As we sit here on the day of the Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich, I decided to take a look back down memory lane at the great European Cup finals of all time. There have been some classic finals in the past decades and we can hope tonight’s showpiece in Munich proves to be another one of those occasions.

Manchester United 4 Benfica 1 (1968)

The Red Devils became the first English side to win the European cup, and what made it sweeter was the fact it was won at Wembley (perhaps a good omen for SAF tomorrow). The game is remembered for European footballer of the year and football writer’s Footballer of the Year, George Best’s ‘wonder’ goal, but it could have been so different for United if goalkeeper Alex Stepney hadn’t saved from Eusebio, when the score was 1-1, when the Benfica forward broke through in the final moments. United sealed an emphatic win in extra time, with ‘that’ goal from Best, another from 19 year old Brian Kidd and another from Bobby Charlton.

Celtic 2 Inter Milan 1 (1967)

Celtic broke Britain’s European duck, in a remarkable game of attack versus defence, with the Scottish club managing 42 attempts on goal, with the Italians only achieving a measly five. Inter Milan took the lead on seven minutes via a Sandro Mazzola penalty, but that is as good as it got for the Italians, with Celtic unleashing wave after wave after attack, which eventually paid dividends with Tommy Gemmell and a deflected Bobby Murdoch shot, sealing the win.

Manchester United 2 Bayern Munich 1 (2000)

Everyone related with the German giants started to celebrate when the clock ticked over the 90 minute mark but 36 seconds later, the party was abruptly halted thanks to a Teddy Sheringham equaliser. Everybody began readying themselves for extra time but somebody forgot to tell Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who scored a dramatic winner on 92 minutes and 17 seconds to clinch the Treble for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3 (Liverpool win 3-2 on pens) (2005)

AC Milan fans are still recovering from this historic night in Istanbul, where Liverpool achieved, what was deemed impossible at half time. 3-0 down against a stereotypical Italian defence, the game basically over, but in a mad seven minute spell Liverpool showed us all why we love the beautiful game with Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso completing a sensational come back, to take the game to extra time and eventually penalties, which of course the Merseyside outfit won.

Real Madrid 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 3 (1960)

This cup final is viewed by many as the greatest European final ever, and it is hard to argue against with ten goals, two hat tricks (Ferenc Puskas 4 and Alfredo di Stefano 3) and world record number of fans at Hampden Park (127,261). This victory was Real Madrid’s fifth consecutive European Cup final victory in a row.

Benfica 5 Real Madrid 3 (1962)

Real Madrid were looking to reclaim their European dominance after Benfica had taken the trophy the year before, and with two early goals from Puskas it looked like Madrid would do just that. However within ten minutes Benfica were level again, only for Puskas to complete his hat trick before half time. Benfica managed to draw level in the second half and eventually went on to retain their crown with two goals in four minutes from Eusebio.

Nottingham Forest 1 Malmo 0 (1979)

Just two seasons earlier Forest were playing in the old second division, something of a fairytale football story. If that wasn’t enough of a story for you, UEFA rules meant that Trevor Francis Britain’s first £1 million signing couldn’t play in European matches for three months, which meant the Cup final was the former Birmingham City man’s Euro debut, a huge gamble by Old Big ‘Ead but one that paid off with Francis netting the winner.

Milan 4 Ajax 1 (1969)

This Milan performance destroyed the cliché of Italian football being negative and defensive, with Pierino Prati scoring the last hat trick in a European final to date. This Ajax side would eventually go on to be European Champions three years in a row in the early 1970s.

Real Madrid 2 Bayer Leverkusen 1 (2002)

A very close encounter with Raul opening the scoring after eight minutes for Madrid but Leverkusen’s Lucio levelled the score only five minutes later. It is what happened in the 45th minute that gets this game onto such lists, arguably one of the greatest UEFA Champions League goals was scored by Zinedine Zidane who volleyed a high arcing cross from Roberto Carlos into the top corner from the edge of the area, a goal worthy to win any match, especially a cup final.

Borussia Dortmund 3 Juventus 1 (1997)

Everyone loves an underdog and the German’s duly obliged in giving us a victorious one. The German’s went 2-0 up before Del Piero (who else) pulled a goal back but Dortmund sealed the win with a Lars Ricksen goal, 16 seconds after he came on as a substitute, which was and still is the faster goal by a substitute in the Champions League ever.

Whilst Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have already acted swiftly to prize away Xherdan Shaqiri and Marco Reus for the 2012/13 campaign, clubs in this country are still toiling away behind the scenes, drawing up lists of potential summer bargains to be had.

We thought we would make their selections a little easier by drawing up a list of the transfer bargains that can be picked up from the continent this summer.

Click on Jefferson Farfan to unveil the top 15 bargains to be had

Big spending Manchester City are all already planning their summer transfer targets as Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia becomes the first man that Roberto Mancini wants, according to The Metro.

With only the unimpressive Stefan Savic and unreliable Kolo Toure as cover for first choice centre backs Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany, Mancini has made that position his main concern for the summer.

Even though City have the best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just 27 goals in their 35 league games, 24-year-old Ranocchia could be the perfect long term signing for Mancini as the Financial Fair Play kicks in next season possibly restricting City’s big spending tactics.

Even though Ranocchia has failed to nail down a starting spot at Inter, it is unlikely the Italians will want to let him go and an offer of around £12million may be required from any bidder to secure the talented youngsters signature. It has been reported that Napoli, Juventus and PSG could be City’s rivals for the central defender who has been with Inter for less than 18 months.

With current centre backs Lucio and Walter Samuel both the wrong side of 33, it would make sense for the Nerazzurri to hold onto the former Genoa defender, however the Italian international may have the final say on where his future lies.

The Netherlands international has been a bit-part player in the Etihad stadium club’s title charge this term, with Roberto Mancini preferring to use the likes of Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry or James Milner in the centre of the park.

Inter have had a poor season and are widely expected to have an active summer transfer window, with an £8 million bid for De Jong in the offing.

The San Siro giants have also reportedly been impressed by the form of Tottenham full-back Kyle Walker, after sending scouts to watch the defender at White Hart Lane.

The PFA Player of the Year has been earmarked as one for the future, and Inter intend to keep tabs on the England international.

By Gareth McKnight

The Serbia international left-back has found opportunities in Roberto Mancini’s first-team limited this term due to the arrival of Gael Clichy, and is ready to swap the Etihad Stadium for the San Siro to ensure more playing time.

The Italian giants are going through something of a rebuilding process after a disappointing season, and were keen to sign free-kick specialist Kolarov in the January transfer window.

City bought the full back from Lazio in July 2010 for £16million, but with City struggling to balance the books due to Fifa’s Financial Fairplay ruling, a sale at less than this is expected.

Inter are believed to also be interested in City badboy forwards Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez, and may well bid for all three of the City players this summer.

By Gareth McKnight

Just the latest talent to derive from South America, 19-year-old Lucas is currently enjoying his breakthrough campaign and a big move to Europe is believed to boost his chances of featuring for his home nation at the 2014 World Cup which is to be hosted in his native Brazil.

Wanted by Inter Milan also, only for a deal to fall through at the last minute in the January window, Lucas has been taking an extensive course in English lessons and actually made his full Selecao debut at the Emirates Stadium in a friendly with Scotland last year.

Agent Wagner Ribeiro told Globo Esporte

‘I have to say that Inter, Chelsea and Manchester United have already been in contact with me about him’ (Metro)

Any such swoop for Lucas will cost however and it is believed that the midfielder who has a £66 million buyout clause won’t be sold for anything less than £20 million. But with funds available to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, this may not prove such a stumbling block, in a potential summer overhaul of the Blues.

If Lucas did plump for London he would be joining national team compatriots David Luiz and Ramires but Anderson also represents familiar company at Old Trafford.

An even stronger Premier League this season suggested business as usual in Europe. But that’s not quite how it has panned out. The two Manchester clubs never made it out of the group stage. And as of next week, it would be perfectly plausible if there are no English representatives in the last eight of the Champions League for the first time in over fifteen years.

Of course it is par for the course that debates will start about the strength of the Premiership, if there is a power-shift, if Italian football is resurgent, and so on. But the more probable explanation, as is often the case, is one of circumstance, a consequence of short-term events at individual clubs.Chelsea appears to be the current “club in crisis”. There always has to be a “big” club in crisis, and Arsenal have passed over the mantle, having themselves taken it off Manchester City, due to their never-ending crises (if you believe what you read, which I’m confident you don’t).

Chelsea’s struggles in Europe have mirrored a slump in league form, so the explanation seems quite straight forward. A new, inexperienced manager dedicated to a distinct change in tactics to what went before has led to a bumpy ride that Villas-Boas, recalling the track record of the club’s owner, could not survive. It is of course far too early to predict a wane in fortunes for the London club, especially with such a wealthy owner behind them, who will not stop in his desire to capture Europe’s biggest club prize. But with many of their key players reaching the twilight years of their career, and with a £50m white elephant in the room, it is little surprise everything hasn’t gone according to plan.

As for Manchester City, their debut season in the competition has been an education for all concerned. Only in one of their first five games, away to Villareal, can City be credited with a good, professional performance. Otherwise, it has been a struggle. Changes in playing personnel have cost City dear. Playing Kolo Toure in Munich cost them dear, apart from Carlos Tevez super-gluing himself to the bench, wrecking Mancini’s attempts to turn the game. Playing two back-up full-backs away to Napoli brought similar results.

City can had no excuses for not qualifying irrelevant of the difficult nature of the group, because of the money they have spent. But we can see in how the crucial game in Napoli was approached by the two teams some clues that explain the end result. Whilst Napoli’s league form had tailed off and the goals dried up, they were fully focused, as were their fans, on playing City and getting the necessary victory. Mancini and City found themselves at the time five points clear at the top of the Premier League, and perhaps their focus has shifted in that direction for many a month now. Either way, Mancini probably thought he could get away with changes and still qualify, but there is nowhere to hide in the Champions League, as he discovered at Inter Milan, and the competition may prove to be his Achilles heel – it’s rather early to be drawing such conclusions though. Since demotion to the Europa League Porto have been despatched 6-1 on aggregate, but only last night they once more struggled – they remain favourites for the trophy however.

Manchester United last finished as group runners-up in 2004-05 and were duly beaten home and away by Milan to crash out in the knockout stages. In 2005-06, they finished bottom of their group. Apart from that, their progress to at least the quarter-finals has been consistent. And the statistics show their start to the Premier League season to be one of their best.And yet the murmurings continue about the quality of the side, or at least of their performances. United are used to this – such noises accompanied them to a league title throughout last season and all the way to a Champions League final.

As for Arsenal, well they performed pretty much as expected for a team without any honours for seven years in 4^th place in their domestic league. They qualified with ease, but were ultimately undone by one horror night. But to really challenge the best, Wenger has to soften his ideals, and buy established talent.

The Spanish League may or may not be stronger, but Real Madrid just thrashed Espanyol 5-0 on Sunday night without any trouble whatsoever. It was a victory against one of the many teams fighting for the very open fourth Champions League spot in la Primera and the 14th time in 25 league games that Madrid have knocked four or more goals against their opponents this season. So clearly there is a lack of depth in all the major divisions – and there are also big teams horribly out of form, as Inter Milan have shown recently. Even Bayern Munich have stuttered recently, especially away from home, and have already conceded the league title.

Arguments over who has the best league are tedious anyway, but the point is that teams like Manchester City and Manchester United will be back, along with the other big teams, next season and pose a strong challenge in the Champions League. Let’s nor write off the league because of a small period of struggles against foreign teams. Better instead to simply credit some of the “outsiders” for quietly building brilliant and entertaining sides – be it Napoli and their magnificent front line or the scintillating Athletic Bilbao team, and the fairytale progression of Apoel Nicosia. Rather than bemoan a “boring” quarter-final line up devoid of many of the traditional big names, let’s celebrate a more eclectic mix of teams, and some exciting emerging players. The traditional big boys are no longer having it their own way, and this should be applauded.

But there is an easier solution to eradicate the struggles faced by English sides in recent times. Every tie completed so far in the current knockout stage of the Champions League has been won by the southernmost team (a trend Napoli should continue next week). So the answer is obvious – tow Britain to somewhere off the North African coast – then we’ll conquer Europe once more.

There is no doubting that in the past two decades we have witnessed some fantastic sides, brilliant matches and individual performances that will live long in the memory and if you support Manchester United, you certainly have witnessed something of a golden period – with no fewer than 12 League titles that sees the Red Devils surpass Liverpool as the most successful side in England. Fergie has certainly had his challenges, notably in Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, but has always managed to come back time after time to recapture their crown.

One of the great aspects of the Premier League, since its inauguration, has been the array of players plying their trade from all corners of the globe in English football, which has made the League richer for their presence within it. We have been privy to some of the very best players in the world, although it is fair to say we have witnessed some absolute shockers as well. It is fair to say that it is not necessarily down to their lack of ability, but for one reason or other their spell in England was simply a disaster.

This article is a celebration of the latter and the top 20 ‘waste of spaces’ that the Premier League has ever seen:

Click on Tomas Brolin to unveil the top 20

The Premier League champions are thought to be long-term admirers of The Netherlands international, and pursued him as a possible replacement for Paul Scholes last summer to no avail.

Sneijder has sparked speculation of a move to Old Trafford again by stating an uncertainty over his future.

“There have never been any concrete contacts with Manchester United. I see everything, I am not blind, but there is nothing concrete right now,” the playmaker told Nos, translated into English by The Daily Mail.

“I am happy at Inter, but we will see. I currently have no contacts with other clubs and I am living day by day.

“If on the last day of the transfer window an offer had arrived, maybe I would have left.

‘The truth is that I feel at home at Inter, but I do not know where I will play next season,” he admitted.

Despite Scholes coming out of retirement to help United’s injury-stricken midfield, Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to be in the market for a new creative player for the centre of the park, and a move for Sneijder come the summer may yet be a possibility.

By Gareth McKnight

Inter have confirmed that they have ended their interest in signing Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, as transfer negotiations have broken down.

The Argentina international is on his way out of the Etihad Stadium after numerous controversies and disciplinary actions, with both Inter, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain eager to sign the attacker.

Milan walked away from negotiations recently after failing to meet City’s £30million-plus valuation, and Inter now appear to have followed suit.

“Now we’re no longer interested in Tevez. He is following a different path,” board member Marco Tronchetti Provera told Ansa.

“Inter have recovered their champions and there is no need to have him or another, even if Tevez remains a great champion.”

With less than a week left in the transfer window Tevez’s options are running out, as PSG are the only known bidder left for the South American’s services.

The inability to find a solution is also hurting Tevez personally, as City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has also confirmed that the player is not being paid whilst he is AWOL back in his homeland.

By Gareth McKnight