In essence, a trophy hastily completed by a Swiss man in 1967 because he had a strict deadline: his impending marriage and honeymoon to Los Angeles. It is affectionately known as Ol' Big Ears, a reference to the fact that it's no problem carrying it around given the size of the handles.
The winners will receive the trophy on the pitch and also book a UEFA Super Cup date with Atlético Madrid at Tallinn's Lilleküla Stadium on 15 August.
In the first semi, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sven Ulreich committed a huge blunder as holders Real edged into the final.
Ulreich missed a backpass to gift a vital second goal to Karim Benzema at the Bernabeu Stadium, and the Frenchman's double in a pulsating 2-2 draw ensured Real progressed 4-3 on aggregate.
Bayern had led early through Joshua Kimmich and a strike from James Rodriguez - who is on loan at the German club from Real - set up a tense finish. However, the hosts withstood considerable pressure to keep their bid for a third successive title on track.
To add to the spectacle, two of the world’s top talents will vie for the headlines in a battle that could decide who is crowned this season’s Ballon d’Or winner.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has enjoyed one of the most mind-bogglingly dominant seasons ever seen and he’ll get the chance to ice it when he comes face-to-face with the Portuguese phenomenon that is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Should Salah recreate his scoring feats, which yielded 46 goals in all competitions this season, for the next 13 seasons, he still wouldn’t equal Ronaldo’s career tally.
And that prolificacy can never be understated in this competition. A tournament where the Portuguese superstar’s freakish record continues to reach new heights as he smashes just about every record on offer.
Real Madrid's Zinédine Zidane could become the first coach to win three European Cups in a row. No member of Liverpool's squad has previously played in a UEFA Champions League final. It pays to come early to the party: in previous UEFA Champions League finals, 18 of the 24 teams that scored first went on to lift the trophy. But not too early: the scorers of three of the four quickest final goals (six minutes and under) went on to lose.
The winners will receive the trophy on the pitch and also book a UEFA Super Cup date with Atlético Madrid at Tallinn's Lilleküla Stadium on 15 August.
In the first semi, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sven Ulreich committed a huge blunder as holders Real edged into the final.
Ulreich missed a backpass to gift a vital second goal to Karim Benzema at the Bernabeu Stadium, and the Frenchman's double in a pulsating 2-2 draw ensured Real progressed 4-3 on aggregate.
Bayern had led early through Joshua Kimmich and a strike from James Rodriguez - who is on loan at the German club from Real - set up a tense finish. However, the hosts withstood considerable pressure to keep their bid for a third successive title on track.
To add to the spectacle, two of the world’s top talents will vie for the headlines in a battle that could decide who is crowned this season’s Ballon d’Or winner.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has enjoyed one of the most mind-bogglingly dominant seasons ever seen and he’ll get the chance to ice it when he comes face-to-face with the Portuguese phenomenon that is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Should Salah recreate his scoring feats, which yielded 46 goals in all competitions this season, for the next 13 seasons, he still wouldn’t equal Ronaldo’s career tally.
And that prolificacy can never be understated in this competition. A tournament where the Portuguese superstar’s freakish record continues to reach new heights as he smashes just about every record on offer.
Real Madrid's Zinédine Zidane could become the first coach to win three European Cups in a row. No member of Liverpool's squad has previously played in a UEFA Champions League final. It pays to come early to the party: in previous UEFA Champions League finals, 18 of the 24 teams that scored first went on to lift the trophy. But not too early: the scorers of three of the four quickest final goals (six minutes and under) went on to lose.
