UEFA Champions League: 7 Facts about This Magnificent Competition

The UEFA Champions League is a continental football competition for the top clubs in Europe. The competition is one of the most revered, sough-after and watched football competition in the world.

And its back!

As European teams return to UEFA Champions League (UCL) football this week, let’s take a look at 7 fact you may not know about the UCL;

The highest goal margin in the knockout stages came in the 2008/2009 season when Bayern Munich defeated Sporting CP by an aggregate of 12-1 over both legs. Bayern beat Sporting 5-0 away and then won by 7 goals to 1 at home. Basket!
Bayern Munich and Monaco are the teams to have benefitted the most from the away goal rule. Both teams have progressed based on away goals 5 times. Roadrunners! On the flip side, Inter Milan have suffered the most from this rule, having gotten knocked out on four occasions due to the rule.
The UEFA champions League anthem contains three languages, English, French and German. These 3 languages are also the official languages of UEFA.
The fastest goal in the UCL was scored by Roy Makaay for Bayern Munich against Real Madrid. The goal came in just after 10 seconds into the match. Also, the fastest red card of the competition was in front of Bayern Munich fans but this time against the German giants. The red card was shown to Olexandr of Shakhtar just after 2mins and 39 seconds into the match.
Patrice Evra is the first man to lose four Champions League finals (2004, 2009, 2011 and 2015). He is also the first man to lose the final with 3 different teams. While Clarence Seedorf is the first man to win the UCL with 3 different teams.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player to have scored in 2 different UCL finals with 2 different teams. He also holds the record of the highest number of goals scored in the UCL group stage – 11 goals (2015/2016). Lionel Messi holds the record of most goals scored by a player in a match (5 goals) alongside Luiz Adriano. Neymar holds the record of the only player to score in both legs of the quarter final, semi final and to also net in the final match of the UCL (2014/15).
Marco Ballotta is the oldest player to compete in the UCL at 43 years 252 days of age, Franscesco Tottiis the oldest player to score in the competition at age 38 years and 59 days while former Nigerian player, Celestine Babayaro is the youngest player to have appeared in the UCL. He was 16 years and 87 days.