Milan’s first European Cup success – the first for any Serie A team – came back in 1963. The Rossoneri had been runners-up to Real Madrid five years earlier though, during Los Blancos’ run of five straight European Cup final wins.

Nereo Rocco was the coach for Milan’s first European Cup victory, masterminding a 2-1 win over two-time winners Benfica in the final, played at Wembley on May 22. Jose Alfatani scored twice, leading the line in a team that also contained captain Cesare Maldini, Giovanni Trapatonni and Gianni Rivera. Eusebio was part of the opposition, and, indeed, the famed Black Pearl opened the scoring.

A second European Cup arrived six years later, but that preceded a 30-year drought. Milan beat Ajax in the 1969 final, played at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu. Rocco was still on the bench and Trapattoni and Rivera still in the XI, but the goals came from Pierini Prati – who scored a hat-trick – and Angelo Sormani in a 4-1 win. Velibor Vasovic netted for Ajax, who had a 22-year-old Johan Cruyff in their side and the legendary Rinus Michels in charge.

Three barren decades in the competition followed until Arrigo Sacchi’s brilliant Milan side, inspired by Marco Van Basten, demolished Steaua Bucharest in the 1989 final. Van Basten and compatriot Ruud Gullit each scored twice in the game, while the third member of their Dutch triumvirate, Frank Rijkaard, patrolled midfield with future Champions League-winning coach Carlo Ancelotti. Paolo Maldini, meanwhile, emulated his father by picking up a winners’ medal.

It was Rijkaard’s turn to get on the scoresheet a year later as his goal proved to be enough to settle a rematch of the 1963 final, and four years after that came Milan’s fifth European Cup success – but by this time, the competition was known as the Champions League. Barcelona were vanquished in the 1994 final, 4-0 in Athens’ Olympic Stadium, with Fabio Capello getting the better of Barca boss Cruyff.

Almost a decade passed before Milan lifted the trophy again, having lost to Ajax in the 1995 final. Instead, it was Old Trafford in 2003 for an all-Italian affair, Ancelotti’s Milan besting Marcello Lippi’s Juventus on penalties. The match finished goalless after extra time, with Andriy Shevchenko converting the decisive spot kick.

Milan’s most recent European Cup/Champions League win came in 2007, two years after arguably the most famous final in the tournament’s history, Istanbul 2005. Milan gave up a 3-0 half-time lead over Liverpool to draw 3-3 after extra time and lost to the Reds on penalties. A modicum of revenge came two years later when Milan and Liverpool met again and this time, Milan took a two-goal lead and held on, even in the face of Dirk Kuyt’s late consolation.

It was Maldini’s fifth European Cup/Champions League win, more than all but four clubs and the same amount as Barcelona. He and his father are part of Champions League history, and Milan are one of the tournament’s most decorated clubs.

Inter’s Champions League story begins in 1964. Defending champions – and Inter’s city rivals – Milan had been eliminated by Real Madrid at the quarter-final stage, and the final would be contested by Los Blancos and the Nerazzurri.

A Sandro Mazzola double helped Helenio Herrera’s Inter to victory over a Madrid side containing such iconic names as Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Paco Gento. Aurelio Milani scored Inter’s other goal in a 3-1 win, with Felo on target for the Spaniards.

Inter were back in the final, and celebrating again, a year later – making it three straight European Cup wins for Serie A. Benfica were the defeated side again, with Brazil international Jair scoring the only goal of the game. Such legendary figures as Tarcisio Burgnich, Giacinto Facchetti, Armando Picchi and Mario Corso played in both finals.

Angelo Moratti was the Inter patron at the time, and thus began a familial obsession with returning Inter to the status of champions of Europe. His son, Massimo Moratti, would take over the club in the mid-1990s, more than 30 years after Inter’s only European Cup victory. And Moratti junior would have to wait over a decade, and spend more than €1bn, before Inter lifted the Champions League on his watch.

It was only when Jose Mourinho was hired that the Nerazzurri were able to win the Champions League. The Portuguese, who had taken unfancied Porto to victory in 2004, masterminded a treble-winning 2009-10 season, with the Coppa Italia and Scudetto also added to the Beneamata trophy cabinet.

Bayern Munich provided the opposition in the 2010 showpiece but two goals from Diego Milito proved decisive. Arguably the most famous match of the tournament came in the semi-final, when Mourinho’s dark arts eliminated Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona on aggregate. Inter won 3-1 in the first leg at San Siro, and then sat on that two-goal lead in the return, losing 1-0 but going through 3-2 overall.

That was the last time Inter troubled the latter stages of the Champions League, but even under new ownership, the desire is as strong as the days of the Moratti family.

Only three clubs have appeared in more European Cup/Champions League finals than Juventus’s nine, but with only two wins – in 1985 and 1996 – no club has lost more finals than the Old Lady’s seven.

Juve’s first European Cup final, in 1973, ended in defeat to Ajax. In 1983, it was Hamburg. The 1985 win was marred by the Heysel Stadium disaster. More than a decade passed before the Old Lady returned to the final, beating Ajax in Rome, the first of three straight final appearances but the only one to end in victory.

As well as the all-Italian showpiece against Milan in 2003, Juve reached the final in 2015, when they were beaten by Barcelona, and 2017, when Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Real Madrid to glory. A year later, he was a Juventus player.

The 1985 final may have been Juventus’s first European Cup win, but the tragic circumstances around it mean it is not an occasion for celebration, and events on the pitch pale in comparison to what happened off it. Michel Platini’s penalty beat Liverpool but the deaths of 39 spectators, mostly Juventus supporters, leave the fixture as one of the most painful moments in Juventus’ history.

Juve’s second European Cup win, and first in the Champions League era, was settled on penalties. Ajax were the holders and future Juve players Edwin Van Der Sar and Edgar Davids and future Juve coaches Ciro Ferrera, Didier Deschamps and Antonio Conte all took part in the final.

Davids missed a penalty in the shootout, which was won 4-2 by Juve as all of the Bianconeri players converted from 12 yards: Ferrera, Gianluca Pessotto, Michele Padavano and, decisively, Vladimir Jugovic.

Serie A champions in 1955-56, Fiorentina entered the following year’s European Cup and reached the final, but proved unable to stop the Real Madrid machine. Los Blancos lifted the second of what would be five consecutive European Cups, in their home stadium, with goals from Alfredo Di Stefano and Paco Gento.

Roma played on home soil in the 1984 final but lost on penalties to Liverpool. The game finished 1-1 after extra time, Phil Neal having put the English team in front early on before Roberto Pruzzo equalised shortly before half-time. Liverpool triumphed 4-2 on penalties, Bruno Conti and Francesco Graziani missing for I Lupi.

Sampdoria’s 1992 final was the last time the tournament was branded as the European Cup, with the Champions League era beginning the following season. The Blucerchiati faced Barcelona at Wembley with Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli in attack, but Ronald Koeman’s extra-time free kick decided the game.

Atalanta have not reached a Champions League final but surprised the continent by making the quarter-finals in 2019-20 in their tournament debut. Lazio achieved a last-16 place in 1999-00, while Napoli have been regulars in the competition over the past few years. Parma and Udinese round out Serie A’s historic Champions League proper representatives, having competed in 1997-98 and 2005-06 respectively.

When is the Champions League draw?

The 2021-22 Champions League draw for the group stage took place on 26 August, 2021, at 6pm CET.

 

Which is the most successful Serie A club in the Champions League?

Milan are the most successful Serie A club in the Champions League, winning the competition in its current and previous form of the European Cup on seven occasions (1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007).

 

How many Serie A teams qualify for the Champions League?

The top four teams in Serie A automatically qualify for the group stage of Champions League, although the winners of the previous season’s competition also gain entry if they fail to qualify through their league position.