Top 5 Champions League finals of the 21st century

Interesting little quirk, that. My Spidey Sense is telling me that we could be in for a bit of a snoozefest (especially if Arteta gets the game he wants). To counterbalance my pessimism, I nave decided to do a ranking of my five personal favourite Champions League finals of the 21st century. Here goes nothing.

5. 2011- Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United

This selection is a different beast to the other blood-and-thunder tussles on this list. This was less a contest than it was a remarkable advertisement for Guardiola’s Tika-Taka stylistics. Guardiola’s flawless machine passed Manchester United off the pitch in one of the most one-sided finals you could possibly imagine. This was their 2nd European final meeting in three years, with Eto’o and Messi giving Braca the edge at the Stadio Olimpico in 2009. But that was Messi pre-Ballon d’or. This was Messi in his prime and the Argentine wizard was central to everything that Barca did. Messi diverted the United’s attention to allow Pedri to slot home the first; he thumped the 2nd into the bottom corner from 20 yards and then jinked his way down the right-hand side to create the opportunity for Villa to score the 3rd. Oh, Rooney did score an equalizer amongst all the Barca mayhem. This was peak Guardiola-ball, with Barca controlling 68% of the possession and having 22 shots to United’s four. This match haunted many of those United greats, with the likes of Rio Ferdinand speaking of Barca in the type of hushed tones usually reserved for Voldemort.

4. 2014- Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid

Don’t let the scoreline deceive you; this clash of bitter city rivals was one of the most nail-biting finals in recent memory. And it couldn’t have been teed up any better. Diego Simeone’s pugnacious Atletico side had just defied footballing convention, breaking the Clasico’s stranglehold on La Liga with a hard-fought win at the Camp Nou. Could they defy it again by spoiling Real’s fabled quest for ‘La Decima’? Atletico took the lead through a first-half header from Diego Godin. However, they also lost talismanic striker Diego Costa due to injury, severely blunting their potency on the counterattack. Could they hold out against a Real side littered with stars? Almost. Sergio Ramos was the man to break Atleti hearts, rising heroically to equalize for Los Blancos in the 93rd minute. You could just feel the life going out of an Atleti side who had worked so tirelessly to keep things blemish-free. Real ran rampant in extra time, with Bale, Marcelo and Ronaldo combining to make the scoreline so unflattering.

3. 2013- Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Dortmund

This was a highwater mark for German football that hasn’t really some close to being repeated (the long-term effects of the 50+1 ownership rules have crippled the league’s spending power). This final had plenty to live up after two of the craziest semifinals in memory: Dortmund had edged Real Madrid 4-3 while Bayern humbled Barca 7-0 over the two legs. But the match certainly delivered, with both sides enjoying their moments under the Wembley lights. Mario Mandzukic tapped in Robben’s cross to give Bayern the lead, but that was quickly cancelled out by a Gundogan penalty. The game was ultimately settled by a moment of true class, as fleet-footed winger Arjen Robben danced through the Dortmund defence before prodding the ball home. Robben had completed his redemption arc after missing a crucial penalty in the 2012 final. It also meant that Jupp Heynckes would leave the Bavarians with a treble to his name.

2. 2008- Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (Utd won 6-5 on pens)

This all-English final had just about everything. Avram Grant’s side had one last chance to grab silverware after finishing runner-up in the League and League Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson was one win away from securing a long-awaited 2nd Champions League title. The match was an end-to-end affair, with Cristiano Ronaldo giving the Red Devils a 1-0 lead through an iconic header. But Cheslea were not to be outdone, equalizing through midfield menace Frank Lampard. Both sides had chances to win the match, with Chelsea twice hitting the frame of the goal while John Terry heroically blocked Ryan Giggs’ goal-bound effort. Dider Drogba lost his head in extra time, dismissed for slapping Vidic mere minutes before the dreaded shootout. The shootout was pure cinema, with Ronaldo missing a penalty to hand John Terry (of all people) the chance to win it all. Terry memorably lost his footing in the Moscow turf, producing a desolate image that warms the anti-Terry crew (which is not insignificant). Van de Sar would save from Anelka to hand Ferguson his 2nd Champions League crown. And Avram Grant was brutally booted after finishing runner-up in the league and two cups, highlighting the cutthroat callousness of the Abramovich Era.

1. 2005- Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (Liv won 3-2 on pens)

It couldn’t have been anything else. Arguably one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history, Liverpool’s Gerrard-inspired turnaround in Istanbul cemented their mythic European status. How did a side with Djimi Traore, Harry Kewell and Vladimir Smicer topple this AC Milan dynasty? Maldini gave the Rossoneri the lead after just two minutes and goal-poacher extraordinaire Hernan Crespo pinched two just before the break. Gerrard- in what was his crowning achievement as a footballer- took the game by the scruff of the neck, heading home just after halftime to galvanize the side. Smicer squeezed one in from distance to make it 3-2 before Gerrard was brought down making one of his trademark bursts into the box. Dida saved Alonso’s initial attempt, but the Spainard bundled in the rebound. Jerzy Dudek would etch himself into Scouser folklore in the resultant penalty shootout, saving from Pirlo and Shevchenko to complete Liverpool’s golden night.