What is Champions League music, what are the lyrics to it and why do they play the anthem before each game?
THE CHAMPIONS League music is the most iconic song in club football.
But not many people know what the original anthem or where it came from – or that the modern anthem is inspired by a British musical masterpiece.
The world’s greatest players have stepped out onto the pitch listening to the famous music ring around the stadium ahead of Champions League matches.
It was introduced in 1992 to build up the atmosphere inside the ground.
Here’s all the information you need to know about the piece of music.
What is the Champions League song?
The song was written by British composer Tony Britten in 1992, a graduate of the Royal College of Music.
It was produced in the style of the famous 18th-century composer George Frideric Handel – originally called Zadok the Priest.
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For the recording used in the Champions League, it is performed by London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
The chorus is in Uefa’s three official languages: English, French and German.
What are the Champions League lyrics?
Ce sont les meilleures équipes
Es sind die allerbesten Mannschaften
The main event
Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions
Une grande réunion
Eine grosse sportliche Veranstaltung
The main event
Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions
Ils sont les meilleurs
Sie sind die Besten
These are the champions
Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions
In English:
They are the best teams
They are the best teams
The main event
The master
The best
The great teams
The champions
A big meeting
A great sporting event
The main event
The master
The best
The great teams
The champions
They are the best
They are the best
These are the champions
The master
The best
The champions
Where can I buy the Champions League anthem?
The Champions League anthem cannot be legally downloaded from any website or bought.
The short piece of music is three minutes long, and contains two verses as well as the main chorus.
Why is it played before each match?
The theme is played to build the atmosphere inside the ground amongst supporters.
Man City striker Erling Haaland is a big fan of the anthem and has admitted it was even his alarm sound.
He said: “I have been having that for a couple of years now. You know, it’s a very good anthem! For as long as I can remember, even when I was a really young kid, I was watching the Champions League.
“There were great teams with huge legends scoring goals. So that became my dream. My dream was to play in the Champions League, to score in the Champions League.
“You know that is where the best players play and that’s where the best players belong.”