The Champions League final is finally upon us, and this year’s edition sets up the rare possibility of a new winner.Â
Paris Saint-Germain can win the competition for the first time ever when Luis Enrique’s men face Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening.
It’s only been two years since Manchester City became the latest new team to inscribe their name on the trophy, incidentally beating Inter in the decider in Istanbul. But they were just the fourth new winner since the European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League.
It had been eleven years between maiden triumphs after Chelsea reached the promised land in 2012, but there was an even longer gap between that and Borussia Dortmund’s first and only win back in 1997. That came four years after Marseille became the first French club to lift the trophy.
The curious thing about those three victories is that they all occurred in Munich – the host city for this year’s final.
Indeed, every time the final has been hosted in the German city, a new champion has been crowned. Nottingham Forest won the first of two consecutive European Cups when they beat Malmo at the Olympiastadion in 1979.
Perhaps that’s a good omen for PSG ahead of kickoff. Will history repeat itself? Or can Inter break the cycle by claiming their fourth Champions League?
Read –Â The last five first-time Champions League and European Cup winners
Every time a new team has won the Champions League or European Cup:Â
1956 – Real Madrid – Parc des Princes, Paris
1961 – Benfica – Wankdorfstadion, Bern
1963 – Milan – Wembley, London
1964 – Inter – Praterstadion, Vienna
1967 – Celtic – Estadio Nacional, Lisbon
1968 – Manchester United – Wembley, London
1970 – Feyenoord – San Siro, Milan
1971 – Ajax – Wembley, London
1974 – Bayern – Heysel, Brussels
1977 – Liverpool – Stadio Olimpico, Rome
1979 – Nottingham Forest – Olympiastadion, Munich
1982 – Aston Villa – De Kuip, Rotterdam
1983 – Hamburger SV – Olympiako, Athens
1985 – Juventus – Heysel, Brussels
1986 – Steaua Bucuresti – Pizjuan, Sevilla
1987 – Porto – Praterstadion, Vienna
1988 – PSV Eindhoven – Neckarstadion, Stuttgart
1991 – Crvena Zvezda – San Nicola, Bari
1992 – Barcelona – Wembley, London
1993 – Marseille – Olympiastadion, Munich
1997 – BVB – Olympiastadion, Munich
2012 – Chelsea – Allianz Arena, Munich
2023 – Manchester City – Atatürk, Istanbul
Read – How Enrique and Inzaghi built Europe’s best teams
See Also – The English clubs who have won the most European trophies
