The Champions League is back this week, which also means the return of football’s most iconic anthem.
UEFA’s epic chant that precedes every match of its most cherished tournament is beloved by players and fans alike.
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The dream of every footballer is to listen to the anthem before a match
The classic sounding ‘Theeeeeee Chaaaammpioooooonsss’ has been synonymous with the best heavyweight matchups in Europe.
While it reaches fans watching at home, it’s not available to purchase or download legally, meaning tuning in to the games is the way to listen.
Champions League anthem: What is the origin and meaning?
The UEFA Champions League anthem has no official title, but it has been the competition’s soundtrack since its name change in 1992.
English composer Tony Britten, a graduate of the Royal College of Music, was commissioned to write the piece.
Britten drew heavily from George Frideric Handel’s Zadok the Priest for the three-minute hymn, which has two short verses and the chorus.
He told the Croydon Advertiser in 2013: “I had a publicity agent and he approached me to write something anthemic and because it was right after The Three Tenors at the World Cup in Italy, so classical music was all the rage.
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Lionel Messi said the song reminds him of how special the Champions League is
“Hooliganism was a big problem and UEFA wanted to take the game into a completely different area.
“There’s an ascending string phase that I took from Handel and then wrote my own melody. It has a kind of Handelian feel to it, but I like to think it’s not a total rip-off.”
The iconic recording is performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields Chorus, both based in London.
The lyrics are in the three official UEFA languages: English, French and German. Here they are with translation…
Ce sont les meilleures equipes (They are the best teams)
It is sind die allerbesten Mannschaften (They are the best teams)
the main event
die master (Teacher)
die better (The best)
the great teams (The big teams)
The Champions
a great reunion (A great meeting)
Eine grosse sportliche Veranstaltung (A big sporting event)
the main event
die master (Teacher)
die better (The best)
the great teams (The big teams)
The Champions
Ils sont les meilleurs (They are the best)
Sie sind die Besten (They are the best)
These are the champions
die master (Teacher)
die better (The best)
the great teams (The big teams)
The Champions
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Manchester City deeply mistrusts UEFA
Champions League anthem: Why are some fans booing it?
In recent years, the hissing-to-the-tune public display of dissent has increased in the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City.
Fans of both clubs are keen to express their discontent over UEFA sanctions with Man City’s complaints dating back to 2011/12.
Porto fans racially abused then-City striker Mario Balotelli and received a €20,000 fine, €10,000 LESS than the Etihad club was fined for being less than a minute late for the second-half restart when the two teams clashed. They met again the following month.
A £49m fine for financial fair play racked up in 2014 which also restricted the club’s future spending, as well as a limited Champions League squad size, only exacerbated tensions.
Later that year, City played a group match at CSKA Moscow, who were forced to play behind closed doors as punishment for persistent racial abuse.
However, UEFA included a ban on involving City fans, many of whom had already traveled to Russia to support their team.
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City fans have publicly expressed their anger at UEFA sanctions in the past.
Pep Guardiola has spoken out about the booing in the past, expressing his hope that attitudes will change soon.
“I think last time there was less booing,” Guardiola said through the Independent. “My feeling is that now people are starting to enjoy this competition. They feel we can do it together.”
Whether City fans will continue to whistle the anthem this year remains to be seen, but one person who won’t is new boy Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian lives the great European nights under the lights and even made the melody his ringtone.
He told TV2 last year: “That’s my alarm tone. I wake up every day. It’s the last song I’d ever get tired of.”
“I wake up with it. So I always have a perfect start to the day.”
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