With Champions League on hold, AP looks back at past greats

LONDON (AP) — In the absence of the Champions League final on Saturday, The Associated Press will take a look back at some of the greatest teams, players and matches in the history of the tournament.

This year’s final, scheduled to be played in Istanbul, is on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Memorable moments from years past have been frozen in time by AP photographers, from Real Madrid’s record 13 wins to Manchester United’s incredible injury-time comeback against Bayern Munich to Steaua Bucharest’s remarkable run to the title in 1986.

The AP will pick a topic for every letter of the alphabet to remember the greats of the game and the greatest games, going back to when the competition was called the European Cup and through its transformation into the Champions League.

Current greats like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale will be featured, but so will Johan Cruyff, Alfredo Di Stefano and Paolo Maldini.

AC Milan, Chelsea and Barcelona will be in there, too, and so will Nottingham Forest, Benfica and Celtic.

There are even moments for Q and X.