Fans of Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern, Liverpool, FC Barcelona, Inter, Juventus, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Celtic, Manchester City, Feyenoord, Aston Villa, PSV and Red Star Belgrade: we’re sorry to tell you, but this year the Champions League is not for you. The reason is very simple: the final is being played this year in Munich, a land that has always seen the coronation of a new champion.
Of the four Champions League finals played in the Bavarian city, a team that had never won the Champions League has always won. In 1979, Nottingham Forest won the first of its two cups with the big ears in the Olympic stadium in Munich. Fourteen years later in the same stadium, Olympique de Marseille became the first French club to win the Champions League. In 1997, Borussia Dortmund joined the club of winners of the most prestigious European competition.
In 2012, Munich returned to the Champions League final, but in a brand new stadium, the Allianz Arena, home of Bayern. The latter also found themselves in the final against Chelsea, no C1 under their belt. The fact of playing at home did not prevent the Germans from losing and seeing the English club win this trophy for the first time. As if the power of the city to crown a new champion was stronger than anything.
What if the capital of Bavaria was a king-making land? The numbers speak for themselves with an impressive current series. Enough to give hope to the 21 clubs competing in this 2024-2025 edition of the Champions League in search of a first success in the competition, such as Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid or PSG. What if it were this year for the capital club?
