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The UEFA Champions League is one of the most exciting and eagerly anticipated club competitions every season.
Originally, it began exclusively for the winners of Europe's leagues to compete for silverware. However, over the years, runners-up, and in some cases, even the fourth or fifth-placed teams from eligible leagues have made it to the Champions League group stage.
The competition was initially known as the 'European Cup', but was rebranded in 1992 as the 'UEFA Champions League'. Real Madrid are the most successful team in Champions League history, with 13 titles to their name. That includes an incredible three-peat between 2016-18 under Zinedine Zidane, their former player and manager.
Over the years, fans have been fortunate to witness games that were not just exciting, but they were also moments that changed the course of football history. Stars were born from incredible moments of magic; great teams were immortalised with memorable deep runs in the competition. The Champions League is a treasure trove of passion and competition.
Certain teams face each other more often than others, leading to old rivalries gaining more dimensions with every passing edition of the tournament. Some historic Champions League rivalries include Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich and Liverpool v AC Milan. In recent years, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have been the stronger sides in the competition.
Draws play a big part in a club's progression in the tournament, as seen in many of the past editions. The Champions League has produced some fascinating matchups in the past.
On that note, let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit five mouth-watering knockout draws in Champions League history:
Note: The list is at random and not in any particular order of ranking. It is, however, arranged from oldest to newest.
#5 2003-04 UEFA Champions League knockout phase (Winners: Porto)
The 2003-04 Champions League knockout phase was special for multiple reasons. It was the first time since the tournament's rebranding in 1992 that it underwent format changes.
UEFA had announced that from 2003 onwards, there would be a Round of 16 after the initial group stage with eight groups. The Round of 16 replaced the second group stage, which was earlier in place.
The draw coughed up several exciting ties in the Champions League Round of 16 that year. Bayern Munich faced Real Madrid; an up and coming FC Porto team were pitted against giants Manchester United, while defending champions AC Milan were up against Sparta Prague.
Porto stunned United 3-2 over two legs, in what was one of the most incredible nights in the Portuguese club's history. Costinha's last-minute equaliser in the second leg eliminated United, sending Porto manager Jose Mourinho sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline.
Porto's fellow finalists AS Monaco had a decent run as well. They overcame Real Madrid on away goals after a 5-5 aggregate tie over two legs in the quarter-finals. In the next round, Monaco saw off Chelsea 5-3 on aggregate to reach the final.
Porto won the title in incredible fashion with a 3-0 victory over Monaco. They won the club their first Champions League trophy (formerly known as the European Cup) since 1987.
Here is how the draw for the 2003-04 knockout phase looked like.
It was surely one of the most exciting and unexpected outcomes following a wonderful season of Champions League football.
#4 2004-05 UEFA Champions League knockout phase (Winners: Liverpool)
The 2004-05 knockout phase saw some of Europe's juggernauts face off against each other. That year probably had the strongest set of 16 teams in a knockout phase the tournament has ever seen. The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and AC Milan all made it out of their groups with relative ease.
The Round of 16 saw Manchester United go up against AC Milan, with the Rossoneri winning the tie. Barcelona faced Chelsea in what was an incredible two-legged matchup featuring a high-scoring 4-2 win for Chelsea at the Camp Nou in the second leg.
Ronaldinho scored a stunning goal, shimmying outside the box before striking the ball into the far corner with a minimal backlift. However, that wasn't enough to save Barcelona's blushes as Chelsea made it 4-2 late on to advance to the next round.
The quarter-finals saw AC Milan trounce their city-rivals Inter Milan 5-0 on aggregate. Chelsea and Bayern Munich played out an exciting two-legged tie, with the Blues prevailing 6-5 on aggregate. Liverpool faced Juventus and qualified without too much hassle, thanks to a 2-1 home win against the Old Lady.
The final, called the Miracle of Istanbul, could be turned into a movie of its own. Then four-time winners Liverpool faced then six-time winners AC Milan for Europe's biggest prize. Milan led 3-0 at half-time, but saw the Reds incredibly draw level at 3-3 in the second half before winning on penalties.
Here is how the draw for the 2004-05 knockout phase looked like.
It was one of the most incredible nights in Liverpool's rich history, taking their European tally to five.
#3 2012-13 UEFA Champions League knockout phase (Winners: Bayern Munich)
The 2012-13 Champions League knockout phase was rife with absolute German domination.
Jupp Heynckes returned to managing following a short spell away from the sport. He came and reinvigorated a Bayern Munich team struggling with ageing players. Jurgen Klopp's young and ruthless Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, were doing the rounds on every news channel owing to their attractive style of play.
The Round of 16 in the Champions League that year saw superstar Cristiano Ronaldo face his former side Manchester United for the first time since leaving for Real Madrid. The Portuguese emerged victorious in the tie, incredibly leaping nearly two meters off the ground to score against his former employers.
Bayern faced Juventus in the quarter-finals, seeing them off with ease in a 4-0 aggregate win. In the semi-finals, history was made in both the ties.
Borussia Dortmund beat Real Madrid 4-1 at the Signal Iduna Park, with Robert Lewandowski incredibly netting all four goals for the Black and Yellows. They prevailed 4-3 on aggregate, surviving a 2-0 loss at Madrid in the return leg, to make the final.
In the other semi-final, Bayern Munich utterly humiliated Barcelona, steamrolling past them with a 7-0 aggregate scoreline to reach the title match. It marked a sad demise, the end of an era for the Blaugrana, who had won La Liga that season in dominant fashion.
Here is how the knockout phase draw of the 2012-13 Champions League looked like.
The final saw Bayern squeeze past Dortmund 2-1 in an exciting game at the Wembley Stadium in London, England.
#2 2016-17 UEFA Champions League knockout phase (Winners: Real Madrid)
The 2016-17 Champions League knockout phase saw some of the most high-scoring and thrilling games in competition history. A total of 62 goals were scored on aggregate across eight Round of 16 ties.
Bayern Munich annihilated Arsenal 10-2 on aggregate, winning 5-1 both home and away to deflate the Gunners. It marked the worst defeat suffered by an English club in the competition's history.
Elsewhere, Barcelona trailed Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 going into the second leg of their tie.
The Blaugrana came roaring back to win 6-1 on the night, advancing with a 6-5 aggregate win in one of the greatest turnarounds in football history. That marked the first time any team in Champions League history overturned a four-goal first-leg deficit to advance to the next round.
That Barcelona side birthed the historic 'La Remontada' (or 'The Revolution').
The knockout phase also saw the birth of a new footballing demi-god in Kylian Mbappe, whose Monaco side saw off Manchester City on away goals following a 6-6 aggregate draw. The Frenchman scored a stunning goal at the Etihad Stadium to help the Islanders secure a quarter-final berth.
Real Madrid were the team to beat in the knockout stage. They beat Bayern Munich 6-3 on aggregate (after extra time), seeing off bitter city-rivals Atletico Madrid 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
Monaco beat Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, but fell 4-1 on aggregate to eventual finalists Juventus in the semi-finals. Here is how the knockout phase draw looked like that season.
Real Madrid saw off Juventus 4-1 in the final to seal back-to-back Champions League triumphs. That made them the first team in the Champions League era to successfully defend their title. They would go on to do a three-peat the next year.
#1 2018-19 UEFA Champions League knockout phase (Winners: Liverpool)
The 2018-19 Champions League knockout phase makes it onto this list for all the right reasons. Among the outstanding positives was Ajax's incredible run to the semi-finals, where they fell to eventual finalists Tottenham Hotspur in painful fashion.
Ajax saw off Real Madrid 5-3 on aggregate in the Round of 16. That included a dominant 4-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. They then beat Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in the last eight.
In a tasty semi-final clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Dusan Tadic was the main man as Ajax saw off the English team away from home.
In the semis, with a goal up, leading 3-2 on aggregate, Ajax looked set for another European final in their rich history. However, Spurs' Lucas Moura had other plans with a late strike.
Elsewhere, Liverpool defeated Bayern Munich 3-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16, and eased past Porto 6-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. Barcelona saw off Lyon with a 5-1 aggregate scoreline before strolling past a hapless Manchester United side 4-0 on aggregate.
Liverpool faced Barcelona in the semi-finals, and were down 3-0 after the first leg following a horrendous display at the Camp Nou. However, in the second leg, the Reds, despite missing several key players, staged an incredible comeback. They rallied to win 4-0 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate.
Divock Origi's stunning late strike, facilitated by the presence of mind of Trent Alexander-Arnold to take the corner quickly, shattered Barcelona's hopes of reaching yet another European final.
Here is how the Champions League knockout stage draw that season looked like.
Liverpool went on to beat Spurs 2-0 in the final to win their sixth Champions League crown.
Notable Mentions
In the 2019-20 season, Bayern Munich dominated the Champions League knockouts. COVID-19 restrictions also played a part, as ties from the quarter-final stage onwards were single-legged instead of the original double-legged format.
Bayern Munich trounced Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16 before smashing Barcelona 8-2 in a lopsided single-legged quarter-final.
They then beat Lyon 3-0 in the semis, and continued their domination by beating Ligue 1 giants PSG 1-0 in the final to seal their sixth Champions League win. In the process, they won the continental treble for the second time in eight years.
