The season
The 1994/95 competition used the format we call “sixteen clubs in four groups”. Four groups of four, then two-legged quarter-finals and semi-finals. 16 clubs from 16 countries took part, and Ajax won it, beating Milan in the final.
By our squad ratings, AC Milan had the strongest squad in the field, with a best eleven averaging 84. Ajax had only the sixth strongest squad of 16, so their title was a genuine upset on paper. In the final they beat a Milan side we rate higher (84 to 80).
Every club came from a different country: 16 football nations in all, as the old champions-only European Cup intended.
The highest-rated player in the competition, by our estimates, was Paolo Maldini of AC Milan, a CB rated 89.
Sixteen clubs were drawn into four groups of four. The top two of each group reached the quarter-finals, played over two legs like the semi-finals, before a single-match final. Ties level on aggregate were decided by away goals, then extra time and penalties.
The strongest squads
Our rating for each club is the average of its best eleven players that season, on the scale the game uses.
- 1AC MilanItaly84
- 2FC BarcelonaSpain84
- 3Manchester UnitedEngland83
- 4FC Bayern MunichGermany82
- 5Paris Saint-GermainFrance81
- 6AFC AjaxNetherlands80
- 7RSC AnderlechtBelgium78
- 8SL BenficaPortugal78
The best players in the field
- 1Paolo MaldiniAC Milan · CB89
- 2George WeahParis Saint-Germain · ST88
- 3Lothar MatthäusFC Bayern Munich · CB88
- 4Marco van BastenAC Milan · ST88
- 5 RomárioFC Barcelona · ST87
- 6Eric CantonaManchester United · ST87
- 7Frank RijkaardAFC Ajax · CDM87
- 8Gheorghe HagiFC Barcelona · LM87
- 9Oliver KahnFC Bayern Munich · GK87
- 10Peter SchmeichelManchester United · GK87
The groups
Replay 1994/95 in Magic Nights
In Magic Nights you can take charge of any of these 16 clubs, with the squad they had that season, and play the competition in this exact format. Win it with the favourites, or try the hardest job in the game: lifting the trophy with a club from the bottom half of the field.