UEFA champions league

The UEFA Champions League, formerly known as the European Cup, is a seasonal club football competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the most successful football clubs in Europe. The prize, the European Champion Clubs' Cup, is considered by some the most prestigious club trophy in the sport. The UEFA Champions League is separate from the less prestigious UEFA Cup and the defunct Cup Winners' Cup.

The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds. The 16 surviving teams join 16 seeded teams in a group stage. Eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout rounds, which end with the final match in May. Previously only the champions of their respective national league could participate in the competition, however this was changed in 1997 to allow the runners-up to compete as well.

History

The tournament was inaugurated in 1955, at the suggestion of the French sports journalist and editor of L'Équipe Gabriel Hanot,[1] as a continental competition for winners of the European national football leagues, as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, abbreviated to European Cup.
The competition began in 1955/56 using a two-leg knockout format where the teams would play two matches, one at home and one away, and the team with the highest overall score qualifying for the next round of the competition. Entry was restricted to the teams that won their national league championships, plus the current European Cup holder. This qualification system continued until 1992. In the 1992–93 season, the tournament was renamed to UEFA Champions League and in 1997/98, eligibility was expanded to include not just domestic champions but also the best performing runners up according to UEFA's coefficient ranking list[2]. In UEFA's coefficient system, a team finishing second in the Spanish La Liga would be more deserving of an automatic place in the Champions League than a team finishing first in, for example, Polish Orange Ekstraklasa. As a result, the system was restructured to force "weaker" national champions to qualify for the group stages, while other, "stronger" national runners-up would automatically get places.

Between 1960 and 2004 the winner of the tournament qualified for the now defunct Intercontinental Cup (against the winner of the Copa Libertadores of South America). Since then, with FIFA taking over, the winner automatically qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup with other winners of continental club championships.

Qualification

The Champions League flag is shown on the centre of the pitch before every game in the competition

The UEFA Champions league is open to the league champions of all UEFA member associations (except Liechtenstein, which has no league competition), as well as to the clubs finishing from second to fourth position in the strongest leagues. Since January 2007 the two lowest-ranked league competitions (currently the Andorra and San Marino leagues) can also represent their domestic champions in the Champions League.
The number of places in the competition depends on the association's rank in the UEFA coefficients table:
associations ranked 1 to 3 have four positions,
associations ranked 4 to 6 have three positions,
associations ranked 7 to 15 have two positions,
associations ranked 16 or lower have one position.

An association's rank also determines the stage at which the clubs enter the competition. For example, the three highest-ranked associations have two places in the group stage (for champions and runners-up) and two in the third qualifying round (for third and fourth-placed teams), whereas the lowest-ranked associations have only one place in the first qualifying round for their champions. Nine highest-ranked associations have at least one automatic place in the group stage.

The situation with the European Cup holders has not been clearly defined. There was controversy when Liverpool won the competition in 2004-05 but finished outside the top four in the FA Premier League. The Football Association ruled that Everton (who finished fourth) should get the final English place in the 2005-06 European Cup. UEFA came to an agreement that both Merseyside rivals would be allowed to enter the competition with Liverpool starting from the first qualifying round and Everton starting from the third qualifying round. UEFA's current rule is that if the European Cup winners fail to finish in one of its national league's qualifying positions, it will take the place of the lowest placed team in its league. The superseded team will go to the UEFA Cup.

In 2005-06, Liverpool and Artmedia Bratislava of Slovakia became the first teams to reach the Champions League group phase after playing in all three qualifying rounds.
In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions league. To obtain a license, club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements.

FC Barcelona, Manchester United and FC Porto are the teams that have appeared most often in the group stages: thirteen each. However, each has won the Champions League only once since the group stage was established.

The stages

The UEFA Champions League trophy.
The tournament consists of several stages and begins with three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds. Different teams start in different rounds, according to their position in domestic league and the UEFA coefficients of their league, while the sixteen top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualify directly.

In the subsequent preliminary round, participating teams are paired, with aggregate winners proceeding into the next round. Qualifying rounds span from mid-July to late August. The losers of the third qualifying round are transferred to the UEFA Cup, while the sixteen winners of the final qualifying round are joined by the sixteen teams who have qualified directly, to participate in the group stage.

Teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams, each team playing every other team in the group twice (home and away). The group stage is played between mid-September and early December. The teams finishing third in their groups are transferred to the UEFA Cup, while the top two teams from every group qualify for the next round. Here the sixteen remaining teams take part in the knock-out stage, which starts in late February and ends with the final match in May.

All qualifying rounds and knock-out ties are two-legged, with each team hosting one match. The team which scores the greater aggregate number of goals qualifies for the next round. The away goals rule applies. Extra time and penalty kicks are used to determine the winner, if necessary. An exception is the final, which is a single match played at a predetermined venue.
The draws are currently structured to ensure that clubs representing the same national association cannot play each other until the quarter-finals. This rule however was lifted for Liverpool's entry in 2006, as England had 5 representatives in the competition. As a result Liverpool were drawn against Chelsea in the group stages. In addition, seeding of the teams according to their UEFA coefficients is used. The competition system has been undergoing changes since the 1991-92 season (see history). The current system was adopted in 2003.

Changes from 2009 forward

At meeting in Lucerne, 30th of November 2007, UEFA decided to introduce new qualification system[3] for period 2009-2012 which will give automatic qualifying berth to the group stage for 22 teams instead of 16 (6 new entrants: 3rd-placed teams from associations 1-3 + champions from associations 10-12). Remaining 10 teams will be given through a double qualification path: one reserved for the champions of the associations ranked 13 or lower, and one reserved for non-champions of associations ranked 1-15. Both paths will be held independently to each other and each will be given by 5 winners - last participants in group stage. The main idea was to enable champions coming from low-ranked associations much easier access to the main tournament through their head-to-head matches than through matches against non-champions from high-ranked associations which failed to qualify directly for group stage through their domestic league.

Green Day

Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt are the actual founders of the band Sweet Children, which we know today as Green Day. When they were ten years old (1982), the duo met in the cafeteria of John Sweet High School in Crockett, California. During sleepovers at each other's houses, they played songs by old heavy metal warhorses such as Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard, and Van Halen. Other influences would be the "thrash and drang" of the Bay Area's alternative music culture percolating throughout the eighties. Clubs such as Mabuhay Gardens and Berkeley's 924 Gilman Street regularly showcased local groups like the Dead Kennedys and Buck Naked. Billie Joe was 14 when he wrote his first song, "Why Do You Want Him?", a song about his mother and stepfather. In 1987, Billie Joe and Mike recruited drummer John Kriftmeyer (aka Al Sobrante) and formed the band Sweet Children. They played their first official gig at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, CA. Soon, they started playing at clubs on the infamous Gilman Street in Berkeley, CA.

As Green Day, they recorded their first EP, 1,000 Hours, in two days when they were 17 and seniors in high school. Soon, Mike graduated, however Billie Joe dropped out one day prior to his 18th birthday. They followed up the 1,000 Hours EP with numberous pressings of the "Sweet Children" EP, and also the "Slappy" EP. Their official debut album came in 1990, a combination of all the previous EP, and named "1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". The album was released by local indie label Lookout! Records. Soon after, John Kriftmeyer decided to leave the band to presue college, so Billie and Mike recruited Gilman Street vetran, Tre Cool. Tre had been playing in the band, The Lookouts!, since he was 12. Members of The Lookouts include Lawrence Livermore, the owner of Lookout! Records. In 1991, Tre debuted on Green Day's second album, "Kerpunk!".

Green Day built its following the old-fashioned way -- they earned it. Before they even hooked up with a major label, the band had already completed five national tours, driving their renovated bookmobile (with Tre's father at the wheel) coast to coast and crashing on friends' and fan's floors. After capturing the attention of producer Rob Cavallo of Reprise Records. Faced with a hard choice, the guys decided to sign onto a major label in April 1993, and soon started recorded the album that would through them into stardom, 1994's "Dookie".

Pandemonium struck when their Reprise debut, "Dookie", was released and Green Day introduced an ever-expanding audience to the energy and insanity of punk rock. With the 14 loud'n'fast tunes of "Dookie" clocking in at only 39 minutes, 1993 suddenly sounded more like 1977. Soon, Green Day's songs about picking scabs, pyromania and masturbation had become unofficial national anthems. Green Day was singing about its own distinct form of malcontent, but it seemed there was a world of followers who felt their pain and wanted to laugh --and mosh -- along with it. Immaturity was cool again. "Dookie" went on to sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone, and Green Day won a Grammy in 1994 for "Best Alternative Music Performance." Of course, this led some of the gang back on Gilman Street to cry "sell-out" and "mainstream," but one listen to Green Day and you'd know this wasn't some watered- down white-bread punk designed to impress your parents.

On their next few albums, "Insomniac" and "Nimrod", Green Day has managed to stay true to the punk attitude while proving they're not just one-trick ponies or even three-chord monkeys. On Nimrod, note the surf-style instrumental, "Last Ride," and the string section of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", which was featured prominently on an episode of ER and the final installment of Seinfield. By this time, the members were starting families, and it was becoming apparent that they were maturing as individuals and as a band. They wanted to take some time off to be with their families and enjoy life. So after the success of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", Green Day took a two year break.

In 2000, Green Day hit the music scene once again with their album "Warning". The album is a different sound for the band, a more mellow punk if you will. Unfortunatly, the album wasn't very well accepted by critics and fans alike. The biggest hit from the album was the song "Minority".

So after another four years with a few tours and a couple of compliation albums (International Superhits! in 2001 and Shenanigans in 2002), but no new material from Green Day, fans were hit with the September 2004 released of "American Idiot", an album which lashes out against the American government and the media. "American Idiot" was the first Green Day ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts, and other music charts around the world. The album's title track, was an instant success. The follow up single, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" experienced a must greater success. "American Idiot" was nominated for seven Grammy awards, and took home one, "Best Rock Album". The release and success of this album proved that Green Day are indeed the biggest rock band in the world.

Lionel Messi

And it only takes a glimpse to see what makes Messi so remarkable. He may look like the missing fifth member of the Monkees but, as with all great players, his signature is in his silhouette and his movement. Even when he stands still, he is leaning forward. His head is always up, like a gun dog on the scent. He covers the ground fast, a low centre of gravity making him hard to knock off the ball, angling his runs to take him towards goal by the shortest route. Only three minutes had gone on Wednesday night when he cut inside Claude Makelele and hit a left-footed drive that forced a fumble from Petr Cech. And already, at 18, he possesses the tradecraft that enabled him to turn Asier del Horno's stupid foul into a fatal error.

A year after his trip to Porto, Messi became the third-youngest player to represent Barcelona when he was given his competitive debut in the local derby against Espanyol. After that, things happened fast. Against Albacete on May 1 2005 he became the youngest player to score a goal for the club. That June, wearing Argentina's colours, he was voted player of the tournament, ahead of Jon Obi Mikel, in the under-20 World Cup, after his pair of penalties had secured a win in the final over Mikel's Nigeria.

When he got back to Barcelona it was to sign a deal extending his contract to 2014, with a sell-on clause valuing him at an astonishing €150m (£102m). And that August he was given his first senior international cap by José Pekerman, his national team manager, who sent him on as a substitute in a friendly against Hungary in Budapest and saw the boy dismissed after only three minutes for reacting to a clumsy challenge with a swing of an arm.

Diego Maradona, too, had made his international debut against Hungary, and already comparisons were being made between the two. They were reinforced on Wednesday when an English audience saw for itself how Messi, only 5ft 7in tall but sturdily built, has a similar gift for what Argentinians called the gambeta: that sinuous high-speed dribble that carried Maradona to his famous second goal against England in Mexico 20 years ago.

If Maradona inherited the technique from the great Omar Sivori, he appears to have passed it on to a teenager who may well steal the headlines from Wayne Rooney, Robinho and other prodigies in Germany this summer. And after Wednesday night, few can remain unaware of how perfectly that gift is being blended with Ronaldinho's unpredictability, Samuel Eto'o's cool finishing and Deco's tireless construction work as Barcelona head for a second consecutive title in La Liga.

Lionel Andres Messi was born in the city of Rosario in Sante Fe province, the birthplace of Che Guevara. At the age of five he was playing for his first club, Grandoli, coached by his father, Jorge. In 1995 he joined Newell's Old Boys, Rosario's second club, where Maradona himself had briefly played a year earlier while getting himself fit for his final ill-starred appearance in a World Cup.

Maradona had been turned from a slender child into a young bull through the early administration of steroids. The young Messi, similarly, was considered too small, but his lack of growth was attributed to a hormonal deficiency in his bones, a condition requiring treatment costing more than £500 a month. River Plate, one of Argentina's great clubs, showed a persistent interest in his progress, but this was a time when the country's economy was collapsing and it was Barcelona who offered to take care of the medical bills if the 13-year-old would agree to start a new life across the Atlantic.

For three years Barcelona nurtured the boy as he progressed through their junior teams at record speed, and now they are benefiting from their foresight. Off the pitch Messi is said to be a quiet, placid character who shows no interest in acquiring the kind of dangerous habits that so frequently derailed the career of the last of his compatriots to have been acclaimed as the world's greatest player. If it is Messi's destiny to achieve a comparable pre-eminence, it looks as though he will greet it with an enviable serenity.

The Messi file

Born June 24 1987 in Rosario, Argentina

Clubs Grandoli, Newell's Old Boys, Barcelona.

Barcelona debut v Espanyol October 16 2004

Full international debut v Hungary August 17 2005

Honours Spanish league title (2005), Spanish Super Cup (2005), Under-20 World Cup (2005)