In this article, we'll take a look at the 10 most exciting, dramatic, and historic UEFA Champions League finals of all time.
10: Bale's Dream, Karius's Nightmare (Real Madrid - Liverpool, 3-1, 2018)
The 2018 Champions League final was a spectacular event for several reasons. Real Madrid was the favorite, having won three of the previous four competitions. However, they didn't win the game in the expected way.
With Liverpool's goalkeeper Alisson injured, Loris Karius took over and delivered one of the most infamous performances in the competition's history. He threw the ball at Karim Benzema, causing the 1-0 goal, and was at fault for the 3-1 goal when Gareth Bale's shot from miles out slipped through his gloves.
Bale was the other key figure in the final, scoring an incredible bicycle kick to restore Real Madrid's lead after Sadio Mané equalized minutes earlier. It was the cherry on top of a truly unique cake.
9: Porto Wins Battle of the Underdogs (FC Porto - AS Monaco, 3-0, 2004)
FC Porto, led by José Mourinho, won a true battle of the underdogs in the 2004 Champions League final against AS Monaco. The Portuguese team was wary of the Monegasque striker duo of Dado Prso and Fernando Morientes, who were considered two of the best headers in the world at the time.
Porto played a defensively solid and attackingly opportunistic brand of football, striking coldly and efficiently as Monaco was downed 3-0 thanks to goals from Carlos Alberto, Deco, and Dmitri Alenichev.
A week later, Mourinho moved to Chelsea, giving himself the nickname "Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion, and I think I'm a special one."
8: Ajax's Fairytale Team Down Mighty Milan (Ajax - AC Milan, 1-0, 1995)
A lot can change in 32 years. Ajax can attest to that. 32 years after their third-straight Europa Cup win, Ajax returned to the grandest stage of European football in 1995, facing Fabio Capello's famous AC Milan.
Under the tutelage of karate master Louis van Gaal and with nine academy products in the starting XI, Ajax shocked the world after Milan legend Frank Rijkaard, who left the club a year earlier to end his career in Amsterdam, assisted an 18-year-old Patrick Kluivert, who toe-punted an 85th-minute winner past Sebastiano Rossi to claim a famous Champions League win.
Almost poetically, this Champions League final marked the end of the road for two Ajax and AC Milan legends - Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, who both ended their careers following the season.
7: Tiki-Taka Takes the Throne (FC Barcelona - Manchester United, 2-0, 2009)
In his first season as a first-team manager, Pep Guardiola enchanted Europe with a revolutionary style of football: tiki-taka. The fast-paced, technically superior tactic dazzled throughout the tournament and was put to its ultimate test in the 2009 Champions League final against reigning champions Manchester United.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team boasted the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney... The list goes on and on. Still, it wasn't enough to stop the Catalan machine, with Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi capping off a majestic performance at Wembley.
It was the final game in red for Cristiano Ronaldo, who was left furious after the game: "We didn't do well. The tactics were not good, and everything went wrong for us. We were only in it for 10 minutes," the Portuguese superstar said two weeks before moving to Real Madrid.
6: Milan Demolish Cruyff's 'Dream Team' (AC Milan - FC Barcelona, 4-0, 1994)
In their first season without the legendary Dutch trio of Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, and the injured Marco van Basten, AC Milan played perhaps their greatest-ever season. Led by Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini from the back, Milan conquered Italy and Europe through rock-hard defense.
Until Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team' was the opponent in the 1993/94 Champions League final. FC Barcelona was the polar opposite of AC Milan, with Romário, Michael Laudrup, and Hristo Stoichkov leading the line.
And in the end, the immovable object obliterated the unstoppable force, with Milan surprising friends and foes by beating Barcelona 4-0 and scoring almost half of their Champions League goals to that point.
5: John Terry's Slip Decides All-English Final (Manchester United - Chelsea, 1-1 (6-5 after penalties), 2008)
Manchester United and Chelsea were fighting out a tiresome battle in Moscow, where the rain fell from the heavens in buckets. After Cristiano Ronaldo's towering header put Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils up one, Frank Lampard smartly pounced on a deflected short from Michael Essien to level the scoring right before half-time.
It went all the way to penalties in the Luzhniki Stadium, where Ryan Giggs wrote history by becoming the most-capped Manchester United player of all time and Didier Drogba was sent off in the 116th minute after slapping Nemanja Vidic.
John Terry famously slipped on the slippery Russian grass, firing his penalty wide of Edwin van der Sar's goal - a moment he later called the saddest of his career. Van der Sar then saved Anelka's attempt to end his career on a terrific high, winning Manchester United their second Champions League trophy.
4: Real Madrid Finally Get La Décima (Real Madrid - Atlético Madrid, 4-1 A.E.T., 2014)
It felt like an endless wait for Real Madrid, who were stuck on nine Champions League titles for over a decade. The most decorated club in international European football finally returned to Europe's summit in 2014, when noisy neighbors Atlético Madrid looked to complete a fairytale season by adding a maiden Champions League title to their first La Liga title in 18 years.
For the longest time, the final seemed to go Diego Simeone's way. Diego Godín headed Atlético in front after 36 minutes, meaning the Colchoneros could sit back and frustrate Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid in the Estadio Da Luz.
The plan worked until the 93rd minute, when Sergio Ramos expertly headed in a corner and sent the game to extra time.
With momentum now shifted, Real Madrid ran riot in Lisbon, with Gareth Bale heading in a rebound, Marcelo blasting the ball past Thibaut Courtois, and Cristiano Ronaldo firing in the exclamation mark from the penalty spot as Real Madrid ended their wait for La Décima - their tenth Champions League title.
3: Drogba Writes Blues History (Bayern Munich - Chelsea, 1-1 (3-4 after penalties), 2012)
The final of the 2011-12 Champions League was one steeped in history. After scintillating semifinals, in which Chelsea knocked out holders FC Barcelona in the 91st minute at Camp Nou and Bayern Munich eliminated Real Madrid after penalties, the Allianz Arena saw its own Bayern take on the Blues in the first final with home advantage since the 1980s.
After a lopsided game, Thomas Müller finally scored the opener in the 83rd minute as Bayern looked to win their first Champions League title since 2001. The game wasn't over yet, however, as Didier Drogba rose from the crowd to powerfully head in a Juan Mata corner in the 88th minute.
After Arjen Robben missed a penalty in the ensuing extra time, penalties were to decide the winner of the Champions League. Manuel Neuer dealt the first blow by saving Juan Mata's spot kick, but it was Petr Cech who first saved Ivica Olic's penalty and then saw Bastian Schweinsteiger hit the post. Didier Drogba's penalty was the nail in the coffin - Chelsea had won their first-ever Champions League title in the lion's den.
