All about the Champions league review

By Salam Batha, News Reporter, The Pawprint

 The UEFA Champions League is UEFA’s elite club competition, with top clubs across Europe competing for the title of European champions. The tournament, then known as the European Cup, began in 1955/56, with 16 teams competing. With its six-match opening group stage, the Champions League allows teams to play expansive football. The pressure mounts in the knockout stage, but thanks to the two-leg format, teams know they can overcome a blunder or two. As a result, the game becomes much more exciting. With the start of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage in September, 32 teams will be hoping to advance all the way to the final in June 2023 which will take place at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on June 10th. 

    Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament’s history, having won their 14th Champions League by defeating Liverpool in the 2022 final. Following them are AC Milan (7 Champions Leagues), Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool (6 each). Real Madrid has the most Champions League final appearances (16), and Francisco Gento has the most appearances in the final by a player (8).Clarence Seedorf is the only player in UCL history to have won the trophy with three different clubs: Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998, and Milan in 2003 and 2007. Only Carlo Ancelotti (Milan 2003, 2007, Real Madrid 2014) and Zinedine Zidane (2016, 2017, 2018) have won the trophy three times, replicating Bob Paisley being the first coach to win 3 champions league titles, it being with Liverpool in 1977, 1978, 1981. Francisco Gento holds the record for most Champions League titles, having won the competition six times with Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo has made the Champions League stage many times, setting records for most goals (140), most hat tricks (8), and most penalties scored (15). Arsenal produced the best defensive effort in UEFA Champions League history in 2006, going 10 games without conceding a goal. Manchester United (1998-99) is the team that has won the Champions League with the fewest games played. They also went undefeated throughout the competition. Real Madrid and Barcelona have played each other 15 times but have never met in the finals. 

    Teams in the Champions League earn money throughout the competition. The group stage includes a base prize package, with teams adding to it with each win or draw during the group stage. Then, after each round of knockouts, there is a new bonus. While the quarter finalists received an additional $12 million in prize money, the tournament winner received an additional $23 million. The 32 clubs involved received a minimum of $17.74 million just for making it to the group stage. With each win and draw in the group stage, they were able to add to that total. The winners of the competition get an additional 22.6 million dollars.