European Champion Clubs' Cup

Lore & Background

The original European Cup trophy was donated by L'Équipe, a French sports newspaper. This trophy was awarded permanently to Real Madrid in March 1967. The replacement trophy, with a somewhat different design, was commissioned by UEFA from Jörg Stadelmann, a jeweller from Bern, Switzerland. Between 1967 and 1994, the trophy bore the title 'Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens' in sentence case; AC Milan were the last team to win this type of trophy. Since then, the trophy bears the title fully in capital letters. The trophy that currently is awarded has been in use since 2006, after Liverpool won their fifth European Cup in 2005. Since 2009, Champions League winners have not kept the real trophy, which remains in UEFA's custody at all times.

Reader's Guide

A rule introduced before the 1968–69 season allowed a club to keep the original trophy after five wins or three consecutive wins. Five clubs have been permanently awarded the real trophy under the old rules: Real Madrid (after their sixth title in 1966), Ajax (after their third consecutive title in 1973), Bayern Munich (after their third consecutive title in 1976), Milan (after their fifth title in 1994), and Liverpool (after their fifth title in 2005). Prior to 2008–09, a club whose Champions League title was not a fifth overall or third consecutive win kept the real trophy for ten months and received a scaled-down replica. Since 2009, the winning club receives a full-size replica trophy with their name engraved on it.

Did You Know?

• The shape of the handles has earned the trophy the nickname 'big ears' in multiple languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Arabic.
• The replacement trophy was made by Jörg Stadelmann, a jeweller from Bern, Switzerland, at a cost of 10,000 Swiss francs.