Fans are just realising what players are singing during Champions League anthem | Football | Sport
No Champions League fixture would be complete without a stirring performance of the competition’s anthem – and all 36 teams in the league phase will again stand tall to hear the tune later tonight. The completion of the initial phase of the tournament will see 18 matches played at the same time tonight to determine the final table.
This campaign marks the second year in a row to feature a new league phase format. Rather than the conventional four-team groups, each side faced eight different opponents. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are poised to finish top of the table having mathematically secured their spot in the knockouts already while Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Man City and Newcastle are all looking to join the Gunners in the round of 16. But have you ever pondered what the actual lyrics are to one of sport’s most celebrated anthems? Express Sport examines the song itself, which is frequently sung – at least partially – by players lined up on the pitch before kick-off…
The lyrics are as follows, performed in UEFA’s three official languages, English, French and German…
“Ce sont les meilleures equipes [They are the best teams]. Es sind die allerbesten Mannschaften [They are the best teams]. The main event. Die Meister [The masters]. Die Besten [The best]. Les grandes équipes [The great teams]. The champions!
“Une grande reunion [A big meeting]. Eine grosse sportliche Veranstaltung [A great sporting event]. The main event. Die Meister. Die Besten. Les grandes equipes. The champions!
“Ils sont les meilleurs [They are the best]. Sie sind die Besten [They are the best]. These are the champions. Die Meister. Die Besten. Les grandes equipes. The champions!”
The anthem was crafted by Tony Britten, a Royal College of Music graduate, in 1991. It follows the style of 18th-century composer George Frederic Handel and is adapted from his ‘Zadok the Priest.’
The piece was recorded by London-based Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992 and performed by the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields Chorus. The complete anthem runs for approximately three minutes, though the orchestral arrangement is performed before fixtures.
It has become emblematic of major European evenings, and was created as part of a rebranding effort designed to reinvigorate the newly established Champions League.
“It was a long time ago, and to be honest, it was just another job,” Britten told the BBC in 2020, reflecting on being commissioned to compose the now legendary anthem. “The old European Cup had become a very tired competition, and to UEFA’s credit, they wanted to elevate the sport around the time when there was a lot of hooliganism right across Europe.
“UEFA wanted this competition to be about the best of football rather than the worst, and said they must have an anthem. I remember asking: ‘Where are the words?’ And they said they didn’t know, but that they wanted something in UEFA’s three official languages.
“So, I came up with a set of superlatives. ‘The greatest’, ‘the best’, ‘the masters’, ‘the main event’, ‘the champions’ and translated between those languages. It all came together in a matter of weeks, and the actual composing process was just a matter of days.
“Although it was designed to be an important competition, there were only eight teams and no one thought it was going to be the mega competition that it has become now.”
