The Champions League has been full of shocks and surprises over the years, including some great underdog stories.
Here are six of the very best of the Champions League underdogs of recent times…
Ajax 2018/19
Embed from Getty ImagesErik ten Hag’s Ajax side had a memorable run to the Champions League semi-finals in the 2018/19 campaign, defying the odds to beat Real Madrid and Juventus along the way before they found themselves on the wrong end of one of the best comebacks in football history in the semi-finals against Tottenham.
The team filled with stars like Frenkie De Jong, Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech would soon be broken up following that season but is fondly remembered by fans of the club despite the ultimately disappointing end.
Monaco 2016/17
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 2016/17 Monaco side had plenty of talented players, many of whom would go on to become some of the best in the world, but back then there was far less known about the Ligue 1 side and few would have picked them to go far in the Champions League. But Leonardo Jardim’s side would make it all the way to the semi-finals before being knocked out by Italian giants Juventus and caused a huge upset by being Manchester City in the round of 16 before getting the better of Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.
Like the 2018/19 Ajax side, the team’s exploits caught the eye of the European giants and the team was gutted, with likes of Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Fabinho and Thomas Lemar all being snapped up not long after.
Leicester City 2016/17
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen underdogs and Leicester City are used in the same sentence, their unbelievable 2014/15 Premier League title winning season is what springs to mind. But their run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, especially given the team’s struggles in the Premier League following their title winning campaign, should not be forgotten.
Leicester found it incredibly difficult to compete the following season but enjoyed a memorable night in Europe when they knocked out Sevilla thanks a 2-0 second leg win at home and were narrowly beaten by Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals. For a club who had just a couple of seasons prior been playing in the second tier of English football, this was some achievement.
Villarreal 2021/22
Embed from Getty ImagesUnai Emery is known for his incredible record in knockout competitions as a manager and taking Villarreal to the Champions League semi-finals surely ranks as one of his best achievements. The Spanish club had beaten Manchester United to win the Europa League the season prior and backed it up with a fantastic Champions League campaign, knocking out both Italian and German giants Juventus and Bayern Munich respectively before falling short to Klopp’s Liverpool in the semi-finals.
While a decent side, there was little in the squad to suggest they could go as far as they did, let alone knock out two clubs the size and strength of Juve and Bayern.
Roma 2017/18
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Italian side looked destined to go out at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League after being thumped 4-1 at Barcelona but turned it around in the second leg with an iconic 3-0 win in which Kostas Manolas struck late on to break Barca hearts. It was a phenomenal achievement for the Italian side who, while coming up short against Liverpool in the semi-finals, certainly overachieved based on the expectations.
APOEL Nicosia 2011/12
Embed from Getty ImagesFor a club the size of APOEL Nicosia, just making it into the Champions League group stages is a great achievement. But back in the 2011/12 season, the Cypriot side went even better and made it all the way to the quarter-finals to face European giants and the all-time Champions League title record holders Real Madrid. They would be comfortably beaten but managed to score twice at the Bernabeu, and facing one of the world’s biggest clubs in a game of that magnitude having made it through three qualifying rounds, a group stage, and then knocking out Lyon in the round of 16 should be recognised as one of the great Champions League stories of recent times.
