Europe's Premier Club Competition | Winners and Records, 1955–2005

It began with L'Équipe editor Gabriel Hanot's scepticism at British reporting that crowned Wolverhampton world champions. Hanot and colleagues envisaged a Europe-wide club competition, and UEFA took on running a home-and-away format among 16 invited clubs. It was neither a national-team competition nor a simple renaming of an existing one.

In the 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, Puskás scored four and Di Stéfano three. Between them they accounted for all seven; Gento was part of the five-title run but did not score in this final.

Puskás's first-half hat-trick had Real Madrid 3-2 up, but Mário Coluna levelled after the break. Eusébio then scored twice as Benfica won 5-3 to retain the trophy. Eusébio's contribution was not the equalizer but the two goals that opened up the lead.

UEFA's retrospectives emphasize that Jock Stein started ten Glasgow-born players in the final. It is the proximity of their birthplaces that underpins the local character, not a shared youth system or captaincy record. The final was played in Lisbon, not Glasgow.

At the time a final not settled in extra time went to a replay. Atlético led from the 114th minute, but Schwarzenbeck equalized in the 120th, and Bayern won the replay 4-0. It did not go straight to penalties as it would today.

After promotion, Forest won the domestic league and with it a place in Europe. In 1978/79 they won the trophy on debut, beating holders Liverpool, and retained it in 1979/80. Since qualification for Europe had to be earned at home first, any order placing the first European title before the domestic one is impossible.

Duckadam saved all four of the opposition's kicks, so Steaua conceded nothing despite missing their own first two. Lăcătuș and Balint then scored and the shoot-out finished 2-0. The match itself was goalless after 120 minutes; no goals were awarded in advance.

The group format came first, trialled in the transitional 1991/92 season by splitting the eight remaining clubs after two knockout rounds into two groups. The Champions League name, star logo and anthem arrived in 1992/93, so the change of format and the change of name should not be treated as a single moment.

Sheringham equalized from the first corner, and from the next he headed the ball on for Solskjær to bundle in the winner. Both were substitutes, and Sheringham was involved not only in the equalizer but in the build-up between the two goals. The match did not go to penalties.

Liverpool trailed 0-3 at the break but levelled through Gerrard in the 54th, Šmicer in the 56th and Xabi Alonso in the 60th. Dudek denied Shevchenko from close range in extra time and saved two kicks in the shoot-out. The comeback rested on neither a single hat-trick nor a goal in extra time.