The first British player to win two Champions League championships and the first Englishman to win the competition with a team outside of the United Kingdom. Was not included in the final 18-man roster. Due to Keane's ban, he was captain in the 1999 final. In 2008, he did not make the final 18. Scholes was barred from competing in the final in 1999. Keane was suspended for the championship game. Captain of the club in 1999. Second only to Ronaldo in terms of appearances for Manchester United behind Ryan Giggs. Has won more trophies than any other British player.
Keane is the most successful player in the history of the Champions League with the Irish international having reached the final four times in five years from 1995/96 to 2000/01. He won the tournament in 1996 with Manchester United and again in 1999 with Leeds United. The other title came in 2008 when he led the Ireland national team through the group stage before losing out to Portugal in the last 16. He is one of three players who have won the award twice (the others are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi), and one of six overall winners from European clubs.
Keane has been named as one of Britain's greatest ever footballers by various publications including The Guardian and BBC Sport. He has been called "arguably the best midfielder in the world" by Sir Alex Ferguson and "one of the greatest midfielders of all time" by former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He has been voted number 10 on UEFA's list of the 100 Greatest Players of the Modern Game.
Celtic, led by Jock Stein, were the first British team to win the European Cup, defeating Inter Milan 2-1 in Lisbon. In doing so, the "Lisbon Lions" became the first club in history to win the triple, defeating Rangers in the Scottish league and Aberdeeen in the Scottish Cup. The feat earned them £150,000.
Celtic won the League Championship, the Scottish Cup and the European Cup in 1968. They are the only club to have achieved this milestone.
Stein resigned as manager of Celtic after winning the treble, with his assistant John Hughes taking over until 1970 when he too had a successful stint at the club. As of 2014, Celtic is still the most successful club in terms of championships (8), cups (7) and international matches played (34).
Celtic played their home games at Hampden Park but also used other venues including Ibrox, East End Park, and Leppings Lane. The club has been resident at Celtic Park since its construction in 2003.
Celtic competed in the inaugural season of the Premier League in 1978-79. Although they did not qualify for the UEFA Cup, they did reach the final of the Scottish Cup where they lost 1-0 to Dundee United.
In 1984-85, Celtic finished second in the English top flight to promote directly to the UEFA Cup.
When Leeds won the League Cup and the UEFA Cup in the 1967/68 season, they were the first English side to win a domestic/European double. Liverpool became the first English league champions to win a European title in the same season five years later, when they won the UEFA Cup in 1973. Leeds repeated this feat eight years later when they won the League Cup and the UEFA Cup in one season.
Other than Leeds, who have been the most successful club in Europe? In the 1970s, Leeds dominated European football as they won three out of four major trophies available on the continent: the League Championship, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup. They are still the only club to have achieved this feat.
Currently, Manchester United is the most successful club in Europe. They have won eleven titles so far: six Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and three Champions Leagues. The last time they failed to win at least one trophy was in 1995-96 season. Since then, no other club has been able to match their success. In fact, only Leeds (who had more success in the 1970s) has come close since then.
Leeds also has the most successful manager in England when it comes to winning trophies. George Graham won a record breaking five championships at Leeds during the 1970s, making him the most successful coach in the history of the English game.
Since the tournament's renaming from the previous European Cup in 1992, a few of English players have made history by scoring in the tournament's showpiece conclusion. We've opted to sift through the European archives for the six English players who have scored in Champions League finals. Sorry, but the video player did not load.
Cole would create a telepathic understanding with striking partner Dwight Yorke that would help catapult Sir Alex Ferguson's team to European glory as a prolific striker in the Manchester United side that dominated English football.
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