the record of consecutive finals, taking part in all the first five finals from 1956 to 1960.
The record for the Champions League era is three finals, shared by Milan (1993 to 1995) and Juventus (1996 to 1998)
The record for consecutive semifinals is six, held by both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Barcelona (2007–08 to 2012–13).
Real Madrid (2010–11 to 2015–16).
See also Treble (association football) and Tuples in association football.
Although not an officially recognized achievement, seven clubs have achieved the distinction of winning the Champions League or European Cup, their domestic championship, and their primary domestic cup competition in the same season, known colloquially as "the treble":
Celtic in 1967, having won the European Cup, the Scottish First Division, and the Scottish Cup.
Ajax in 1972 won the European Cup, the Eredivisie, and the KNVB Cup.
PSV Eindhoven in 1988 did likewise, having won the European Cup the Eredivisie, and the KNVB Cup.
Manchester United in 1999, having won the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.
Barcelona in 2009, which included La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.
Internazionale in 2010, which included Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and the Champions League.
Bayern Munich in 2013, which included Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and the Champions League
Barcelona in 2015 won the treble for the second time, having won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.
Liverpool in 1984 won the English First Division and the European Cup. However, this 'treble' included the Football League Cup rather than the FA Cup.
Bayern Munich in 2001 won the Bundesliga and the Champions League. However, this 'treble' included the DFB-Ligapokal rather than the DFB-Pokal.
In addition to this treble, several of these clubs went on to win further cups. However, most of these cups were technically won the following year following the conclusion of regular domestic or international leagues the year before. Also, several domestic cups may not have been extant at the time that equivalent cups were won by clubs of other nations, and in some cases they remain so. Furthermore, there is much variance in the regard with which several cups are taken both over time and between nations. Regardless, the following clubs all won competitions further to the treble mentioned above:
Celtic also won their secondary domestic cup competition, the Scottish League Cup, in the 1966–67 season concurrently with the treble of cups mentioned previously (sometimes colloquially referred to as a part of "the quadruple"), thus making their achievement unique in this respect to every other club.
Ajax also won the Intercontinental Cup (the predecessor of the FIFA Club World Cup and the de facto premier global club cup) and the inaugural (and technically unofficial) UEFA Super Cup the following season, forming part of a quintuple of Cup successes; they thus won all available cups to them.
Manchester United won the Intercontinental Cup the following season, winning a quadruple of cups.
Barcelona won the FIFA Club World Cup, the European Super Cup, and the Supercopa de España the following season, making it a sextuple of cup successes, and thus winning all available cups to them.
Internazionale completed The Quintuple by winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia, the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Supercoppa Italiana.
Bayern Munich also won the DFL-Supercup in the start of the 2012–13 season, winning a quadruple of cups.
Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Chelsea are also the only teams to have won the three major UEFA official Cups, namely UEFA Champions League/European Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and UEFA Cup/Europa League.
Juventus was the first club in association football history—and remain the only one at present—to have won all official continental tournaments and the world champions title.
Chelsea became the first club to hold the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League trophies simultaneously by winning 2011–12 UEFA Champions League and 2012–13 UEFA Europa League.
The following teams won a single match by ten goals or more in the preliminary rounds of the European Cup :
Dinamo București beat Crusaders 11–0 in 1973–74
Feyenoord beat KR Reykjavík 12–2 in 1969–70
Manchester United beat Anderlecht 10–0 in 1956–57
Ipswich Town beat Floriana 10–0 in 1962–63
Benfica beat Stade Dudelange 10–0 in 1965–66
Leeds United beat Lyn 10–0 in 1969–70
Borussia Mönchengladbach beat EPA Larnaca 10–0 in 1970–71
Ajax beat Omonia 10–0 in 1979–80
The largest margin of victory in the current Champions League format is 10–0:
HJK Helsinki beat Bangor City in the second qualifying round in 2011–12
The largest margin of victory after the preliminary rounds in either competition is 8–0:
Real Madrid beat Sevilla in the quarter-final in 1957–58
Liverpool beat Beşiktaş in the group stage in 2007–08
Real Madrid beat Malmö FF in the group stage in 2015–16
The largest margin of victory in the knockout stage in the current Champions League format is 7–0:
Bayern Munich beat Basel in the first knockout round in 2011–12
Bayern Munich beat Shakhtar Donetsk in the first knockout round in 2014–15
The largest margin of victory in a final is four goals:
Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 in 1959–60
Bayern Munich beat Atlético Madrid 4–0 in 1973–74 (replay)
Milan beat Steaua București 4–0 in 1988–89
Milan beat Barcelona 4–0 in 1993–94
Benfica holds the overall record by beating Stade Dudelange 18–0 in the preliminary round in 1965–66. They beat the Luxembourgers by 8–0 and 10–0
As for the group stage, record belongs to Shakhtar Donetsk, who beat BATE Borisov 12–0 (7–0 away, 5–0 at home) in 2014–15. Including the preliminary rounds, HJK Helsinki holds the Champions League era record by beating Bangor City 13–0 (3–0, 10–0) in 2011–12
Bayern Munich holds the biggest margin of overall home and away result in the Champions League era in play-off. They beat Sporting CP 12–1 (5–0, 7–1) in the round of 16 in 2008–09.
Real Madrid holds the record for the biggest win in a quarter-final, beating Sevilla 10–2 (8–0, 2–2) in 1957–58. During the Champions League era, Bayern Munich holds the record by beating Kaiserslautern 6–0 (2–0, 4–0) in 1998–99.
Eintracht Frankfurt holds the record for the biggest win in a semi-final, beating Rangers 12–4 (6–1, 6–3) in 1959–60. During the Champions League era, Bayern Munich holds the record by beating Barcelona 7–0 (4–0, 3–0) in 2012–13.
The first play-off was Borussia Dortmund beating Spora Luxembourg 7–0 in the preliminary round in 1956–57 after the two first games tied 5–5 (4–3, 1–2)
The last play-off match was Ajax beating Benfica 3–0 in the quarter-final in 1968–69 after the two first games tied 4–4 (1–3, 3–1). Ajax later progressed to the final.
The first (and only) replayed final was in 1974, with Bayern Munich beating Atlético Madrid 4–0 after 1–1 in the first meeting.
A total of 32 play-offs have been played. Real Madrid is the only team to have won three times, in 1956–57, 1958–59 and 1961–62, later progressing to the final on all three occasions. Feyenoord is the only team to win two play-offs in the same season, beating Servette and Vasas in 1962–63, while Wismut Karl Marx Stadt and Atlético Madrid have played the most play-offs with four each.
The first coin toss was in 1957–58, with Wismut Karl Marx Stadt beating Gwardia Warsaw after the play-off was abandoned after 100 minutes due to floodlight power failure.
Zürich won a coin toss against Galatasaray in 1963–64 after their play-off match ended 2–2. This was the first time this rule was used for a tie played to completion.
The last season using a coin toss was 1969–70, with Galatasaray beating Spartak Trnava and Celtic beating Benfica, both in the second round. Celtic later progressed to the final.
A total of 7 European Cup ties were decided by a coin toss, Galatasaray being the only team to be involved twice, with one win and one loss.
The away goals rule was introduced in 1967–68, with Valur beating Jeunesse Esch 4–4 (1–1, 3–3) and Benfica beating Glentoran 1–1 (1–1, 0–0), both in the first round. Benfica later progressed to the final.
In 2002–03, Milan and Internazionale met in the semi-final. Sharing the same stadium (Giuseppe Meazza), they played 0–0 in the first tie and 1–1 in the second. However, Milan were the designated away side in the latter, and so became the only team to win on "away" goals without having scored a goal away from their own stadium. They later went on to win the final against Juventus.
Milan and Paris Saint-Germain are the only teams to have advanced on the away goals rule after extra time. In the semi-final against Bayern Munich in 1989–90, Milan won 1–0 at home and was 0–1 down after 90 minutes in the second leg. Both teams scored one goal each in the extra time, giving Milan the victory on away goals. They later went on to win the final against Benfica. In the round of 16 against Chelsea in 2014–15, PSG drew 1–1 at home and away. Both teams scored one goal each in extra time, giving PSG the victory on away goals.
The first penalty shootout in the European Cup was between Everton and Borussia Mönchengladbach on 4 November 1970, after both games ended 1–1. Gladbach's Klaus-Dieter Sieloff was the first player to score on a penalty kick, while Everton's Joe Royle was the first to miss. Everton went on to win 4–3 with Sandy Brown scoring the decisive goal.
The first penalty shootout in a final was between Liverpool and Roma in the 1984 final after 1–1 (aet). Roma's Agostino Di Bartolomei was the first player to score, while Liverpool's Steve Nicol was the first to miss. Liverpool went on to win 4–2 with Alan Kennedy scoring the deciding goal. Kennedy also scored the deciding goal in the 1981 final.
11 finals have been decided by a penalty shootout. Liverpool is the only team to have won more than once (1984 and 2005), while Juventus, Milan, Bayern Munich and Chelsea have won one and lost one. No team has lost twice.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich are the only teams to have been involved in two penalty shootouts in the same season. In 1985–86, Barcelona beat IFK Göteborg in the semi-final, but lost to Steaua București in the final. In 2011–12, Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid in the semi-final but lost to Chelsea in the final.
17 finals have gone to extra time. One was replayed, eleven went to penalty shootout, while the remaining five were decided after 120 minutes:
Real Madrid beat Milan 3–2 in 1958
Manchester United beat Benfica 4–1 in 1968
Feyenoord beat Celtic 2–1 in 1970
Barcelona beat Sampdoria 1–0 in 1992
Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid 4–1 in 2014
Feyenoord beat KR Reykjavík 12–2 in the first round in 1969–70. This is the overall record for all European Cup/Champions League matches.
Borussia Dortmund beat Legia Warsaw 8–4 in the group stage in 2016–17. This is the record for the Champions League era.
Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 in the 1960 final. This is the overall record for all European Cup/Champions League finals.
Nottingham Forest is the only club to have won the European Cup more times (twice) than they have won their domestic league (once). Forest won the English League in 1978 before winning the European Cup in 1979 and defending it in 1980. Nottingham Forest are also the only previous winners of the European Cup to be later relegated to the third tier of their national league (in 2005).
The competition format was changed in 1997–98 to allow teams that were not champions of their domestic league to compete in the competition. Since then there have been European Champions who had not been domestic champions. Notable instances include the following
Manchester United's treble-winners of 1999 were the first winners of the tournament to have won neither their domestic title nor the European Cup/Champions League the previous season. Since then, Real Madrid (2000, 2014, 2016), Milan (2003 and 2007), Liverpool (2005), Barcelona (2009 and 2015), and Chelsea (2012) have achieved this feat.
Liverpool's 2005 triumph came 15 years after their previous domestic league title (1990). That was the longest time any Champions League winner had gone since previously winning their league. Prior to this, the longest time period for any winner was Milan, whose victory in 2003 had come four years since their last Serie A win.
Bayer Leverkusen (in 2002) is the only club to play in the final having never won their domestic league.
Newcastle United in 2002–03 is the only team to have progressed past the group stage after losing their first three games. In their last game against Feyenoord, Craig Bellamy's injury time (90+1') goal secured the 3–2 victory and a place in the second group stage.
Only nine teams have progressed past the group stage after losing their first two games. Only Galatasaray managed to advance past the Round of 16 in the tournament, however.
Dynamo Kyiv in 1999–2000, lost on head-to-head criteria in second group stage to Real Madrid despite having a better goal difference
Newcastle United and Bayer Leverkusen in 2002–03, placed 3rd and 4th in second group stage
Werder Bremen in 2005–06, lost to Juventus on away goals (4–4 agg) in the round of 16
Internazionale in 2006–07, lost to Valencia on away goals (2–2 agg) in the round of 16
Lyon in 2007–08, lost 1–2 to Manchester United in the round of 16
Panathinaikos in 2008–09, came back to win the group but lost 2–3 to Villarreal in the round of 16
Marseille in 2010–11, lost 1–2 to Manchester United in the round of 16
Galatasaray in 2012–13, lost 3–5 to Real Madrid in the Quarter-finals
In 1994–95, defending champions Milan started the group stage with a loss and a win, but were deducted two points for crowd trouble against Casino Salzburg on matchday two. With 0 points after two games, they still managed to advance from the group and later to the final, where they lost to Ajax.
Only Juventus 1998–99 have progressed past the group stage without winning any of their first five games.
Manchester City 2014–15 progressed past the group stage without winning their first four.
The following teams have progressed past the group stage without winning any of their first three games:
Dynamo Kyiv lost one and drew two in 1998–99
Dynamo Kyiv lost two and drew one in 1999–2000
Fiorentina lost one and drew two in 1999–2000
Feyenoord drew their first five games in 1999–2000
Liverpool lost one and drew two in 2001–02 (second group stage)
Newcastle United lost their first three games in 2002–03
Lokomotiv Moscow lost two and drew one in 2002–03
Arsenal lost two and drew one in 2003–04
Celta Vigo lost one and drew two in 2003–04
Porto lost two and drew one in 2004–05
Werder Bremen lost two and drew one in 2005–06
Villarreal drew three in 2005–06
Liverpool lost two and drew one in 2007–08
Panathinaikos lost two and drew one in 2008–09
Internazionale drew three in 2009–10
Stuttgart lost one and drew two in 2009–10
Juventus drew three in 2012–13
Galatasaray lost two and drew one in 2012–13
16 teams have lost the first leg of a knockout match with three goals, but still managed to qualify for the next round:
Milan lost 2–5 against Rapid Wien in the preliminary round 1957–58, but won 4–1 in the second leg and 4–2 in the play-off
Schalke 04 lost 0–3 against KB in the first round 1958–59, but won 5–2 in the second leg and 3–1 in the play-off
Jeunesse Esch lost 1–4 against Haka in the preliminary round 1963–64, but won 4–0 in the second leg and 5–4 on aggregate
Partizan lost 1–4 against Sparta Prague in the quarter-final 1965–66, but won 5–0 in the second leg and 6–4 on aggregate
Panathinaikos lost 1–4 against Red Star Belgrade in the semi-final 1970–71, but won 3–0 in the second leg and progressed to the final on away goals
Saint-Étienne lost 1–4 against Hajduk Split in the second round 1974–75, but won 5–1 in the second leg and 6–5 on aggregate
Real Madrid lost 1–4 against Derby County in the second round 1975–76, but won 5–1 in the second leg and 6–5 on aggregate
Barcelona lost 0–3 against Gothenburg in the semi-final 1985–86, but won 3–0 in the second leg and 5–4 on penalties
Werder Bremen lost 0–3 against Dynamo Berlin in the first round 1988–89, but won 5–0 in the second leg and 5–3 on aggregate
Galatasaray lost 0–3 against Neuchâtel Xamax in the second round 1988–89, but won 5–0 in the second leg and 5–3 on aggregate
Leeds United lost 0–3 against Stuttgart in the first round 1992–93, but was awarded a score of 3–0 in the second leg and won 2–1 in the play-off
Copenhagen lost 0–3 against Linfield in the first round 1993–94, but won 4–0 (aet) in the second leg and 4–3 on aggregate
Paris Saint-Germain lost 0–3 against Steaua București in the second qualifying round 1997–98, but won 5–0 in the second leg and 5–3 on aggregate
Widzew Łódź lost 1–4 against Litex Lovech in the second qualifying round 1999–2000, but won 4–1 in the second leg and 3–2 on penalties
KF Tirana lost 0–3 against Dinamo Tbilisi in the first qualifying round 2003–04, but won 3–0 in the second leg and 4–2 on penalties
Deportivo La Coruña lost 1–4 against Milan in the quarter-final 2003–04, but won 4–0 in the second leg and 5–4 on aggregate
Only one team has lost the first leg of a knockout match by four goals, but still managed to qualify for the next round:
Barcelona lost 0–4 against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 first leg of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, but won 6–1 in the second leg to win 6–5 on aggregate.
Arsenal hold the record for the most consecutive clean sheets with ten in 2005–06. They went without conceding a goal for 995 minutes between September 2005 and May 2006. The run started after Markus Rosenberg's goal for Ajax after 71 minutes on matchday two of the group stage, continued with four group stage games and six games in the knockout rounds, and ended with Samuel Eto'o's goal for Barcelona after 76 minutes in the final. The 995 minutes were split between two goalkeepers, Jens Lehmann with 648 and Manuel Almunia with 347 minutes.
Manchester United hold the record for the longest run without conceding from the start of a campaign, with 481 minutes in 2010–11. The run ended with Pablo Hernández's goal for Valencia after 32 minutes on matchday six of the group stage.
Manchester United in 2010–11 is the only team to play six away games in a single Champions League season without conceding a goal
A total of 61 tournaments have been played, 37 in the European Cup era (1955–56 to 1991–92) and 24 in the Champions League era (1992–93 to 2015–16). 13 of the 60 attempts to defend the trophy (22.4%) have been successful, split between 8 teams. These are:
Real Madrid on 4 attempts out of 10 (1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60)
Benfica on 1 attempt out of 2 (1961–62)
Internazionale on 1 attempt out of 3 (1964–65)
Ajax on 2 attempts out of 4 (1971–72, 1972–73)
Bayern Munich on 2 attempts out of 5 (1974–75, 1975–76)
Liverpool on 1 attempt out of 5 (1977–78)
Nottingham Forest on 1 attempt out of 2 (1979–80)
Milan on 1 attempt out of 7 (1989–90).
Between the two eras of this competition, this breaks down as:
Of the 37 attempts in European Cup era: 13 successful (35.1%)
Of the 24 attempts in the Champions League era: 0 successful
The teams closest to defending the trophy in the Champions League era, all making it to the final:
Milan in 1994–95
Ajax in 1995–96
Juventus in 1996–97
Manchester United in 2008–09
Of the 22 teams that have won the trophy, 14 have never defended it. Only four of these have won the trophy more than once, and so have had more than one attempt to do so. These are:
Barcelona on 5 attempts: Lost to CSKA Moscow in the second round in 1992–93, to Liverpool in the round of 16 in 2006–07, to Internazionale in the semi-final in 2009–10, to Chelsea in the semi-final in 2011–12 and to Atlético Madrid in the quarter-final in 2015–16.
Manchester United on 3 attempts: Lost to Milan in the semi-final in 1968–69, to Real Madrid in the quarter-final in 1999–2000 and to Barcelona in the final in 2008–09.
Juventus on 2 attempts: Lost to Barcelona in the quarter-final in 1985–86 and to Borussia Dortmund in the final in 1996–97.
Porto on 2 attempts: Lost to Real Madrid in the second round in 1987–88 and to Internazionale in the round of 16 in 2004–05.
During the Champions League era, only one title holder has failed to qualify from the group stage:
Chelsea in 2012–13
Benfica twice won the competition (1961 and 1962) with a team consisting entirely of Portuguese players, although some of them had been born in Portuguese African colonies, then Overseas Provinces of Portugal but now independent nations.
Celtic won the competition in 1967 with their entire squad born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park, their home ground.
Nottingham Forest (1979 and 1980) won twice with a team consisting of players from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland (Martin O'Neill played in the 1980 final).
Liverpool won in 1981 with a team consisting of players from England and Scotland.
Aston Villa also won the European Cup (1982) with a team consisting entirely of players from England and Scotland.
Arsenal are believed to be the first club in Champions League history to have fielded 11 players of different nationality at the same time, in their 2–1 win away to Hamburg on 13 September 2006. The Arsenal team, after the 28th minute substitution of Kolo Touré, was: Jens Lehmann (Germany), Emmanuel Eboué (Ivory Coast), Johan Djourou (Switzerland), Justin Hoyte (England), William Gallas (France), Tomáš Rosický (Czech Republic), Gilberto Silva (Brazil), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Alexander Hleb (Belarus), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) and Robin van Persie (Netherlands).
Only on six occasions has the final of the tournament involved two teams from the same country:
2000 Spain: Real Madrid vs Valencia 3–0
2003 Italy: Milan vs Juventus 0–0 (3–2 pen.)
2008 England: Manchester United vs Chelsea 1–1 (6–5 pen.)
2013 Germany: Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund 2–1
2014 Spain: Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid 4–1
2016 Spain: Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid 1–1 (5–3 pen.)
In addition to the 6 finals, 24 meetings between teams from the same country have been played:
10 meetings from the English league:
1978–79 Nottingham Forest - Liverpool, first round, 2–0 (2–0, 0–0)
2003–04 Chelsea - Arsenal, quarter-final, 3–2 (1–1, 2–1)
2004–05 Liverpool - Chelsea, semi-final, 1–0 (0–0, 1–0)
2005–06 Liverpool - Chelsea, group stage, 0–0 and 0–0
2006–07 Liverpool - Chelsea, semi-final, 1–1 (1–0, 0–1) 4–1 pen.
2007–08 Liverpool - Arsenal, quarter-final, 5–3 (1–1, 4–2)
2007–08 Chelsea - Liverpool, semi-final, 4–3 (1–1, 3–2)
2008–09 Chelsea - Liverpool, quarter-final, 7–5 (3–1, 4–4)
2008–09 Manchester United - Arsenal, semi-final, 4–1 (1–0, 3–1)
2010–11 Manchester United - Chelsea, quarter-final 3–1 (1–0, 2–1)
10 meetings from the Spanish league:
1957–58 Real Madrid - Sevilla, quarter-final, 10–2 (8–0, 2–2)
1958–59 Real Madrid - Atlético Madrid, semi-final, 2–2 (2–1, 0–1), 2–1 in play-off
1959–60 Real Madrid - Barcelona, semi-final, 6–2 (3–1, 3–1)
1960–61 Barcelona - Real Madrid, first round, 4–3 (2–2, 2–1)
1999–2000 Valencia - Barcelona, semi-final, 5–3 (4–1, 1–2)
2001–02 Real Madrid - Barcelona, semi-final, 3–1 (2–0, 1–1)
2010–11 Barcelona - Real Madrid, semi-final, 3–1 (2–0, 1–1)
2013–14 Atlético Madrid - Barcelona, quarter-final, 2–1 (1–1, 1–0)
2014–15 Real Madrid - Atlético Madrid, quarter-final, 1–0 (0–0, 1–0)
2015–16 Atlético Madrid - Barcelona, quarter-final, 3–2 (1–2, 2–0)
3 meetings from the Italian league:
1985–86 Juventus - Verona, second round, 2–0 (0–0, 2–0)
2002–03 Milan - Internazionale, semi-final, 1–1 (0–0, 1–1), Milan won on "away" goals
2004–05 Milan - Internazionale, quarter-final, 5–0 (2–0, 3–0 (match forfeited))
2 meetings from the German league:
1997–98 Borussia Dortmund - Bayern Munich, quarter-final, 1–0 (0–0, 1–0)
1998–99 Bayern Munich - Kaiserslautern, quarter-final, 6–0 (2–0, 4–0)
1 meeting from the French league:
2009–10 Lyon - Bordeaux, quarter-final, 3–2 (3–1, 0–1)
2007–08 was the first season that four teams from the same country reached the quarter-final stage, England's Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. This feat was repeated by the same teams in the 2008–09 season.
The country providing the highest number of wins is Spain with 15 victories, shared by two teams, Real Madrid (10) and Barcelona (5).
The country playing the highest number of finals is Italy with 26 (in 2003 both finalists were from Italy: Milan and Juventus).
England has provided the highest number of different winning clubs with five: Liverpool, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Chelsea.
England has also provided the highest number of different finalists, with seven: The five winners, plus Leeds and Arsenal.
England has also provided the highest number of different semi-finalists, with nine: The seven finalists, plus Tottenham Hotspur and Derby County.
England and Spain has also provided the highest number of participants in the competition in one season: Five. England in (2005–06): Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Manchester United. Spain in (2015–16): Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia.
On two occasions has the final of the tournament involved two teams from the same city:
2014 Spain: Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid
2016 Spain: Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid
Apart from Milan, three cities have been represented by more than one team in the final:
Madrid has been represented by two clubs in 15 finals, with eleven wins (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016) and three losses (1962, 1964, 1981) for Real Madrid, and three losses for Atlético Madrid in (1974, 2014, 2016).
Belgrade, Yugoslavia, (now Belgrade, Serbia) has one win for Red Star Belgrade in 1991 and a loss for Partizan in 1966.
London has been represented by Arsenal, who lost in 2006, and Chelsea who lost in 2008, and won in 2012.
Athens and London are the only cities that have been represented in the group stage by three teams in the same season: Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens in 2003–04, and Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur in 2010–11 respectively.
London is the only city to be represented in the knockout stage by three teams in the same season when Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all progressed to the first knockout round in 2010–11
England is the only country with teams who have won the Cup from five different cities:
Liverpool, Liverpool
Manchester, Manchester United
Nottingham, Nottingham Forest
Birmingham, Aston Villa
London, Chelsea
Only seven derbies between teams of the same city have ever been played:
1958–59 Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid (semi-final)
2002–03 Internazionale vs Milan (semi-final)
2003–04 Chelsea vs Arsenal (quarter-final)
2004–05 Internazionale vs Milan (quarter-final) - the second leg was abandoned because of disturbances among the Inter fans.
2013–14 Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid (final)
2014–15 Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid (quarter-final)
2015–16 Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid (final)
The 2002–03 semi-final between Milan and Internazionale was the first time both games of a two-legged tie were played in the same stadium (San Siro). The teams share the stadium as their home venue. Milan won by the "away goals" rule. The teams also played each other in the same stadium in the 2004–05 quarter-final.
Spain in the 2015–16 season became the first nation to have five teams qualify for the Champions League group stages: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Valencia, and Sevilla as the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League champions.
Most goals scored in a group stage: 21
Borussia Dortmund (2016–17)
Fewest goals scored in a group stage: 0
Deportivo La Coruña (2004–05)
Maccabi Haifa (2009–10)
Dinamo Zagreb (2016–17)
Fewest goals conceded in a group stage: 1
Milan (1992–93)
Ajax (1995–96)
Juventus (1996–97 and 2004–05)
Villarreal (2005–06)
Liverpool (2005–06)
Chelsea (2005–06)
Manchester United (2010–11)
Monaco (2014–15)
Paris Saint-Germain (2015–16)
Most goals conceded in a group stage: 24
BATE Borisov (2014–15)
Legia Warsaw (2016–17)
Highest goal difference in a group stage: +17
Real Madrid (2011–12)
Lowest goal difference in a group stage: –22
BATE Borisov (2014–15)
Five clubs have won all their games in a group stage. Real Madrid are the first and only club to achieve this feat twice on 2011–12, 2014–15.
Milan, 1992–93
Paris Saint-Germain, 1994–95
Spartak Moscow, 1995–96
Barcelona, 2002–03 (First group stage)
Real Madrid, 2011–12, 2014–15
Only one club has drawn all their games in a group stage:
AEK Athens, 2002–03 (First group stage, finished 3rd and advanced to UEFA Cup)
In the history of the Champions League, the following clubs have lost all 6 group stage matches:
Košice (1997–98) ended the group stage losing all 6 matches with a goal difference of –11. They conceded 13 goals, scoring only twice.
Fenerbahçe (2001–02) lost all 6 group stage matches with a goal difference of –9. They conceded 12 goals and scored only 3.
Spartak Moscow (2002–03) have the second worst goal difference in a Champions League group stage with –17. They lost all 6 matches, conceding 18 goals and scoring just once.
Bayer Leverkusen (2002–03, second group stage) lost all 6 matches, scoring 5 and conceding 15. This was the only time that a club lost all matches in the second group stage. It was also the first time that two clubs lost six group stage matches in the same season.
Anderlecht (2004–05) lost all 6 of their group stage matches. They conceded 17 goals and scored just 4, with a goal difference of –13.
Rapid Wien (2005–06) ended the group stage losing all 6 games. They conceded 15 goals and scored only 3, with a goal difference of –12.
Levski Sofia (2006–07) finished their only appearance in the group stage conceding 17 goals and scoring just one, ending with a goal difference of –16.
Dynamo Kyiv (2007–08) ended the group stage also losing all 6 games. They conceded 19 goals, scoring only 4, ending with a goal difference of –15.
Maccabi Haifa (2009–10) is the first club to have lost all their group stage matches without scoring a goal. They did this finishing only their second appearance in the competition with 0 points after losing to Bayern Munich 3–0 in the first group game and then losing 5 consecutive games 1–0, ending the group stage with a goal difference of –8. In their first Champions League appearance in 2002–03, the team scored 12 goals. Deportivo La Coruña is another club that scored no goals in the group stage (in 2004–05), but they collected 2 points by twice drawing 0–0.
Debrecen (2009–10) finished the group stage with 0 points and a goal difference of –14. They conceded 19 goals, scoring just 5.
Partizan (2010–11) lost all six group stage matches. They conceded 13 goals while scoring only 2, finishing with a goal difference of –11.
MŠK Žilina (2010–11) also finished the group stage with 0 points and a goal difference of –16, scoring 3 and conceding 19. This was the second consecutive season that two different clubs had lost all six group stage matches.
Dinamo Zagreb (2011–12) lost all six group stage matches, setting new records for worst goal difference (–19) and most goals conceded (22), scoring 3.
Villarreal (2011–12) also finished with 0 points and goal difference of –12, scoring 2 and conceding 14.
Oțelul Galați (2011–12) as well finished with 0 points and goal difference of –8, scoring 3 and conceding 11. That became the first season in which three separate teams had lost all six group stage matches, and a third consecutive season in which at least two teams finished with 0 points.
Marseille (2013–14) finished with 0 points, scoring 5 and conceding 14 goals for a goal difference of –9.
Maccabi Tel Aviv (2015–16) finished with 0 points, scoring 1 and conceding 16 goals for a goal difference of –15. Maccabi's only goal came from a penalty.
Club Brugge (2016–17) finished with 0 points, scoring 2 and conceding 14 goals for a goal difference of –12.
Dinamo Zagreb (2016–17) is the second club to have lost all their group stage matches without scoring a goal. They finished their group stage matches with conceding 15 goals and a goal difference of –15. They are also the first team to have finished the group stage with 0 points twice, the first time being in the 2011–12 season,
Four teams have managed to score at least two goals in each match of the group stage:
On 7 December 2010, Tottenham Hotspur drew 3–3 against Twente and became the first team to achieve this.
Bayern Munich equaled the record the very next day by beating Basel 3–0.
Barcelona managed the same on 6 December 2011 by beating BATE Borisov 4–0.
Real Madrid achieved this by beating Copenhagen 2–0 on 10 December 2013. On 7 December 2016, Real Madrid drew 2–2 against Borussia Dortmund to achieve the record for the second time.
Real Madrid hold the record of the most consecutive seasons in advancing past the group stage with 20 from 1997–98 to 2016–17. The first seven seasons (1997–98 to 2003–04) they qualified for at least the quarterfinal each year, winning the tournament three times. After this followed six consecutive seasons (2004–05 to 2009–10) losing the first round (round of 16) after the group stage.
Barcelona set a record of finishing top of their group with 10 consecutive seasons from 2007–08 to 2016–17.
In 2012–13, Chelsea became the first title holder not to qualify from the following year's group stage.
Monaco scored the fewest goals (4) to earn 11 points in the group stage in 2014–15. Villareal won a group with the fewest goals scored (3) in 2005–06 resulting in 2 wins.
Biggest disparity between group winner and runner-up
The biggest points difference between the first- and second-placed teams in a Champions League group phase is 11 points, achieved by three teams:
Real Madrid, 18 points (16:2 goals) (+14) in 2014–15. (2nd Basel 7 points, 3rd Liverpool 5 points, 4th Ludogorets Razgrad 4 points).
Spartak Moscow, 18 points (15:4 goals) (+11) in 1995–96. (2nd Legia Warsaw 7 points, 3rd Rosenborg 6 points, 4th Blackburn Rovers 4 points). Spartak lost to Nantes in the next round (quarter-final).
Barcelona, 18 points (13:4 goals) (+9) in 2002–03. (2nd Lokomotiv Moscow 7 points, 3rd Club Brugge 5 points, 4th Galatasaray 4 points). Barcelona went on to win their group in the second group stage with 16 points, but lost to Juventus in the quarter-final.
Paris Saint-Germain, 12 points in 1997–98 (ranked third out of six runners-up, only two advanced)
Napoli, 12 points in 2013–14
Rosenborg, 11 points in 1997–98 (ranked fourth out of six runners-up, only two advanced)
Dynamo Kyiv, 10 points in 1999–2000 (second group stage) and 2004–05
Borussia Dortmund, 10 points in 2002–03 (second group stage)
PSV Eindhoven, 10 points in 2003–04
Olympiacos, 10 points in 2004–05
Werder Bremen, 10 points in 2006–07
Manchester City, 10 points in 2011–12
Chelsea, 10 points in 2012–13
CFR Cluj, 10 points in 2012–13
Benfica, 10 points in 2013–14
Porto, 10 points in 2015–16
Fenerbahçe, 9 points in 2004–05
Olympiacos, 9 points in 2015–16
Copenhagen, 9 points in 2016–17
Rangers, 8 points in 1992–93 (2 wins and 4 draws, 2 points for a win, only 1 team advanced)
Manchester City, 15 points in 2013–14 (ranked second)
Arsenal, 13 points in 2014–15 (ranked second)
Paris Saint-Germain, 13 points in 2015–16 (ranked second); 12 points in 2016–17 (ranked second)
Arsenal, 12 points in 2013–14 (ranked second)
Napoli, 12 points in 2013–14 (ranked third)
Bayern Munich, 12 points in 2016–17 (ranked second)
Real Madrid, 12 points in 2016–17 (ranked second)
Milan, 5 points in 1994–95 (3 wins and 1 draw, 2 points deducted, 2 points for a win)
Zenit Saint Petersburg, 6 points in 2013–14
Roma, 6 points in 2015–16
Legia Warsaw, 7 points in 1995–96
Dynamo Kyiv, 7 points in 1999–2000
Liverpool, 7 points in 2001–02 (second group stage)
Lokomotiv Moscow, 7 points in 2002–03
Werder Bremen, 7 points in 2005–06
Rangers, 7 points in 2005–06
Galatasaray, 7 points in 2013–14
Basel, 7 points in 2014–15
Several teams have been knocked out on a tiebreaker, most on the head-to-head criteria:
Manchester United lost to Barcelona in 1994–95
Casino Salzburg lost to Milan in 1994–95 (2 points for a win, would have been 2 points behind with 3 points for a win)
Paris Saint-Germain lost to Bayern Munich in 1997–98 (second place, only one team advanced directly), and on goal difference to Juventus in the ranking of runners-up
Galatasaray lost to Juventus in 1998–99 (second place, only one team advanced directly)
Rosenborg lost to Juventus in 1998–99 (third place, only one team advanced directly)
Bayer Leverkusen lost to Dynamo Kyiv in 1999–2000
Dynamo Kyiv lost on head-to-head to Real Madrid in 1999–2000 (second group stage) despite having a better goal difference
Olympiacos lost to Lyon in 2000–01, to Liverpool in 2004–05 and to Arsenal in 2015–16
Rangers lost on head-to-head to Galatasaray in 2000–01 despite having a better goal difference
Lyon lost to Arsenal in 2000–01 (second group stage) and to Ajax in 2002–03, both on head-to-head with a better goal difference
Dortmund lost on goal difference to Boavista in 2001–02, both teams winning 2–1 at home in head-to-head matches
Mallorca lost to Arsenal in 2001–02
Roma lost on head-to-head to Liverpool in 2001–02 (second group stage) despite having a better goal difference
Internazionale lost to Lokomotiv Moscow in 2003–04
PSV Eindhoven lost on head-to-head to Deportivo La Coruña in 2003–04 despite having a better goal difference
Udinese lost to Werder Bremen in 2005–06
Ajax lost to Lyon on overall goal difference in 2011–12, having both head-to-head games end in a 0–0 draw. Lyon won their last group game against Dinamo Zagreb with 7–1 (after being 0–1 down at half time) while Ajax lost 0–3 against Real Madrid (in which two goals from Ajax were wrongfully cancelled). The aggregate goal difference in both games would have to be at least 7 goals for Lyon to advance, and in fact it was 9.
Chelsea lost on head-to-head to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2012–13 despite having a better goal difference
CFR Cluj lost on head-to-head to Galatasaray in 2012–13 despite having a better goal difference
Benfica lost on head-to-head to Olympiacos in 2013–14
Napoli lost on head-to-head to Dortmund and Arsenal in 2013–14
Bayer Leverkusen lost on head-to-head to Roma in 2015–16
1995–96 was the first tournament in which three points were awarded for a win instead of two. The following teams were knocked out from the group stage, but would have advanced following the old rule:
Rosenborg was ranked fourth out of six runners-up in 1997–98, but would have equaled the points of Paris Saint-Germain and eventual finalists Juventus and advanced on goal difference
Bayer Leverkusen ended third in Group A in 1999–2000, but would have been one point ahead of Dynamo Kyiv
Panathinaikos ended third in Group E in 2004–05, but would have equaled the points of PSV Eindhoven and advanced on head-to-head matches
Werder Bremen ended third in Group B in 2008–09, but would have equaled the points of Internazionale and advanced on head-to-head matches
Since the addition of a third qualifying round in 1999–2000, four teams have negotiated all three rounds of qualification and reached the Champions League group phase:
Liverpool in 2005–06
Artmedia Bratislava in 2005–06
Anorthosis in 2008–09
BATE Borisov in 2008–09
Liverpool went on to become the first team in the history of the competition to reach the knockout phase from the first qualifying round.
No team has progressed to the group stage from the First Qualifying Round since the Champions League Format was altered from the 2009–10 season onwards.
Four teams have managed to win the tournament from the third qualification round:
Manchester United in 1998–99
Milan in 2002–03 and 2006–07
Liverpool in 2004–05
Barcelona in 2008–09
Real Madrid hold the record of consecutive goalscoring in the Champions League matches. They have scored at least one goal in 34 consecutive games. The run started with a 1–1 draw against Barcelona in the second leg of the semi-final of the 2010–11 season. This continued with all 12 matches of both the 2011–12 season and 2012–13 season, and continued into the 2013–14 season for nine games (six group stage games, both legs of the round of 16 and the first leg of the quarter-finals), with the run finally coming to an end in a 2–0 away loss in the quarter-finals second leg against Borussia Dortmund on 8 April 2014.
Bayern Munich hold the record with 16 consecutive home wins in the Champions League. Bayern Munich record streak started by winning against Manchester City 1–0 on 17 September 2014. The run has reached the 16th win by beating Arsenal 5–1 on 15 February 2017.
Bayern Munich equaled the record of Ajax (1995–1997) for consecutive away wins in the Champions League having won 7 consecutive away games. The run began with a 3–1 win against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the 2012–13 round of 16, and continued through to the final, with wins against Juventus (2–0) at the Juventus Stadium and against Barcelona (3–0) at the Camp Nou. In the 2013–14 season the streak continued with group stage wins over Manchester City (3–1) at the City of Manchester Stadium, Viktoria Plzeň (1–0) and CSKA Moscow (3–1). The record equaling seventh win was achieved when they again defeated Arsenal 2–0 at the Emirates Stadium in the round of 16 first leg on 19 February 2014. Their run ended with a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
Bayern Munich (2012–13, 2013–14) and Real Madrid (2013–14, 2014–15) hold the record of ten consecutive wins in the Champions League. Bayern Munich's run started on 2 April 2013 in the 2–0 win against Juventus in the first leg of the quarter-final of the 2012–13 season after losing 2–0 against Arsenal three weeks earlier. The run continued in the other three knockout matches and the final of the 2012–13 season. The run continued in the first five group stage matches of the 2013–14 season, but ended with the sixth in a 2–3 home defeat against Manchester City on 10 December 2013. Real Madrid's run started on 23 April 2014 in the 1–0 win against Bayern Munich in the first leg of semi-final of the 2013–14 season after losing 2–0 against Borussia Dortmund two weeks earlier in the second leg of the quarter-final. The run continued in the other leg of the semi-final, the final against Atlético Madrid, the six group stage matches of the 2014–15 season, and the first leg of round of 16 of the 2014–15 season, against Schalke 04.
The record for the longest unbeaten run at home stands at 31 games and is held by Bayern Munich. The run began with a 0–0 draw against Borussia Dortmund in 1997–98 and finished with a 2–1 win against Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2001–02 quarter-finals. The 31 game unbeaten run ended with a 2–3 loss to Deportivo La Coruña in the first group stage in 2002–03.
The record for the longest away unbeaten run stands at 16 games and is held by Manchester United. The run began with a 1–0 win against Sporting CP in the 2007–08 group stage. It lasted until the 3–2 win against Milan at the San Siro in the first leg of the first knockout stage of 2009–10. The run ended with a 1–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the 2009–10 quarter-finals. During this run, Manchester United were beaten 2–0 by Barcelona in the 2009 final. This game, however, was at a neutral venue and as such is not classified as an away game.
The record for the longest unbeaten run stands at 25 games and is held by Manchester United. It began with a 1–0 away win against Sporting Clube de Portugal in their opening group stage game in 2007–08 and finished with a 3–1 away win against Arsenal in the second leg of the semi-final in 2008–09. The 25 game unbeaten streak ended with a 0–2 loss to Barcelona in the 2009 final.
This broke the previous record of 20 consecutive games unbeaten by Ajax, which began with a 0–0 home draw against Porto in the second leg of the first round in 1985–86, and after an eight-year hiatus from the competition resumed through a 2–0 home win against Milan in their opening group stage game in 1994–95 and ended with a 0–1 home loss to Panathinaikos in the first leg of the semi-final in 1995–96.
The third longest run is 19 by Bayern Munich, which began with a 1–0 home win against Arsenal on matchday six of the second group stage in 2000–01, and ended with a 0–2 away loss to Real Madrid in the second leg of the quarter-finals in 2001–02.
As of 8 March 2017
The table below does not include appearances made in the qualification stage of the competition.
Bold indicates players active in the competition in the 2016–17 season and their current club.
19 other players have made 100 or more Champions League appearances (excluding qualifying games): Zlatan Ibrahimović, Carles Puyol, Thierry Henry, Petr Čech, Xabi Alonso, Gary Neville, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Andrea Pirlo, David Beckham, Víctor Valdés, Frank Lampard, Lionel Messi, Luís Figo, Oliver Kahn, Patrice Evra, Philipp Lahm, Andriy Shevchenko and Gianluigi Buffon.
As of 8 March 2017
The table below does not include goals scored in the qualification stage of the competition.
Bold indicates players active in the competition in the 2016–17 season and their current club.
Two players have been top scorer in five seasons:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) in 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, and 2014–15
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) in 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16
Real Madrid has produced the top scorer in ten seasons:
Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1957–58
Ferenc Puskás in 1959–60 and 1963–64
Míchel in 1987–88
Raúl in 1999–00 and 2000–01
Cristiano Ronaldo in 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16
Portuguese players have achieved 11 top scorer titles:
José Águas in 1960–61
José Torres in 1964–65
Eusébio in 1964–65, 1965–66, and 1967–68
Rui Águas in 1987–88
Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16
José (1960–61) and Rui Águas (1987–88) are the only father–son duo to finish as top scorers; each achieved this while playing for Benfica.
The following top scorers also won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot:
Just Fontaine (1958–59) at the 1958 FIFA World Cup
Flórián Albert (1965–66) at the 1962 FIFA World Cup
Eusébio (1964–65, 1965–66, and 1967–68) at the 1966 FIFA World Cup
Gerd Müller (1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, and 1976–77) at the 1970 FIFA World Cup
Paolo Rossi (1982–83) at the 1982 FIFA World Cup
Hristo Stoichkov (1993–94) at the 1994 FIFA World Cup
The European Cup's first hat-trick was scored by Péter Palotás of MTK Hungária against Anderlecht on 7 September 1955, in the second match ever played in the competition.
Only three players managed to score a hat-trick in a final, Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1960, Ferenc Puskás in 1960 (4 goals) and in 1962, and Pierino Prati in 1969. Puskás is the only player to score a hat-trick in a final and lose it (1962).
The first hat-trick of the Champions League era was scored by PSV Eindhoven's Juul Ellerman against FK Žalgiris on 16 September 1992.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo scored three hat-tricks in a single Champions League season (3+4+3 goals), in the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League. Three players scored two hat-tricks in a single Champions League season: Lionel Messi (3+5 goals) and Mario Gómez (3+4 goals), both in the 2011–12 season, and Luiz Adriano, who scored hat-tricks in two consecutive games (5+3 goals) in the 2014–15 season.
The fastest-ever Champions League hat-trick was scored by Bafétimbi Gomis, who scored three goals in seven minutes for Lyon against Dinamo Zagreb in the 2011–12 season.
The youngest player to score a hat-trick is Wayne Rooney, aged 18 years, 335 days on his Champions League and Manchester United debut, in a 6–2 home win against Fenerbahçe on 28 September 2004.
Seven players have scored a hat-trick on their debut in the Champions League:
Marco van Basten (Milan), Faustino Asprilla (Newcastle United), Yakubu (Maccabi Haifa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Udinese), Grafite (Wolfsburg), and Yacine Brahimi (Porto)
Lionel Messi is the only player to have scored 7 hat-tricks in the Champions League.
The following players have scored four goals in one European Cup/UEFA Champions League match. Only Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski managed to do this from the quarter-final stage onwards and Ferenc Puskás is the only footballer to score four goals in a final (1960).
European Cup era:
Miloš Milutinović (Partizan), 5–2 against Sporting CP, first round of 1955–56
Dennis Viollet (Manchester United), 10–0 against Anderlecht, preliminary round of 1956–57
Ivan Petkov Kolev (CSKA Sofia), 8–1 against Dinamo București, first round of 1956–57
Jovan Cokić (Red Star Belgrade), 9–1 against Stade Dudelange, preliminary round of 1957–58
Bora Kostić (Red Star Belgrade), 9–1 against Stade Dudelange, preliminary round of 1957–58
Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid), 8–0 against Sevilla, quarter-final of 1957–58, and 7–1 against Wiener Sport-Club, quarter-final of 1958–59
Just Fontaine (Stade de Reims), 4–1 away against Ards, first round of 1958–59
Josef Hamerl (Wiener Sport-Club), 7–0 against Juventus, first round of 1958–59
Sándor Kocsis (Barcelona), 5–2 away against Wolverhampton Wanderers, quarter-final of 1959–60
Ferenc Puskás (Real Madrid), 7–3 against Eintracht Frankfurt, final of 1959–60, and 5–0 against Feyenoord, preliminary round of 1965–66
Lucien Cossou (Monaco), 7–2 against AEK Athens, preliminary round of 1963–64
Vladimir Kovačević (Partizan), 6–2 against Jeunesse Esch, first round of 1963–64
José Torres (Benfica), 5–1 away against Aris, preliminary round of 1964–65
Eusébio (Benfica), 10–0 against Stade Dudelange, preliminary round of 1965–66
Friedhelm Konietzka (1860 München), 8–0 against Omonia, first round of 1966–67
Denis Law (Manchester United), 7–1 against Waterford United, first round of 1968–69
Zoran Antonijević (Red Star Belgrade), 4–2 away against Linfield, first round of 1969–70
Ruud Geels (Feyenoord), 12–2 away against KR Reykjavík, first round of 1969–70
Antonis Antoniadis (Panathinaikos), 5–0 against Jeunesse Esch, first round of 1970–71
João Lourenço (Sporting CP), 5–0 against Floriana, first round of 1970–71
Kurt Müller, (Grasshoppers), 8–0 against Reipas Lahti, first round of 1971–72
Dudu Georgescu (Dinamo București), 11–0 against Crusaders, first round of 1973–74
Radu Nunweiller (Dinamo București), 11–0 against Crusaders, first round of 1973–74
Jupp Heynckes (Borussia Mönchengladbach), 6–1 away against Wacker Innsbruck, first round of 1975–76
René van de Kerkhof (PSV Eindhoven), 6–0 against Dundalk, first round of 1976–77
Willy van der Kuijlen (PSV Eindhoven), 6–1 against Fenerbahçe, first round of 1978–79
Sotiris Kaiafas (Omonia), 6–1 against Red Boys Differdange, first round 1979–80
Ton Blanker (Ajax), 8–1 against HJK Helsinki, first round of 1979–80
Fernando Gomes (Porto), 9–0 against Rabat Ajax, first round of 1986–87
Marco van Basten (Milan), 5–2 against Vitosha, first round of 1988–89
Rabah Madjer (Porto), 8–1 away against Portadown, first round of 1990–91
Hugo Sánchez (Real Madrid), 9–1 against Swarovski Tirol, second round of 1990–91
Alan Smith (Arsenal), 6–1 against Austria Wien, first round of 1991–92
Sergei Yuran (Benfica), 6–0 away against Hamrun Spartans, first round of 1991–92
Champions League era, preliminary rounds:
Serhiy Rebrov (Dynamo Kyiv), 8–0 against Barry Town, first qualifying round 1998–99
Pena (Porto), 8–0 against Barry Town United, second qualifying round of 2001–02
Tomasz Frankowski (Wisła Kraków), 8–2 away against WIT Georgia, second qualifying round of 2004–05
Semih Şentürk (Fenerbahçe), 5–0 away against MTK Hungária, second qualifying round of 2008–09
Champions League era:
Marco van Basten (Milan), 4–0 against IFK Göteborg, group stage of 1992–93
Simone Inzaghi (Lazio), 5–1 against Marseille, second group stage of 1999–2000
Dado Pršo (Monaco), 8–3 against Deportivo La Coruña, group stage of 2003–04
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United), 4–1 against Sparta Prague, group stage of 2004–05
Andriy Shevchenko (Milan), 4–0 away against Fenerbahçe, group stage of 2005–06
Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 4–1 against Arsenal, quarter-final of 2009–10
Bafétimbi Gomis (Lyon), 7–1 against Dinamo Zagreb, group stage of 2011–12
Mario Gómez (Bayern Munich), 7–0 against Basel, round of 16 of 2011–12
Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), 4–1 against Real Madrid, semi-final of 2012–13
Zlatan Ibrahimović (Paris Saint-Germain), 5–0 against Anderlecht, group stage of 2013–14
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 8–0 against Malmö FF, group stage of 2015–16
The following players have managed to score five goals in one European Cup/UEFA Champions League match:
European Cup era:
Ove Olsson (Gothenburg), 6–1 against Linfield, preliminary round, 1959–60
Bent Løfqvist (Boldklubben 1913), 9–2 against Spora, preliminary round, 1961–62
José Altafini (Milan), 8–0 against Union Luxembourg, preliminary round, 1962–63
Ray Crawford (Ipswich), 10–0 against Floriana, preliminary round, 1962–63
Nikola Kotkov (Lokomotiv Sofia), 8–3 against Malmö FF, preliminary round, 1964–65
Flórián Albert (Ferencváros), 9–1 against Keflavík, preliminary round, 1965–66
Paul van Himst (Anderlecht), 10–1 away against Haka, first round, 1966–67
Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich), 9–0 against Omonia, second round, 1972–73
Claudio Sulser (Grasshoppers), 8–0 against Valletta, first round, 1978–79
Søren Lerby (Ajax), 10–0 against Omonia, second round, 1979–80
Champions League era, preliminary rounds:
Mihails Miholaps (Skonto), 8–0 against Jeunesse Esch, first qualifying round 1999–2000
David Lafata (Sparta Prague), 7–0 against Levadia Tallinn, second qualifying round 2014–15
Champions League era:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 7–1 against Bayer Leverkusen, round of 16, 2011–12
Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar Donetsk), 7–0 against BATE Borisov, group stage, 2014–15
Oldest and youngest
Manfred Burgsmüller of SV Werder Bremen is the oldest (38 years, 293 days) player to score in the European Cup and Champions League, when he scored against Dynamo Berlin on 11 October 1988.
Peter Ofori-Quaye of Olympiacos is the youngest (17 years, 194 days) player to score in the Champions League, when he scored against Rosenborg on 1 October 1997.
Paolo Maldini of Milan is the oldest (36 years, 333 days) player to score in a Champions League final, doing so in 2005.
Patrick Kluivert of Ajax is the youngest (18 years, 327 days) player to score in a Champions League final, doing so in 1995.
Francesco Totti of Roma is the oldest (38 years, 59 days) player to score in the Champions League, when he scored against CSKA Moscow on 25 November 2014.
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most goals in the knockout phase with 44.
Cristiano Ronaldo (2015–16) holds the record for most goals in the group stage in a single season in the UEFA Champions league with 11 goals scored.
The fastest ever Champions League goal was scored by Bayern Munich's Roy Makaay in 10.12 seconds against Real Madrid on 7 March 2007.
The fastest goal in a final was scored by Milan's Paolo Maldini after 53 seconds in the 2005 final, which Milan lost to Liverpool.
Alfredo Di Stéfano has scored in most finals with five, one goal in each final from 1956 to 1959 and three goals in 1960
The first goal of the tournament was scored by Sporting CP player João Martins after 14 minutes in a 3–3 draw against Partizan on 4 September 1955, in the first match ever played in the competition and Nigerian Daniel Amokachi scoring the first champions league goal after his goal secured a 1–0 win for Club Brugge in the opening match in the group stage against CSKA Moscow.
Ferenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano have scored seven final goals. Puskás scored four in 1960 and three in 1962, while Di Stéfano scored seven goals in five different finals.
Three goalkeepers have scored in the Champions League:
Hans-Jörg Butt has done so three times with three different clubs, all with penalties, and all against Juventus:
For Hamburg in a 4–4 home draw on 13 September 2000 in a group stage match
For Leverkusen in a 3–1 home win on 12 March 2002 in a second group stage match
The equaliser for Bayern Munich on 8 December 2009 in a group stage match in Turin, which Bayern had to win to qualify for the next stage, and went on to win 4–1.
Sinan Bolat is the only goalkeeper to score a goal in open play: his last-minute (90+5') equalizer for Standard Liège against AZ on 9 December 2009, securing the third place in Group H, led his team to the Europa League.
Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv) scored a penalty on 29 September 2010, playing against Lyon.
Zlatan Ibrahimović is the only player to have scored for six different teams in the Champions League:
Ajax (6 goals in 19 games; 2002–03 to 2003–04)
Juventus (3 goals in 19 games; 2004–05 to 2005–06)
Internazionale (6 goals in 22 games; 2006–07 to 2008–09)
Barcelona (4 goals in 10 games; 2009–10)
Milan (9 goals in 14 games; 2010–11 to 2011–12).
Paris Saint-Germain (10 goals in 13 games; 2012–13 to 2013–14).
Ruud van Nistelrooy is the only player to score in nine consecutive UEFA Champions League appearances (2002–03)
Raúl is the only player to score in 14 consecutive Champions League seasons:
Raúl scored from 1997–98 to 2010–11, for Real Madrid and Schalke 04.
Ryan Giggs is the only player to score in 16 different Champions League seasons:
Giggs scored in 1994–95, 1996–97 to 2006–07 and 2008–09 to 2011–12, all for Manchester United
Lionel Messi is the only player to have scored 9 goals (most than any other player) against a single opponent - (vs Arsenal, 2010, 2011, 2016)
On 4 September 1955, João Baptista Martins scored the first goal of the European Cup with Sporting CP.
On 25 November 1992, Daniel Amokachi scored the first goal of the UEFA Champions League with the Club Brugge.
Francisco Gento is the only player to win the tournament six times, all during his time at Real Madrid: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1966
Two players have appeared in eight finals:
Francisco Gento in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964 and 1966, all with Real Madrid
Paolo Maldini in 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2005 and 2007, all with Milan
Only one player has won the tournament with three different teams:
Clarence Seedorf with Ajax in 1995, with Real Madrid in 1998 and with Milan in 2003 and 2007
Only five players have won the Champions League in two consecutive seasons with two different teams:
Marcel Desailly—Marseille 1993 and Milan 1994
Paulo Sousa — Juventus 1996 and Borussia Dortmund 1997
Gerard Piqué — Manchester United 2008 and Barcelona 2009
Samuel Eto'o — Barcelona 2009 and Internazionale 2010 - the only player to have won the treble in two consecutive seasons with two different teams
Three father-son duos have won the competition for the same club:
Manuel Sanchís Martínez (1966) and Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo (1998 and 2000), both for Real Madrid
Cesare Maldini (1963) and Paolo Maldini (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003 and 2007), both for Milan
Carles Busquets (1992) and Sergio Busquets (2009, 2011, and 2015) both for Barcelona
Oldest and youngest
The oldest player to win the tournament is Ferenc Puskás, who was 39 years and 39 days when Real Madrid won against Partizan on 11 May 1966
The youngest player to win the tournament is António Simões, who was 18 years and 139 days when Benfica won against Real Madrid on 2 May 1962
The oldest player to play in the tournament is Lazio's Marco Ballotta, against Real Madrid in December 2007, aged 43 years and 252 days. (The oldest player overall to play in any European club competition fixture is Al Finucane of Waterford United, who was aged 43 years and 261 days when he appeared against Bordeaux in the European Cup-Winners' Cup in September 1986.)
The youngest player to play in the tournament is Anderlecht's Celestine Babayaro, against Steaua București on 23 November 1994, aged 16 years and 87 days. He was sent off in the 37th minute.
The oldest player to play in a final is Dino Zoff, who was 41 years and 86 days when Juventus lost to Hamburg in 1983
2 players scored 11 penalties out of 14 taken: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
15 players scored 2 own goals against their teams: Iván Helguera, Gary Caldwell, Gerard Piqué, Wes Brown, Cadú, Edu Dracena, Tomáš Hubočan, Ânderson Polga, Igor Akinfeev, Alex, Andrzej Grębosz, Jószef Horváth, Thomas Kleine, Craig Moore and Zoco.
Iñigo Martínez scored after 69 seconds the fastest own goal in 2013–14 UEFA Champions League against his team Real Sociedad for Manchester United.
As of 8 March 2017
The table below does not include assists made in the qualification stage of the competition.
Bold indicates players active in the competition in the 2016–17 season and their current club.
Jens Lehmann holds the record for the most consecutive clean sheets, with 10 for Arsenal in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In total his run without conceding a goal lasted 853 minutes.
Helmuth Duckadam holds the record of saving all 4 penalties during the shoot-out in the 1986 final between Steaua București and Barcelona.
Heinz Stuy holds the record for three consecutive clean sheets in the finals of 1971, 1972 and 1973.
Iker Casillas holds the record for most clean sheets in the competition with 54, 50 with Real Madrid and 4 with Porto.
Only two players have ever been sent off in a Champions League Final: Jens Lehmann (Arsenal) in the 2006 Final against Barcelona (sent off by Terje Hauge in the 18th minute after bringing down Samuel Eto'o); and Didier Drogba (Chelsea) in the 2008 Champions League Final (sent off by Ľuboš Micheľ in the 117th minute for slapping Manchester United player Nemanja Vidić). Both players' teams lost their respective finals.
Edgar Davids and Zlatan Ibrahimović jointly hold the record for the most red cards in the Champions League; they have each been sent off four times.
Patrick Vieira is also the only player to have been sent off for three different teams in the Champions League, with Arsenal, Juventus and Internazionale.
Paul Scholes holds the record for the most yellow cards in the Champions League, with 32.
Michael Ballack became the first player to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with four separate clubs: Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
David Weir became the oldest player to start as captain in the Champions League era when he led Rangers against Bursaspor in 2010–11, aged 40 years and 212 days.
Rúben Neves became the youngest player to start as captain in the Champions League era when he led FC Porto against Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2015–16, aged 18 years 221 days.
Carlo Ancelotti holds the record of three times champions and reached four finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Only two managers have won the UEFA European Cup three times.
Bob Paisley in 1977, 1978 and 1981 (all with Liverpool).
Carlo Ancelotti in 2003, 2007 (Milan) and 2014 (Real Madrid).
Four managers have managed four finalists:
Marcello Lippi in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2003 (all with Juventus).
Miguel Muñoz in 1960, 1962, 1964 and 1966 (all with Real Madrid)
Sir Alex Ferguson in 1999, 2008, 2009 and 2011 (all with Manchester United)
Carlo Ancelotti in 2003, 2005, 2007 (all three Milan) and 2014 (Real Madrid).
Seven individuals have won the Champions League as a player then later as a manager, three of them with the same club:
Miguel Muñoz of Real Madrid won as a player in 1956 and 1957 and as a manager in 1960 and 1966
Carlo Ancelotti won as a player in 1989 and 1990 and as a manager in 2003 and 2007 with Milan, then as a manager in 2014 with Real Madrid
Pep Guardiola of Barcelona won as a player in 1992 and as a manager in 2009 and 2011
Giovanni Trapattoni won as a player in 1963 and 1969, both with Milan, and as a manager in 1985 with Juventus.
Johan Cruyff won as a player in 1971, 1972 and 1973, all with Ajax, and as a manager in 1992 with Barcelona.
Frank Rijkaard won as a player in 1989 and 1990, both with Milan and in 1995 with Ajax, and as a manager in 2006 with Barcelona.
Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid won as player in 2002 and as a manager in 2016.
Five managers have won the title with two different clubs:
Ernst Happel did so with Feyenoord in 1970 and Hamburg in 1983
Ottmar Hitzfeld did so with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and Bayern Munich in 2001
José Mourinho did it with Porto in 2004 and Internazionale in 2010
Jupp Heynckes did so with Real Madrid in 1998 and Bayern Munich in 2013
Carlo Ancelotti did so with Milan in 2003 and 2007 and Real Madrid in 2014.
Ernst Happel is the only manager to reach the Champions League final with three different teams:
Feyenoord (1970), Club Brugge (1978) and Hamburg in (1983).
Vicente del Bosque is the only manager to have won the Champions League, the World Cup and the European Championship:
Real Madrid in 2000 and 2002, the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012 with Spain
One other manager has won the Champions League as well as the World Cup:
Marcello Lippi won the Champions League with Juventus in 1996 and the World Cup in 2006 with Italy
Two other managers have won the European Cup as well as the European Championship:
José Villalonga won the European Cup with Real Madrid in 1956 and 1957 and the European Championship in 1964 with Spain
Rinus Michels won the European Cup with Ajax in 1971 and the European Championship in 1988 with Netherlands
Two managers have won the Cup Winners' Cup and the European Cup with the same club in two consecutive seasons:
Nereo Rocco of Milan won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1968 and the European Cup in 1969
Giovanni Trapattoni of Juventus won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 and the European Cup in 1985
Three managers have won the UEFA Cup and the European Cup in two consecutive seasons, two of them with the same club:
Bob Paisley won the UEFA Cup in 1976 and the European Cup in 1977, both with Liverpool
José Mourinho won the UEFA Cup in 2003 and the Champions League in 2004, both with Porto
Rafael Benítez won the UEFA Cup in 2004 with Valencia and the Champions League in 2005 with Liverpool
Rafael Benítez is the only manager to have won the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League
Two managers have won the Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup and the European Cup:
Giovanni Trapattoni of Juventus won the UEFA Cup in 1977 and 1993, the Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 and the European Cup in 1985
Udo Lattek won the European Cup in 1974 with Bayern Munich, the UEFA Cup in 1979 with Borussia Mönchengladbach and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1982 with Barcelona
