The UEFA Champions League never ceases to amaze football fans across the globe. Year after year, the tournament produces some extraordinary moments, enthralling those who are in love with the beautiful game.
Needless to say, the Champions League is arguably the most prestigious club competition on the planet and taking part in the competition is the ultimate dream for the majority of clubs in the continent.
Achieving Champions League qualification for the first time is the holy grail in European football but more often than not, the debutants in the tournament have been taken aback the level of competition which has resulted in unceremonious exits. However, there are a few clubs who defied the odds and subsequently found themselves in the midst of remarkable first seasons in the tournament.
This piece mentions five of the best club debuts in Champions League history.
#5 Anorthosis Famagusta (2008-09)
The old lady of Cyprus football created history in 2008 by becoming the first Cypriot club to qualify for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, a feat which was labelled as ‘The greatest achievement in Cyprus football’ by the local newspaper, Politis. The 3-1 aggregate win over Olympiacos in the third and final qualifying round earned them many plaudits and prompted huge celebrations in the country.
Earlier, Anorthosis had to see off the challenge of Armenian club Pyunik, Austria’s Rapid Vienna to set up the deciding clash with Olympiacos.
In the group stage, Anorthosis were drawn alongside Inter Milan, Werder Bremen and Panathinaikos and even though the Cypriot side finished bottom of the group, they deserve a lot of credit for their showing as they amassed a respectable tally of 6 points. They held Inter Milan and Werder Bremen to 3-3 and 2-2 draws respectively and beat Panathinaikos 3-1 at the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium.
Anorthosis’s European endeavour is one that Cyprus could be proud of and something that the entire nation will never forget.
#4 Lazio (1999-00)
Despite winning the Serie A crown in 1974, The Eagles were denied participation in the 1974-75 European Cup competition as they had to serve a 12-month ban following crowd trouble in the previous season’s UEFA Cup. The Biancocelesti then had to wait for a quarter of a century to finally make their appearance in Europe’s most prestigious competition.
The Italian club were drawn alongside Dynamo Kyiv, Bayer Leverkusen and Maribor in the first group stage and Lazio proved far too good for their opponents as they finished top of the group with 13 points. The Italian side beat Dynamo Kyiv and Maribor both home and away and played out two 1-1 draws against Leverkusen.
What awaited Lazio in the second stage was a tricky group made of Chelsea, Feyenoord and Marseille but the Italian side once again topped the group to advance to the quarters where they locked horns with Valencia.
The Spanish club dismantled Lazio 5-2 in the first leg and won the tie 5-3 on aggregate drawing the curtains over the Italian side’s debut season in the Champions League, which is certainly one to savour for the Lazio faithful.
#3 Leicester City (2016-17)
When the 2015-16 season started, Leicester City fans would have hoped for nothing more than a mid-table finish but their beloved team accomplished the seemingly impossible. They outmuscled the heavyweights in the league to take the trophy home through what was a magical fairytale run.
The biggest question at the start of the current campaign was whether Claudio Ranieri and co. could emulate last season's heroics in Europe or would they crumble under the pressure of playing in the huge competition. When the group stages concluded, Leicester were atop the group and showed the world they are Champions of England for a reason.
The Foxes ensured that they qualified for the knockout phase as group champions, ahead of Porto, FC Copenhagen and Club Brugge, after their 5th match and they picked up 13 points from their six games. Leicester won all three of their home games and the only set back that they faced in the group stage was the 5-0 loss, away at Porto.
Claudio Ranieri's side have been drawn with Spanish side Sevilla in the pre-quarters and they have the advantage of playing the second leg at home. Leicester fans would be hoping that their team can write another fairy tale, one bigger and better than they've already managed to mark down.
#2 Deportivo La Coruna (2000-01)
The appointment of Javier Irureta as the manager of Deportivo in 1998, changed the fortunes of the club as he helped the Blanquiazules claim the accolade of Spanish Champions for the first time in the club’s history. Deportivo’s maiden La Liga triumph came in the 1999-00 season and they subsequently qualified for the group stages of next season’s Champions League.
The Blanquiazules faced Panathinaikos, Hamburg and Juventus in the first group stage and after enjoying an undefeated run, the Spanish club qualified to the next round as group champions. Deportivo amassed 10 points from their half a dozen games with 4 draws and 2 wins.
The second round didn’t get easy for Deportivo but they marched on to the quarterfinals at the expense of Milan, Galatasaray and Paris Saint-Germain. They topped the group on goal difference to set up a round of 8 tie against Leeds United. The Spanish club succumbed to a 3-0 away loss in the first leg and despite their valiant attempts in the return leg, they ended up losing the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
The 2000-01 season was the first of their five consecutive seasons in the Champions League and they managed to reach the semifinals in the 2003-04 season, where they lost to eventual winners Porto.
#1 Malaga (2012-13)
Qatari investor Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani bought Malaga in June 2010 and the club has risen to prominence since then. The Albicelestes qualified for the 2012-13 Champions League under the leadership of then manager Manuel Pellegrini and they were drawn alongside Zenit Saint Petersburg, Anderlecht and 7-time winners AC Milan in the group stage.
Malaga started proceedings with two 3-0 wins over Zenit and Anderlecht which was followed by four consecutive draws and that was enough for the Spanish side to qualify for the knock-out stages as group champions. Pellegrini’s side faced Porto in the pre-quarters and they managed to overturn a 1 goal deficit in the first leg by winning 2-0 at home and they were destined to face Borussia Dortmund in the quarters.
After a goalless first leg in Spain, Malaga knew they were in with a genuine chance of reaching the semis. However, all their hopes were shattered as two injury-time goals at the Westfalenstadion helped Dortmund win the game 3-2 which was certainly one of the memorable matches in the history of the competition.
The club were then banned from European competitions next year as a result of its heavy financial debts and Malaga missed out from participating in the 2013-14 Europa League.
