Why is it so hard to retain the Champions League?

[RedxMAK]

Across the 33 years of the Champions League era, it has been noticed that no team besides Real Madrid retained the trophy. Ever since the reformatting of the European Cup in 1992, 33 editions of the Champions League have passed and no team besides the aforementioned above has retained it, but that gives the question, why is it so hard to retain the Champions League?

Defending Champions’ record in UCL -

1992-93 - Barcelona, second round
1993-94 - Marseille, disqualified
1994-95 - Milan, runners up
1995-96 - Ajax, runners up
1996-97 - Juventus, runners up
1997-98 - Dortmund, semi finals
1998-99 - Madrid, quarter finals
1999-2000 - United, quarter finals
2000-01 - Madrid, semi finals
2001-02 - Bayern, quarter finals
2002-03 - Madrid, semi finals
2003-04 - Milan, quarter finals
2004-05 - Porto, round of 16
2005-06 - Liverpool, round of 16
2006-07 - Barcelona, round of 16
2007-08 - Milan, round of 16
2008-09 - United, runners up
2009-10 - Barcelona, semi finals
2010-11 - Inter, quarter finals
2011-12 - Barcelona, semi finals
2012-13 - Chelsea, group stage 😂
2013-14 - Bayern, semi finals
2014-15 - Madrid, semi finals
2015-16 - Barcelona, quarter finals
2016-17 - Madrid, winners
2017-18 - Madrid, winners
2018-19 - Madrid, round of 16
2019-20 - Liverpool, round of 16
2020-21 - Bayern, quarter finals
2021-22 - Chelsea, quarter finals
2022-23 - Madrid, semi finals
2023-24 - City, quarter finals
2024-25 - Madrid, quarter finals
2025-26 - PSG, loading…..

 

[DonAK]

Luck.

You need to have some luck go your way to win the CL and even more so when defending the title.

I suppose you could also have a heap of offside goals go your way as well like one club did, but it's getting tougher now with semi-automated offside...

 

[Joan]

Won’t go into the usual reasons, the margins are really small.

But just to give you an idea: imagine you’re a heavy favourite in every knockout tie, with an 80% chance of progressing each round. If you were betting, the odds for you would be 1.25 and for your opponents 5. Pretty good, right? Yet, your overall chance of winning the trophy would be around 40%.

Now say your chance of progressing is 70%. Betting odds would be 1.43 for you, still more than decent. But your chance of winning is only around 24%.

Now imagine this two years in a row, nothing changes with the team (like it always does), still the absolute favourite. In the first case, your chances would be about 17%. In the second just around 6%.

This is a gross oversimplification, but puts things into context.

 

[Don Juan Laporta Estruch]

It's almost impossible due to the extremely small margins required to win it, which are diminished by complacency from having won it the year before.

Unless refs push you to wins, of course. And they only do that for the ' Biggest Club in the World ' .

Chuckle.

 

[jamrock]

Its not if you're real Madrid lol.

 

[RedxMAK]

Its not if you're real Madrid lol.

Real Madrid won 9 in this era and only retained twice and it was under very very very questionable and controversial circumstances

 

[FC B]

Real Madrid retained it, hugely, due to outrageous refereeings always going their way when it mattered the most. This happened, coincidence or not, precisely in the last 3 seasons without VAR in CL.


Ofc you also need quality, luck, to be clucth in key moments and consistency in order to retain CL trophy.

 

[serghei]

Yeah, you need a lot of luck for some factors to line up for you. Madrid had major luck. Both finals with Atletico were decided in the last minutes or pens. Last one Karius, plus those offsides...

 

[serghei]

If Barca faced Karius at Inter and Chelsea, it's 4 in a row most likely. And that is just one of the factors.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

It takes a lot luck to win it.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

If Barca faced Karius ar Inter and Chelsea, it's a 3peat as well most likely.

Ramos was master of Liverpool final. He won it by himself basically.

 

[serghei]

Ramos was master of Liverpool final. He won it by himself basically.

The one where Karius gifted them 2 goals? Doubt it. There's also Ulreich at Bayern. To face such bums in CL semis and final is like you've been touched by football gods.

Barca by comparison faced two keepers in their god mode in 2010 and 2012.

 

[FC B]

Well, master Xavi said there is no such thing as luck...

 

[Haraldinho]

Ramos was master of Liverpool final. He won it by himself basically.

By doing Judo on Sallah. They were very lucky and receive massive help.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

By doing Judo on Sallah. They were very lucky and receive massive help.

Exactly. He terrorized Real to win.