UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League in all forms and has been around since 1955 and in its most current form since 1992. The Champions League format took over from the old European Cup to ensure more games for clubs competing that make it through to the group stages.
The Tournament is open to European league winners and depending on the countries coefficient there can be as many as 4 places available for particular league such as the English and Spanish leagues.
Starting in July with three knockout rounds to negotiate teams that progress will then be entered into a group stage. 32 teams play in 8 groups of 4 to progress to the following knockout rounds. Some teams from Europe’s biggest leagues gain automatic qualification to the group stages while smaller nation’s teams have to battle it out to get there.

Most successful teams

The most successful team to have competed in the Champions League are Real Madrid who have lifted the trophy 11 times. The second most successful side are AC Milan who have 7 wins and Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Liverpool are all on 5.

Coverage

As the Champions League is the biggest club tournament in Europe it attracts a huge global audience making Television deals extremely lucrative. The 2013 final attracted over 360 million viewers alone.

Team Records

The biggest recorded win was back in 1973/74 when Dinamo Bucuresti beat Irelands Crusaders 11-0. The record for the biggest victory over 2 legs is held by Benfica who defeated Stade Dudelange 18-0 over the course of the 2 games.

Players Records

The top 3 positions for the most appearances in the Champions league are all held by Spaniards with Iker Casillas having made the most at 164 for Real Madrid and Porto. Xavi is in second position with 151 and Raul is in third with 142.
The top scorer record (as of March 8th 2017) is currently being hotly contested by Cristiano Ronaldo who is on 95 and Lionel Messi who is on 94. The best goal per game ratio is held by former Real Madrid striker Alfredo Di Stefano who averaged 0.84 goals per game in the Champions league. However, at 0.83 Lionel Messi could beat this record shortly.
The player to have scored the most in any one Champions League campaign is Cristiano Ronaldo who scored 17 goals in the 2013-14 season, he is also in second place with 16 in the 2015/16 season.