Despite England being the alleged ‘home’ of football, this has not necessarily translated into glory on the grandest of stages, the UEFA Champions League.
Since 2010, the tournament has largely belonged to Real Madrid, who celebrated their 14th title in 2021-22. That being said, there have been a number of successful runs by English teams since the turn of the century – here are the three most recent.
Chelsea (2020-21)
The most recent English winner was Chelsea back in 2020-21, with Thomas Tuchel somehow managing to take over the club and make them champions of Europe in less than six months. The Blues parted ways with the revered tactician after a slow start to 2022-23, and with Graham Potter at the helm, Chelsea has slim UEFA Champions League odds of +1200 to win the competition. Few pundits have them as their Champions League predictions to repeat their 2020-21 fate and win the tournament, with Man City, Bayern, and PSG the early frontrunners.
Chelsea Football Club is delighted to welcome Graham Potter as our new Head Coach! 🤝
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 8, 2022
It was a different story two seasons ago, though, with the Blues finishing top of Group E before getting past Atletico Madrid in the last 16. A win against Porto in the quarters led to a meeting with European giants Real Madrid in the semis, but the Blues progressed by a 3-1 aggregate score line. The final was an all-English affair against Manchester City, with a 42nd-minute goal enough to clinch victory alongside some resolute defending from the Blues, who secured their second European trophy.
Liverpool (2018-19)
The 2018-19 final was another all-English affair, which pitted Liverpool against Tottenham in the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid. To get there, Jurgen Klopp’s side actually finished second in Group C – ahead of Napoli only by goals scored – before a famous victory against Bayern in the last 16. Like Chelsea, the Reds then beat Porto in the quarters, setting up a semi-final matchup against Barcelona.
In a now infamous Champions League moment, Liverpool turned around a 3-0 deficit from the first leg to win 4-0 at Anfield, with a quick-thinking corner setting up Divock Origi in the 79th minute to make it 4-3 on aggregate and sending Klopp’s side through to the final. Spurs themselves had celebrated a memorable semi-final victory against Ajax, but the final was by comparison a drab affair. An early penalty from Mohamed Salah was added to by a late Origi strike, the game finishing 2-0 and handing Liverpool their fourth European trophy.
Happy 27th birthday @MoSalah 👑
🏆 Champions League 2019
🔴 104 Liverpool games
⚽ 71 goals
🥇 PL Golden Boot winner x2
🥇 Player of the Season 2018Looking to add an AFCON trophy to his collection this summer at his homeland. 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/ZIpAFgAczY
— 433 (@433) June 15, 2019
Chelsea (2011-12)
Even after billionaire owner Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea in 2003, the prestige of the Champions League long alluded them, with four semi-final exits and an agonizing loss on penalties to Manchester United in the 2007-08 final. It looked to be a similar story in 2011-12 after a disastrous start under Andre Villas-Boas left interim manager Roberto Di Matteo the task of overturning a 3-1 last-16 deficit against Napoli. But the Italian masterminded a 4-1 victory at Stamford Bridge before breezing past Benfica in the quarters.
An injury and suspension-hit Chelsea then managed to defeat Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the semis, with Torres sealing the result with a famous equalizer on the night. Pitted against European giants Bayern Munich at their own stadium in the final, Chelsea was never the favorites, even less so when they went 1-0 down to a Thomas Muller header in the 83rd minute. However, Didier Drogba equalized five minutes later to send the game to extra time, where Petr Cech crucially denied Arjen Robben from the spot. It was similar luck for the Blues in the shoot-out, with Drogba scoring the winner and handing Chelsea their first-ever European trophy.
The Premier League continues to be one of the most competitive leagues in world football, evidenced by its plethora of impressive players and acclaimed managers. But with the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool making slow starts in the league, the chances of another English champion of Europe could be in doubt, with the onus very much on Manchester City.
