The most iconic Champions League final performances ranked

ByAlex Bysouth

BBC Sport elder journalist

It's European football's grandest stage, wherever goalscorers are etched successful Champions League folklore and match-winning performances tin specify careers.

You cognize the drill. With Saturday's showdown betwixt Arsenal and holders Paris St-Germain connected the horizon, we're looking astatine the astir iconic idiosyncratic Champions League last performances of each time.

I've ranked my apical 10 beneath - a heady premix of last-gasp goals, all-round artistry and golden-gloved heroes. You tin person your accidental beneath too.

10. Paul Lambert (Borussia Dortmund v Juventus, 1997)

Zinedine Zidane is Champions League royalty, arsenic a subordinate and a coach. But determination is 1 last - and 1 subordinate successful peculiar - that sticks successful the Frenchman's mind. "Oh my god, that game!" helium remarked to Paul Lambert erstwhile they met years later.

Lambert joined Dortmund connected a escaped transportation successful 1996. Portugal prima Paulo Sousa arrived caller from winning the Champions League with Juventus the aforesaid summer, but it was the Scottish midfielder who wrote his sanction into Westfalenstadion legend.

Dortmund saw disconnected Manchester United successful the semi-finals to acceptable up a showdown against Juventus successful Munich successful 1997, with Lambert handed the task of man-marking a playmaker emerging arsenic 1 of the world's greatest.

"The happening astir Zidane, helium drifts disconnected your shoulder. He often goes distant from the ball, astir baiting you. But the ball's not the danger, it's him," Lambert told the Guardian. "Zidane did enactment maine connected the backside a mates of times due to the fact that he's brilliant. But he's not going to evaporate, is he?"

As humble arsenic his relationship is, Lambert didn't springiness Zidane an inch and that was the level for Dortmund to technologist a 3-1 triumph implicit the reigning champions.

Juventus chiefs were truthful impressed they offered to bargain him that summertime and, Lambert told BBC Scotland, erstwhile Juventus midfielder Antonio Conte aboriginal confessed: "You were unbelievable."

9. Rodri (Manchester City v Inter Milan, 2023)

In what seemed similar a classical lawsuit of Pep Guardiola overthinking a final, Manchester City lynchpin Rodri was near connected the seat for the Champions League decision by Chelsea successful 2021.

Two years later, the Spaniard was a cardinal fig arsenic City won not conscionable Europe's apical prize for the archetypal time, but the Treble.

Rodri was a improvement astatine the bosom of City's midfield against Inter - alongside John Stones, Pep couldn't defy immoderate tinkering - and scored a good winning extremity successful Istanbul.

"Emotional. A imagination travel true," said Rodri, earlier cursing connected unrecorded TV.

8. Didier Drogba (Chelsea v Bayern Munich, 2012)

Didier Drogba's lone erstwhile Champions League last show ended successful decision and disbelief, his reddish paper successful other clip coming earlier Manchester United won connected penalties successful 2008.

Four years later, falling down precocious connected aft being dominated by Bayern successful Munich, Chelsea and Drogba's hopes seemed to beryllium fading fast. Yet, successful the 88th minute, the Ivory Coast striker recovered the vigor to clang a header beyond Manuel Neuer.

Drogba indispensable person felt a consciousness of deja vu erstwhile helium gave distant a punishment successful other time, but Petr Cech saved Arjen Robben's effort and Chelsea took it to a shootout.

This time, having been incapable to lend 4 years earlier, Drogba stepped up to coolly nett the winning spot-kick and clinch Chelsea's archetypal European crown.

7. Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich v Valencia, 2001)

Oliver Kahn was successful extremity for that agonising, stoppage-time turnaround against Manchester United - 2 years later, the German stopper would beryllium Bayern Munich's leader against a vintage Valencia successful Milan.

With a procreation of Bayern superstars carrying the value of 1999 - and inactive searching for a archetypal European rubric since 1976 - different accidental seemed to beryllium slipping by arsenic Valencia took them to penalties.

Bayern trailed 2-1 successful the shootout erstwhile a flying Kahn threw his bear-like paws successful beforehand of Zlatko Zahovic's effort, past palmed Amedeo Carboni's onslaught connected to the crossbar.

With the people 5-4 successful Bayern's favour successful abrupt death, Kahn again guessed correctly to contradict defender Mauricio Pellegrino and extremity Bayern's 25-year hold for the trophy.

Kahn was named the world's champion goalkeeper aboriginal that twelvemonth and finished 3rd successful the Ballon d'Or.

6. Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen, 2002)

Zidane had his prime of apical clubs erstwhile leaving Bordeaux successful summertime 1996, opting for Turin wherever Juventus were polishing a freshly-collected Champions League trophy.

With Zizou successful their side, The Old Lady looked formidable. They reached the last again successful the Frenchman's archetypal play lone to beryllium downed by a Lambert-inspired Dortmund.

Never mind, amended luck adjacent twelvemonth and each that. Except, aft reaching a 3rd successive final, Juventus were beaten by Real Madrid successful Amsterdam. The Italians haven't won it since.

Zidane, however, would yet get his hands connected the trophy aft a world-record determination to Real Madrid's Galacticos. And helium did truthful successful the astir spectacular fashion.

At 1-1, Roberto Carlos' seemingly harmless transverse was lofted precocious into the Hampden Park sky, destined to driblet wherever D and punishment container chalk collides. Zidane, tracking the star-patterned leather similar a skeet shooter, hips coiled, unloaded a gold-medal hit.

One of the astir satisfying volleys you'll ever witnesser and worthy of Zidane's lone Champions League triumph arsenic a player.

5. Diego Milito (Inter Milan v Bayern Munich, 2010)

Diego Milito went nether the radar. An afterthought among Argentina's plethora of prima forwards - sporadic planetary appearances and a fistful of goals.

Racing Club, Genoa, Real Zaragoza. It was a a vocation successful the shadows until 'the prince' joined Jose Mourinho's Inter.

By the extremity of that Treble-winning season, Milito was an Inter legend. The gnarly striker scored the Coppa Italia winner, past the extremity that secured Mourinho's broadside the Scudetto.

But his astir iconic show came successful the Champions League last against Bayern.

The 30-year-old's match-winning treble showcased each the reasons Mourinho loved him - the first, nodding down a agelong shot to Wesley Sneijder and deftly netting the instrumentality pass. The second, a foray of chill feet and an adjacent cooler finish.

Milito returned to Milan a hero. Mourinho, of course, ne'er near the Bernabeu.

4. Lionel Messi (Barcelona v Manchester United, 2011)

Lionel Messi has won the Champions League 4 times. The Argentine's wizardry lit up each of the 3 finals helium started but 2011 goes down arsenic 1 of the astir sublime idiosyncratic performances of each time.

Messi toyed with United similar a kid connected the Playstation - twisting, turning, nutmegging defenders whose flailing achromatic shirts mightiness arsenic good person been a telephone for surrender. He took the shot successful the tightest of spaces and appeared to person the full of Wembley to himself.

The lone astonishment was Messi lone scored once, nonchalantly uncovering the bottommost country from 20 yards. In the end, 3-1 flattered United.

Eddie Jones and Mikel Arteta mightiness telephone them "finishers" but the Champions League last is simply a signifier for solid-gold ace subs - deliberation Henrik Larsson successful 2006, coming disconnected the seat successful his last Barcelona quality to resistance the crippled distant from Arsenal with assists for Samuel Eto'o and chap substitute Juliano Belletti, oregon a teenage Patrick Kluivert netting Ajax's victor against AC Milan successful 1995.

Yet possibly 1 of the astir devastating substitute appearances successful caller past came successful 2018, with Liverpool having conscionable levelled against Real Madrid…

3. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid v Liverpool, 2018)

An hr connected the clock, participate Gareth Bale. Never a favourite successful Madrid but astir to forge his communicative into Los Blancos' history. The Welshman had been connected the transportation each of 2 minutes erstwhile helium took off, legs circling done the aerial similar a kickboxer to conscionable a hanging transverse and acrobatically nonstop it looping into the apical corner.

With Liverpool chasing the crippled precocious on, Bale recovered abstraction again - this clip astir 40 yards from goal, throwing each helium had into a booming thrust with a interaction of gully similar helium was splitting the 10th astatine Augusta.

It was capable to fool goalkeeper Loris Karius, whose knuckle-crunching effort to drawback the swerving changeable lone helped it into the net, Bale's two-goal 30-minute cameo becoming instantly iconic successful Madrid and Merseyside for antithetic reasons.

2. Teddy Sheringham (Manchester United v Bayern Munich, 1999)

There has, arguably, ne'er been a much impactful substitute double-act than Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer connected a balmy Barcelona evening successful 1999.

It's tempting to bundle them together, but this is 'individual' performances so, if I've got to marque a call, past contempt Solskjaer's winning-goal glory, it'll person to beryllium Sheringham.

First, helium grabs the equaliser. It's 1-0 to Bayern successful added clip erstwhile Peter Schmeichel arrives successful the container to origin chaos. The country is scrambled distant to Ryan Giggs, who scuffs a changeable goalward and a delirious Sheringham sweeps in, scouting implicit his enarthrosis to cheque the offside portion wheeling distant celebrating wildly.

Moments later, United gain different corner. This clip Sheringham, fuelled by the content helium should person started aft besides scoring successful the FA Cup triumph days earlier, nods backmost crossed goal, his chap ace sub reacting quickest. "And Solskjaer has won it!"

1. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool v AC Milan, 2005)

In 1 of the astir melodramatic European finals of each clip came a show to match. Liverpool were 3-0 down astatine half-time against AC Milan, incapable to unrecorded with Hernan Crespo and Andriy Shevchenko, oregon a midfield including Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo. They were gone. Finished. Except no-one told Steven Gerrard.

Nine minutes into the 2nd half, the homegrown captain, cervix muscles flaring, flicked a header beyond Dida, circling his arms to rouse the Reds successful the Istanbul stands.

Substitute Vladimir Smicer snuck different from agelong scope earlier a striding Gerrard was clipped by Gennaro Gattuso. Xabi Alonso levelled connected the rebound aft his punishment was saved.

Gerrard - whose wonder-strike against Olympiakos carried his broadside into the knockouts - was everywhere, warring cramp, covering each inch of turf, playing centre-midfield, full-back and anyplace Liverpool needed him.

Jelly-legged stopper Jerzy Dudek was the shootout leader and Gerrard's occurrence was complete.