Champions League winners: Every edition's winner since 1992/93

2001/02 – Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane's famous goal won the Champions League for Real Madrid in 2001/02

Real Madrid claimed their 9th European title in 2001/02, as a goal from Zinedine Zidane – who had been signed from Juventus the previous summer for a world record transfer fee of €77.5m – allowed them to run out 2-1 winners over Bayer Leverkusen in the final. The victory was arguably the peak of Madrid’s Galactico era, as Los Blancos wouldn’t win another Champions League for over a decade despite continuing to sign some of the world’s best players.

Leverkusen’s run to the final was almost as stirring as Real’s eventual triumph; not only did they become the first side to reach the Champions League final without ever having won their domestic league in their history, but they also eliminated English sides Liverpool and Manchester United in the knockout phase – after helping to dispatch of Arsenal in the second group stage.

2002/03 – AC Milan

A dull final in 2002/03 saw Milan come out on top

The 2002/03 edition of the tournament ended with an all-Italian final, as AC Milan defeated Juventus to claim their first Champions League since 1993/94. If that final had been inspiring, though, this one was anything but – a dull game ended 0-0 and the subsequent penalty shoot-out was not without controversy, as Milan goalkeeper Dida appeared to be way off his line when he saved 3 of Juventus’ 5 penalties.

It was a Champions League of glory for Italian football overall, as 3 of the 4 semi-finalists hailed from Serie A, with Milan defeating Internazionale in a Milan derby semi-final; strangely Milan won on away goals despite both legs taking place in the same stadium! And in a major coincidence, Milan captain Paolo Maldini lifted the famous trophy exactly 40 years after his father Cesare had done the same thing for the same club.

2003/04 – FC Porto

Jose Mourinho's Porto pulled off an upset victory in the 2003/04 Champions League

Perhaps the most surprising final in Champions League history took place in 2003/04, as Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto defeated Monaco 3-0 in the final, winning the trophy for the second time in their history following their triumph in 1986/87. Neither Porto nor Monaco were expected to reach the final, as both clubs were relatively low on star power in comparison to some of the other teams, and neither side has made it as far since.

The format of the tournament was changed in this edition too, as the dual group stages were scrapped in favour of a single group stage leading into a knockout competition comprising 16 teams – giving us the classic Champions League that we know and love today.