The season
The 1995/96 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 Juventus won it, beating Ajax in the final.
By our squad ratings, Real Madrid had the strongest squad in the field, with a best eleven averaging 83. Juventus were the second strongest squad: among the favourites, if not the clear one. Their opponents in the final, Ajax, rated 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 Didier Deschamps of Juventus, a CM rated 88.
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.
- 1Real MadridSpain83
- 2JuventusItaly82
- 3Borussia DortmundGermany81
- 4AFC AjaxNetherlands80
- 5Blackburn RoversEngland79
- 6RangersScotland79
- 7FC PortoPortugal78
- 8PanathinaikosGreece77
The best players in the field
- 1Didier DeschampsJuventus · CM88
- 2Michael LaudrupReal Madrid · CDM87
- 3Antonio ConteJuventus · CM86
- 4Fernando HierroReal Madrid · CB86
- 5Paul GascoigneRangers · CAM86
- 6Alan ShearerBlackburn Rovers · RW85
- 7Jürgen KohlerBorussia Dortmund · LB85
- 8Matthias SammerBorussia Dortmund · CB85
- 9Andreas MöllerBorussia Dortmund · LM84
- 10Frank de BoerAFC Ajax · CB84
The groups
Replay 1995/96 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.