When the new Champions League format was announced a collective groan could be heard from the footballing community. Whilst there are pros and cons of the new format, it is undeniable that this season’s Champions League has produced some spectacular moments.
From Bayern Munich thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 9-2, to Manchester City’s collapse at home to Feyenoord, and Inter Milan conceding just one goal the league phase had a plethora of talking points.
Now only four teams remain, and it is this composition of the semi-finals that makes for a remarkable stat.
None of the four semi-finalists have won the competition in the last ten years – for the first time in 21 years
Arsenal will face French champions PSG in one semi-final, whilst Inter Milan have Barcelona in their way of a second final in three years. This means it is the first time in over 20 years that none of the four semi-finalists have won the competition in the last ten years – it last happened in 2004.
Barcelona last won the Champions League in 2015, whilst Inter Milan have not lifted the trophy since 2010. Arsenal and PSG are both searching for their first-ever Champions League success.
It is largely down to Real Madrid’s dominance in Europe that this scenario has not occurred in over 20 years. Real have reached the Champions League semi-finals an astonishing 12 times in the last 14 seasons, prior to being knocked out of this year’s competition in the quarter-finals, losing 5-1 on aggregate to Arsenal.
With one of Arsenal or PSG guaranteed to get through to the final, there is a chance that a new Champions League winner could be crowned this year, with this last happening two years ago when Manchester City triumphed.
In 2003/04, the last time all four semi-finalists had gone ten years without lifting the trophy, Chelsea were knocked out by Monaco 5-3 on aggregate in one semi-final, whilst Porto won 1-0 over two legs against Deportivo La Coruna.
Of those four sides, only Porto has won the European Cup before, doing so back in the 1986/87 season.
It is refreshing to see two sides in the semi-finals who have never won the trophy before, whilst Barcelona and Inter Milan have both waited for their latest European success and are both still aiming for a historic treble this season.
Whatever your views on the newest format of the Champions League to have a winner that has not tasted victory in over ten years is a win for the wider footballing world.
