When the lights dim and the teams line up for battle, one familiar sound always fills the stadium: a sweeping orchestral masterpiece, echoing across Europe’s grandest arenas. This Saturday, May 31, when Paris Saint-Germain and Inter meet at the Allianz Arena in the UEFA Champions League final, that legendary sound will once again take center stage—before a ball is even kicked.
But while millions across the globe recognize its iconic opening—“Theeeeee Chaaaampioooonsss”—few truly understand what’s being sung, or the deeper story behind football’s most revered anthem.
Song born from royalty and rebirth
The Champions League anthem was created in 1992, at a pivotal moment for European football. The tournament, previously known as the European Cup, was being rebranded as the UEFA Champions League—a move aimed at globalizing and commercializing the competition. UEFA sought a soundtrack that would reflect the grandeur of the new era.
Enter Tony Britten, a British composer trained at the Royal College of Music. UEFA’s agents approached him with a unique challenge: craft a piece that embodied dignity, prestige, and drama. Britten looked to the classics for inspiration and found it in a 1727 coronation anthem.
“I created an arched introduction that I took from Handel, and then I wrote my own melody. It has the feel of Handel, but it’s not a clean copy,” Britten told the Croydon Advertiser in 2013. His inspiration? George Frideric Handel’s “Zadok the Priest”, originally composed for the coronation of King George II.
The result was a three-minute anthem, recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus, that would soon become one of the most beloved and enduring musical pieces in global sport.
Hidden lyrics: Tri-lingual ode to greatness
Although millions have heard the anthem, few know the actual lyrics, let alone that they are sung in UEFA’s three official languages: English, French, and German.
Ce sont les meilleures équipes
Sie sind die allerbesten Mannschaften
The main eventDie Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The championsUne grande réunion
Eine große sportliche Veranstaltung
The main eventIls sont les meilleurs
Sie sind die Besten
These are the championsDie Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions
Here is a sample of the original lyrics and their English translations:
These are the best teams / They are the very best teams / The main event / The master / The best / The great teams / The champions
A grand reunion / A major sporting event / The master / The best / The champions
The chorus repeats these celebratory phrases, emphasizing the elite nature of the competition. It’s a musical tribute to football’s finest, and the tone mirrors that of a royal ceremony. It’s no coincidence—it was deliberately styled to elevate the Champions League to the level of a global cultural event.
Cultural impact: More than just a song
The anthem isn’t just music—it’s mythology. Over the years, it has become inseparable from the Champions League’s identity.
Cristiano Ronaldo was famously caught singing along before a 2015 quarter-final against Atletico Madrid. Lionel Messi once admitted: “It’s actually pretty nice when you walk out onto the pitch and you listen to it. You then know it’s a different match. It reminds you how special and important this competition is.”
Gareth Bale revealed that the anthem was part of what lured him to Real Madrid, while Erling Haaland confessed he used the anthem as his alarm clock—a daily motivator as he pursued his own Champions League dream.
