How Champions Are Born - A History of the Champions League

In 2021, it was big enough to challenge the Super Bowl on its turf, the United States. The final match that year attracted the attention of about 400 million viewers across 200 countries, mainly from Europe. Unsurprisingly, it’s also one of the favorite competitions for those who love sports betting.
Nowadays, in Europe there are plenty of options for those who want to bet on the Champions League, with an even more comprehensive array of payment methods available. According to gaminggadgets.de, the Paysafecard is now one of the most popular payment methods in online casinos and sportsbooks in Germany and other European countries. However, the early days weren’t as glamorous and hi-tech. Let’s go back and see how this tremendous sports event was born.
The first moves to create the biggest European soccer competition date back to 1955, ten years after the end of World War II. The idea came from a French sports editor, Gabriel Hanot, then leading the sports daily L’Equipe. He sent a petition to UEFA, calling for a tournament involving the accomplished clubs in the continent.
Hanot scored big with his petition and arranged a meeting between him and UEFA’s representatives in April 1955. The result was the creation of the Champions Clubs’ Cup, or simply the European Cup. The first match pitted the Portuguese giant, Sporting, against the FK Partizan. The original version included only the national champion of each country, hence the name.
The UEFA European Champions League, also known as the European League until 1992, didn't only change its name. The new version abandoned its early days’ knock-out format, including more teams in the roster. Today, the competition includes five teams from each country. Instead of a knock-out format, now there’s a group stage from which the finalists emerge.
It’s also important to mention the unifying potential of soccer. During World War I, all soldiers left the trenches and played friendly soccer matches in the Christmas truce. After WWII ended, Dynamo Moscow was invited for a series of friendly games in the UK in 1945. The ’90s were a period of unification in the continent. Perhaps it’s not a complete coincidence the Single European Act and Maastricht Treaty were also signed in 1992.
Its popularization is also due to its media coverage, commercialization, and globalizing potential. In 1998, when a new league was created independently from UEFA, the European Super League, the organization reacted by including 32 teams. Previously, only eight teams were involved.
Since its European League days, the most accomplished teams in the history of the Champions League won’t surprise those following it. Real Madrid is the most awarded team ever. Los Blancos raised the trophy no less than 14 times, but another 19 teams also tasted the glory. However, since the event was rebranded 31 years ago, no club scored as many wins.
Second place in trophies is currently held by AC Milan, with seven wins. Liverpool and Bayern Munich have six victories each, followed closely by Barcelona, with five wins. Ironically, the teams that kickstarted the league almost 80 years ago never brought a trophy home.
The original European League went through several changes until the format we know now. The competition is more globalized than ever, and billionaires worldwide happily invest in one of the most popular sports events today. When the away goal rule was introduced in 1965, the idea was to motivate visiting teams to play more boldly.
Apart from the pressure of playing away, the visitors also had to endure arduous travels from one place to another. None of this is an issue nowadays since all teams frequently play away, not to mention that traveling is much easier and more comfortable now.