Manchester City and the History of the Champions League Trophy

On Friday 14th February 2020 Manchester City were given a punishment by UEFA which may prove to be a historic moment, setting a new precedent for regulations across European football. Due to their breaching of financial fair play regulations, they have been banned from the UEFA Champions League for 2 seasons. The Manchester club will almost certainly appeal this, but should the punishment be enforced, this season could be the last chance for Pep Guardiola to win the award which he famously lifted twice during his incredible reign as Barcelona manager between 2008 and 2012. With many bookies pinning Manchester City as the favorites to win this year’s competition, they face stiff competition from the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich. Real Madrid also poses a strong threat to City’s chances in their next fixture, in the round of 16 two-legged affair. With City’s 5th premier league title looking extremely unlikely this season due to Liverpool’s dominance, it’s without a doubt that the blues will look towards the Champions League as their main aim for this season. So, will City be lifting the famous trophy this year?

The Champions League trophy itself stands at 73.5cm tall and weighs 7.5kg. Made of Sterling Silver, this means the scrap value of the trophy itself is £2175. Since 2009, the winning clubs have simply taken home a replica version of the trophy while the original stays at the UEFA headquarters. Only 5 clubs have an original replica under the previous set of rules, where the trophy would be given to a team that had won the competition 5 times in total or 3 times consecutively. These clubs are Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern München, Milan, Liverpool, and Barcelona.

Jung Stadelmann was tasked with creating the current, iconic design of the trophy in 1967 in Bern, Switzerland after Real Madrid were awarded the previous model. It took Stadelmann a total of 340 hours to create the trophy with the handles being the most complex element. The trophy itself has become as iconic as the champions league badge and theme-tune, which, undoubtedly the sound of which will make most football fans excited as they prepare to watch the sport they love at the elite level. On top of being awarded a replica version of this trophy, the winners of the Champions League are also given a total of 40 gold medals inscribed with the iconic logo. Being one of the most sought-after awards in football, Manchester City are surely hoping this season can be the one where they can lift the world-renowned trophy and walk away with those gold medals around their necks.