Lionel Messi leads Champions League XI who ended English reign | OneFootball

Lionel Messi, Raul and Jan Oblak

The Champions League returns and Manchester City are favourites to win the tournament again following their victory over Inter Milan in June.

But no English side has successfully defended the trophy since Nottingham Forest in 1980. Here’s an XI made up from players who helped to knock out a reigning English champion.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak After facing off in the 2019 final, another Liverpool and Spurs fixture was lined up for the following season’s quarters if both English sides made it through their last-16 ties. Jurgen Klopp’s men had to find a way past Atletico Madrid, a task made more difficult following a 1-0 loss in the first-leg, combined with the absence of Alisson through injury. Replacement Adrian had an evening to forget at Anfield as the holders crashed out, with the Spanish ‘keeper at fault for a Marcos Llorente strike.

Meanwhile, opposite number Jan Oblak put in a man-of-the-match performance at the other end as Liverpool laid siege to the Slovenian’s goal.

Centre-back: Colin Barrett From Liverpool’s latest defence of the Champions League to their first.

The Reds’ maiden victory in the European Cup came in 1977 and as holders they didn’t have to enter the following season’s competition until the round of 16 stage. Victories over Dynamo Dresden, Benfica, Borussia Monchengladbach and Club Brugge in the final saw Bob Paisley’s men retain the trophy.

But their undefeated streak would come to an end a few months later as newly crowned First Division champions Nottingham Forest knocked Liverpool out in the first round of the 1978/79 tournament, with defender Colin Barrett scoring in a 2-0 win at the City Ground.

Centre-back: Luisao Liverpool’s 2005 triumph saw the club return to the Champions League for the following campaign, despite finishing fifth in the Premier League. The holders had to start the tournament from the first qualifying round, with the defence of their crown starting just a month and a half after the miracle of Istanbul.

Rafa Benitez’s men ended up topping a group including Chelsea but went out in the round of 16 at the hands of Benfica, with Brazilian defender Luisao scoring in the first-leg.

Centre-back: Fernandinho Benitez suffered more heartbreak in 2012, this time with holders Chelsea after the Spaniard replaced Champions League-winning boss Roberto di Matteo. The Blues put up a miserable defence of their title after exiting at the group stage, with Benitez coming in after a 3-0 defeat to Juventus.

But with the Italian side at the top, Chelsea’s competition for second place came in the form of Shakhtar Donetsk and a 2-1 defeat in Ukraine proved costly, with Fernandinho getting the winner. Stamford Bridge would on to host Europa League football that season, with Benitez leading the club to glory in the competition.

Right wing: Kurt Hamrin Manchester United became the first English side to lift the European Cup in 1968, ten years after the tragic events of Munich. Bobby Charlton continued to carry the spirit of the Busby Babes and scored against AC Milan in the semi-finals as the Red Devils looked to retain the trophy.

But the damage had been done in the first leg at the San Siro, with Swedish superstar Kurt Hamrin finding the net in a 2-0 win. United went out 2-1 on aggregate, whilst Milan went on to thump Ajax 4-1 in the final.

Central midfield: Zbigniew Boniek It certainly wasn’t to be the last time an Italian side put an English champion to the sword, with Aston Villa on the receiving end in 1983. The Villans reached the quarter-finals as they strived to hold on to the trophy Peter Withe had won them against Bayern Munich in the final of ’82.

A talented Juventus side stood in the way, with the likes of Zoff, Scirea, Platini and Rossi looking to win the Bianconeri their first European Cup. It was Polish star Zbigniew Boniek who stole the headlines after the first leg, scoring late to give Juventus a 2-1 at Villa Park.

Central midfield: Michel Platini Boniek and co ended up losing the final to Hamburg in Athens but finally lifted the trophy two years later, albeit under tragic circumstances in the Heysel Stadium. Reigning champions Liverpool were the runners-up, with three-time Ballon d’Or winner Michel Platini scoring from the spot following a foul on Boniek.

Left wing: Tsvetan Yonchev The subsequent continental ban in the wake of the Heysel disaster ensured an end to a dominant run of seven English wins from nine European Cups, with Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest all lifting the trophy between ’77 and ’85. Forest were back to back champions under Brian Clough but lost out in the first round of the 1980/81 tournament, with Tsvetan Yonchev scoring in a famous 1-0 win for CSKA Sofia at the City Ground.

The Bulgarian side repeated the trick the following season, knocking out holders Liverpool in the quarters.

Lionel Messi The 2009 semis saw three English sides in the last four as Manchester United produced a scintillating display to overcome Arsenal whilst Barcelona’s highly controversial victory over Chelsea in the other tie prevented a repeat of the previous year’s final, when the Red Devils’ lifted the trophy after a tense penalty-shootout.

Alex Ferguson’s side looked to become to first team to successfully defend the European Cup since AC Milan in 1990 but Lionel Messi had other ideas, with the Argentinean superstar scoring in a 2-0 win to complete a treble for Barcelona.

Forward: Raul Manchester United’s own treble was of course memorably won in 1999, following an incredible late turnaround against Bayern Munich. The following season saw the Red Devils saunter to another Premier League win, finishing 18 points clear of Arsenal in second.

But holding onto the Champions League crown proved to be a tougher task. Despite an impressive 0-0 draw at the Bernabeu in the first leg of their quarter-final match against Real Madrid, a brace from Raul at Old Trafford in the return fixture sent the Spanish side into the semis with a 3-2 win.

Forward: Karim Benzema Real Madrid went on to lift the trophy in 2000 and continue to be the scourge of English sides in the modern era. The 2021/22 tournament saw Los Blancos defeat Liverpool in the final, Manchester City in the semis and reigning champions Chelsea in the quarters. Karim Benzema’s superb hat-trick at Stamford Bridge resulted in a 3-1 win for the away side and despite the Blues fighting back in the second leg, the French forward proved to be the match-winner yet again with a header in extra-time to make it 5-4 on aggregate.