The Champions League has been regarded as the holy grail of club competition in football for several decades and it is hard to argue against why that is the case.
We are approaching the final stages of the 2017/18 campaign which promises to bring yet more drama and excitement to various homes and stadiums in the knock-out stages.
I personally began my love affair with the competition after that exhilarating 2005 final which saw Liverpool come back from 3-0 down at half-time to be crowned European champions after a penalty shoot-out victory.
There have been few moments as remarkable as that night in Istanbul in the years which have followed and that is of little surprise since Liverpool’s triumph was a ‘once in a lifetime’ occurrence.
Nonetheless, here are five of the most iconic moments in the competition since 2005 and thanks to Zezo Cartoons for capturing all of them in artistic style.
Steven Gerrard heading home Liverpool’s first goal of the dramatic five-minute comeback against AC Milan.
Sergio Ramos scoring the late, late equalizer for Real Madrid ahead of a rampant extra-time show which saw them win the 2014 final.
Paul Scholes scoring the only goal of the semi-final tie against Barcelona to book Manchester United a place in the 2008 final which they won on penalties against Chelsea.
Xavi consoling an emotional Kaka after the 2015 final which turned out to be the last time the midfield maestros would meet on the big stage.
Kaka producing a virtuoso performance for AC Milan with two well-taken goals in the 3-2 semifinal first-leg defeat to Manchester United in 2007.
