The Champions - Last 10 Years

Let's take a step back today and look at who were the winners over the last 10 years.

Here's the Honour's Roll:
1998 - Real Madrid
1999 - Manchester United
2000 - Real Madrid
2001 - Bayern Munich
2002 - Real Madrid
2003 - AC Milan
2004 - FC Porto
2005 - Liverpool
2006 - Barcelona
2007 - AC Milan
2008 - Manchester United or Chelsea

Do You Know?
Real Madrid is arguably the most successful side in the competition, winning the competition three times. Madrid is also the most successful side overall (that is, including the old format) with nine triumphs, followed by seven for Milan, five for Liverpool and four each for Bayern Munich and Ajax. Madrid also hold the record for final appearances, making it to final 12 times.

No VISAs Needed!!

In an unprecedented move, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to waive visa requirements for travelling supporters making their way to the Russian capital to watch their team in action.

Instead of a visa, the cup final tickets will act as a proxy for its holders to enter the country visa-free for a 72 hour period from May 19-23. This prevented a massive backlog of visa application processing which could have meant many fans missing out on the final.

I say kudos to UEFA President Michel Platini and Putin for making such a common sense rule. Not all leaders are brave enough to step out from their comfort zone of the norm.

Football won today.

Avram Grant - A Fresh Reprieve

Soccer is a crazy world. Or should we say soccer critiques are fickle-minded?

It was not so long ago that Avram Grant was touted as a tactical ignorant, a poor communicator, a total failure. What a difference a few months make! Reeling from a damaged reputation following the unexpected defeat to Tottenham Hotspurs in the domestic League Cup Final, Avram Grant now comes close to being called "The Wise One". If he somehow pulls the magical rabbit out of the bag and wins the double, poor old Mourinho's record for being the special one to win the League title in his first season will be totally overshadowed.

Will that happen? I believe the first part of the "Duelogy" this Sunday, 11 May 2008 will go the Wise One's way.....Your call?

Vote for your Champions League winner now

Moscow

For those who are really making your way there...here's some info on Moscow for you.

Moscow, the capital of Russia, is a city that is way more vibrant and contemporary than what one would imagine given its communist history. Moscow is Russia’s centre in terms of politics, economics, finance, education, religion and transport.

Like many other capitals in the world, Moscow is situated on the bank of a river known as the Moskva River. The Moskva River runs about 500km and has 49 bridges built across it. Given that the city lies on the northern hemisphere, winter months are typically in December / January with summer months in July / August. Moscow winters are usually long and cold while summer months are warm and somewhat humid.

Moscow is headed by one mayor, Mr. Yuriy Luzhkov. The currency of Russia is the ruble, which is further subdivided into 100 kopecks (or kopeks or copecks).

The heart of Moscow is the Moscow Kremlin, a historical fortress that houses many palaces, churches, armories and buildings, built over a span of many hundred years. It is the official residence of the President of Russia.

Moscow has five primary commercial airports. The Sheremetyero International Airport handles mostly international flights and is located 10 km (6.25 miles) from the MKAD beltway (which is a freeway). The Domodedovo International Airport typically handles long haul domestic flights as well as flights to CIS destinations. The other three airport (Bykovo Airport, Ostafievo International Airport and Vnukovo International Airport) handles typically inter-Russian flights.

There are nine rail terminals in Moscow, all of which are located close to the city centre. Each terminal handles trains from different parts of Europe and Asia.

Moscow’s road system is centered around Moscow Kremlin. Roads radiate out from the Kremlin to intersect with a sequence of circular roads.

Local transport in Moscow includes the Moscow Metro (with 12 lines and 176 stations), a comprehensive bus network, an electricrail network (which connects suburbs and satellite cities) as well as the tram and trolleybus networks.

Finally, there are 170 hotels in Moscow. Read the guide here to choose your hotel.

Manchester United Vs Chelsea

Well we all know now dont't we? Chelsea finally pipped their jinx team in the champions league and made it to the final. (You there, Mourinho?)

Great game it was, the 3-1 semi-final victory over Liverpool, especially with the pre-match verbal spat between Benitez and Drogba.

Anyway, we now look forward to an interesting match on 21 May 2008 at Moscow. The way the English Premiership League ends will have a HUGE bearing on the way the Final is played.

If Man U wins the Premier League, they will have a huge boost knowing they have already secured a trophy for the season. Lose, and they will be totally nervous as they know losing again in the Champions League Final will render their their season as a failure.

The same cannot be said about Chelsea. They have for much of the season, been trying to find their feet under their new manager Avram Grant. Now that they have come so close to winning a double, it is already quite an amazing feat in itself. Winning in either tournament, is then a bonus. The pressure on them is very much lesser than that on the Red Devils.

For those keen to be part of the action in Moscow, better book your hotels early. Here's some hotel recommendations.

Make a vote while on that site too, on who you think will win come 21 May 2008.