The Greatest Champions League 11 in Football History

The UEFA Champions League is by far the highest-quality competition in club football and this is proved by simply considering just how many iconic names have appeared and shone throughout the competition’s history. Since the Champions League began back in 1992, each and every year the greatest players in the world make it their mission to add the iconic Champions League trophy to their list of achievements.

GIVEMESPORT have put together a team which will incorporate the greatest players in Champions League history. The formation will be 4-3-3 and the team will include iconic names linked to the Champions League, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Steven Gerrard.

Talent of course will be taken into account when deciding which players make it into the 11, but it will not just be the quality of the players which gives them a place in the team. Things such as iconic Champions League moments and goals will also be taken into consideration.

Ranking factors

• Champions League era (1992 onwards)
• Champions League titles
• Champions League goals
• Iconic Champions League moments
• Overall Champions League legacy

GK: Iker Casillas

Champions League titles: 3

Throughout the history of the Champions League, the competition’s biggest superstars have always mainly been wingers and strikers, however, due to the long format of the competition, a goalkeeper’s form is arguably more important than any other players on the pitch. The consistency which Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas had was particularly special, keeping things tight in goal so Los Blancos’ more offensive talents could thrive.

The Spaniard’s unbelievable shot-stopping ability led Real Madrid to three Champions League titles and he was a pivotal figure, especially in the dressing room, despite the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema taking most of the plaudits.

RB: Philipp Lahm

Champions League titles: 1

Philipp Lahm may have only won a single Champions League in 2012-13 but he was arguably the top right-back of his era and made a staggering 112 appearances in the competition. He reached the quarter-finals nine times out of 12 seasons in the Bayern Munich first team, and the semi-finals six times, while he also played in three finals.

Only one of them ended in victory when Lahm’s side beat their Bundesliga rivals Dortmund at Wembley to take the European crown in 2013, although it was actually the Germany legend’s performances the following season, when Pep Guardiola utilised him in an unorthodox midfield role, that saw him named in the Champions League Team of the Season for the first time. An overdue accomplishment for a player who was routinely one of the competition’s best in his position.

CB: Sergio Ramos

Champions League titles: 4

Despite being a centre-back, Sergio Ramos has scored some of the most important Champions League goals in history for Real Madrid, the most iconic of them all being his last-gasp headed equaliser in the 2014 final against Atletico Madrid.

The Spaniard has firmly cemented himself as one of the best captains in Champions League history and without his constant presence at the back for the Spanish giants over the years, their European success may not have been as great.

Ramos was a key player for the Real Madrid side that won four Champions League titles in five years and was twice named the Champions League’s defender of the season, while also making the squad of the season on four occasions.

CB: Paolo Maldini

Champions League titles: 3

Just like Sergio Ramos, Paolo Maldini is also one of the best captains in Champions League history and has been a key figure in AC Milan’s rich European history.

Maldini was the epitome of defensive elegance but in the campaigns which saw him win the Champions League on three separate occasions, he also showed that he had the ability to put his body on the line for his teammates and sacrifice himself for success.

Maldini’s ability to tackle perfectly even when coming up against the best attackers in world football is what made him such a phenomenon in the Champions League.

LB: Marcelo

Champions League titles: 5

Marcelo is one of the greatest attacking full-backs in the history of the game. His attacking contributions over the years made him a key figure in an elite Real Madrid side that also included Cristiano Ronaldo, dominating the space a traditional winger would take on the left flank to allow the Portuguese icon to take up more offensive goalscoring positions and essentially enjoy a free role.

Marcelo won an incredible five Champions League titles with Real Madrid and replacing him at left-back has been a huge issue for Los Blancos ever since. Talents like Marcelo simply don’t come around that often.

CM: Andres Iniesta

Champions League titles: 4

Despite Lionel Messi being the main name who people think of when discussing Barcelona’s rich history in the Champions League, midfield maestro Andres Iniesta was the player who made everything tick in the middle of the park.

Iniesta’s ability to control and dominate the midfield almost effortlessly was truly special to watch and guided Barcelona to four Champions League titles as the side continuously evolved. Iniesta was a part of the iconic midfield three alongside Xavi and Sergio Busquets, who many believe is the greatest midfield in football history.

Unfortunately, there isn’t room for the entire trio in this article, but Iniesta remains the pick of the bunch as a particularly stand-out talent.

CM: Steven Gerrard

Champions League titles: 1

Despite having only one Champions League trophy to his name, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has produced some of the most iconic moments in the competition’s history.

Gerrard was instrumental in one of the most famous and memorable Champions League finals ever in 2005 against AC Milan in Istanbul, when his Liverpool side came from 3-0 down to defeat a star-studded Milan team on penalties.

This final win for Liverpool and the performance from Gerrard throughout the competition as a whole that season cements him as one of the most iconic figures in Champions League history. Gerrard was also a runner-up in 2006/07 when the Reds once again faced AC Milan but succumbed to a 2-1 defeat.

CM: Luka Modric

Champions League titles: 6

Luka Modric is just one of two players in football history to have won the Champions League on an incredible six separate occasions. The Croatian, who is tied with his Real Madrid midfield partner, Toni Kroos, took his Champions League tally to six earlier this year when he guided Los Blancos to more European success at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund.

After a difficult start to life in Madrid following his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur, it is fair to say that Modric has gone on to silence the doubters and cement himself as not only one of the best midfielders in Champions League history but throughout the history of the sport.

LW: Cristiano Ronaldo

Champions League titles: 5

Arguably the most iconic figure in Champions League history, Cristiano Ronaldo rightfully walks into the greatest Champions League 11 of all time. Representing Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid, Ronaldo has won five Champions League titles (four with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United) and is also the competition’s all-time top goalscorer with a whopping 140 goals in 183 appearances.

As well as having won a lot of Champions League titles, Ronaldo has also produced many iconic moments in the competition, including his insane overhead kick for Juventus in 2018 against his former side Real Madrid and his iconic final hat trick against Atletico Madrid which saw Real Madrid win ‘La Decima.’

ST: Karim Benzema

Champions League titles: 5

While taking the striker spot in the greatest Champions League 11 of all time, Karim Benzema is still arguably the most underrated and underappreciated player in Champions League history.

Despite having 90 goals and five titles to his name in the Champions League, Benzema is not typically brought up when speaking about the greats of the competition. But the Frenchman was arguably the most important piece of the iconic ‘BBC’ trio of himself, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, which had tremendous success in the Champions League.

Once Bale and Ronaldo both left the Bernabeu, Benzema took up the goalscoring mantle himself and netted an insane 15 goals in 12 games as Real Madrid won the European crown again in 2021/22.

RW: Lionel Messi

Champions League titles: 4

As arguably the greatest footballer of all time, Lionel Messi is inevitably one of the greatest players to have graced the Champions League.

Messi played key roles in multiple Champions League victories for Barcelona in some of the greatest teams ever. His wizard-like dribbling ability and knack of single-handedly winning games for his teams – not just Barcelona but also during his time at PSG – is what makes the Argentinian such an iconic figure in the Champions League.

Messi was the Champions League’s top scorer on six occasions and ranks third for appearances and second for goals throughout the competition’s history.

All Champions League statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.