Who will win the Champions League 2016-2017?

The best European football clubs are fighting for the title. But who will win the UEFA Champions League 2017? Check out the list of Champions League winners and this year's favorites, and watch the top 100 goals ever scored in the competition. Join our debate (below)

Real Madrid or Juventus: who will win the Champions League 2016-2017?

The European Cup or European Champion Club's Cup was introduced in 1955 to allow the best European football clubs to compete at an international level and to demonstrate which was the ultimate football (soccer) team. Initially the competition was set up in a classical cup format, with a play-off system and only the winners of each country's national league participating. In 1992, the format was changed and the competition was renamed to UEFA Champions League. Nowadays, there is a group stage with 8 groups of 4 teams playing each other twice, and a knock-out stage with the first two teams of each group. The most powerful leagues in Europe send several teams to the competition, especially the Spanish Liga, English Premier League, German Bundesliga, and Italian Serie A.

The competition is arguably the most prestigious club tournament in the world, one of the major sporting events every year, and it generates enormous sums of money thanks to TV rights and sponsorship contracts (latest estimates: 1.5 billion euros annual revenues).

List of Champions League winners

The list is ordered by number of trophies. In case of a tie, clubs are ranked according to the date of their last title.

• Real Madrid C. F.: 11 (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016)
• C. Milan: 7 (1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007)
• F. C. Barcelona: 5 (1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015)
• F. C. Bayern München: 5 (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013)
• Liverpool F. C.: 5 (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005)
• F. C. Ajax: 4 (1971, 1972, 1973, 1995)
• F. C. Internazionale: 3 (1964, 1965, 2010)
• Manchester United F. C.: 3 (1968, 1999, 2008)
• F. C. Porto: 2 (1987, 2004)
• Juventus F. C.: 2 (1985, 1996)
• Nottingham Forest F. C.: 2 (1979, 1980)
• S. L. Benfica: 2 (1961, 1962)
• Chelsea F. C.: 1 (2012)
• V. Borussia: 1 (1997)
• Olympique de Marseille: 1 (1993)
• F. K. Crvena Zvezda: 1 (1991)
• Philips S. V.: 1 (1988)
• F. C. Steaua București: 1 (1986)
• Hamburger S. V.: 1 (1983)
• Aston Villa F. C.: 1 (1982)
• Feyenoord: 1 (1970)
• Celtic F. C.: 1 (1967)

Champions League favorites

Here is a list of the teams who are most likely to win the competition in 2017. Most of them have already won the title several times, a few never have before but are getting close.

• Real Madrid C.F.: most successful club in the history of the competition (11 titles) and reigning champion. Distinguished players: Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, Modric, and Ramos. Manager: Zinedine Zidane.
• F.C. Barcelona: won in 2015. FC Barcelona has won this trophy 5 times (4 times in the last 10 years) and is considered the most successful team of the last decate. Distinguished players: Messi, Neymar, Iniesta, Rakitic and Suarez. Manager: Luis Enrique.
• Atletico Madrid: never won the trophy. The club was very close on 2 of the last three editions (finalist in 2014 and 2016). Atletico de Madrid is a very tough and feared team capable of beating the best football clubs in the world. Distinguished players: Griezmann, Godin, Koke, Torres and Gameiro.
• F.C. Bayern Munich: German champion. Bayern Munich has 5 titles and reached last year's semi-finals. Alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid, Bayern is consistently considered among the best European football clubs. Distinguished players: Robben, Muller, Neuer, Ribery and Lewandowski. Manager: Carlo Ancelotti.
• Manchester City: reached the semi-finals last year. Has just hired a new coach and invested millions in new players. A rising team in Europe and favorite to win the Premier League this season. Distinguished players: Silva, Agüero, De Bruyne, Sterling and Nolito. Manager: Pep Guardiola.
• Juventus F.C.: Italian champion. Juventus has won twice the Champions League and reached the final in 2015. Juventus' dominance in Italy, it has been the best serie A team for 5 consecutive years, and play style makes it one of the favorites for this year's top European competition. Distinguished players: Buffon, Higuaín, Chiellini, Alves, and Khedira. Manager: Massimiliano Allegri.
• Paris Saint-Germain F.C.: the French champions have consistently demonstrated their strength over the last few years. Their new manager and impressive squad of star players makes them one of the favorite teams to win the UEFA Champions League this season. Distinguished platers:  Thiago Silva, Cavani, Di María, Motta and Pastore. Manager: Unai Emery.
• Arsenal F.C.: over the last few years the performance of the team from North London in the UEFA Champions League has not been stellar. However, Arsenal is a powerful team with lots of stars who have been improving their collective play style. Distinguished players: Sánchez, Özil, Cazorla, Welbeck and Xhaka. Manager: Arsène Wenger.
• Other favorites: Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Napoli, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, F.C. Porto, Sevilla F.C.

Will a new club join the list of Champions League winners? Will one of the historical best European football teams win again? Do you like the format of the competition, or you think some changes may help revitalize the UEFA Champions league? Share your thoughts below and get some netivist points.

Watch the legendary squads which won the Champions League and the top 100 goals ever scored in the UEFA Champions League:

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