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UEFA Champions League best ever teams

The UEFA Champions League has played host to some of the greatest teams in the history of club football.

We highlight the best teams to have won the tournament since it was rebranded from the European Cup in 1992.

UEFA Champions League 2024/25

Man United (1998/99)

Sir Alex Ferguson's 1998/99 Manchester United side went unbeaten throughout their entire 11-game UEFA Champions League campaign, with knockout stage wins over Juventus and Inter Milan culminating in a dramatic victory over Bayern Munich in the final.

Trailing 1-0 in the 90th minute, Teddy Sheringham equalised for the Red Devils before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck the late winner in Barcelona to break Bayern hearts.

The victory formed part of a treble for Ferguson's men and was just United's second ever win in Europe's top competition.

Barcelona (2010/11)

Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League twice under Pep Guardiola's guidance, first in 2009, but it was their second victory under the manager in 2011 that captured the footballing imagination.

After topping their group, Barca got the better of Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk in the first two knockout stages and would face rivals Real Madrid in the last four.

The Catalan club got the better of their El Clasico opponents 3-1 on aggregate to set up a final against Manchester United at Wembley.

With Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi at the peak of their powers, Guardiola's side wiped the floor with the Red Devils, securing a 3-1 win.

Messi, Pedro and David Villa scored, but it was the Argentinian who took all the plaudits, with a performance some consider the best ever in a UEFA Champions League final.

Real Madrid (2016/17)

Real Madrid are the record winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, taking the crown an impressive 14 times.

Their success in the competition was visible throughout the 2010s as they took home the 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 titles.

The middle of those three straight victories was arguably the most impressive as Los Blancos got the better of Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in the last 16 and quarter-finals before seeing off rivals Atletico, who they had beaten in the final a year before, in the last four.

That set up a final against Juventus in Cardiff that Madrid won comprehensively, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting a brace and Casemiro and Marco Asensio both also on the scoresheet.

Ronaldo also top-scored in the competition that season with 12 goals and was an integral part of Real cementing themselves as the kings of the competition across that decade.

Man City (2022/23)

For a long time, Manchester City have been looking to establish themselves as the dominant force in European football.

The Citizens have managed to win five of the last six Premier League titles to assert their dominance on the English game.

They finally broke their duck on the European stage last season when they triumphed 1-0 over Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul. having convincingly dispatched perennial winners Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

Securing a historic treble with successes in the Premier League and FA Cup, Guardiola's side cemented themselves as one of the strongest sides in the history of the competition.

View UEFA Champions League outright odds.

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