The visual evolution of the Champions League over the last 25 years How the aesthetics of the most anticipated match of the season has changed

It is 26 May 1999 and the Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich is about to be played at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. The referee appointed by UEFA was Pierluigi Collina, the first time without an Italian after eight consecutive editions; and it was a match that would go down in history as one of the most beautiful finals of all time, with a brilliant comeback by the Red Devils in extremis, signed by Sheringham and Solskjaer. During the opening ceremony, Catalan soprano Montserrat Caballé sang a version of "Barcelona", a song she had written and sung twelve years earlier with Freddie Mercury, which then became the anthem of the 1992 Olympics. in '91, Queen's voice had disappeared‘, so Caballé duetted on both occasions with a recording of her projected onto the big screen. A series of choreographies came to life on the green rectangle, referencing Barcelona's buildings and symbols and aesthetically fitting in with the innovative identity of the event, which will be a forerunner for all the finals of the new millennium. For the design of the ‘99 final, UEFA opted for a visual line strongly inspired by the city to represent the city's culture and create the event within the event that the finals would become in the following decades, also thanks to the European Football Association's brand strategy.

In contrast to Lisbon and Porto, the final in Paris was given its own identity, but its sparse, monochromatic design suggests an internal UEFA production rather than an external commission. To conclude this colourful review, we mention the final that will conclude the 2023/24 European football season tonight: The final in London also relies on an intricate geometric composition with intense colours, a multi-faceted graffiti that "reflects the energy and constant movement of the city with shapes that allude to iconic buildings and the vastness of the city while contrasting with green spaces".