Arsenal will not be able to keep the Champions League trophy if they beat Paris Saint-Germain in the final due to a key rule change by UEFA. The Gunners face the current holders on Saturday, aiming to become the seventh English team to win the competition.
UEFA Rule Change in 2009
In 2009, UEFA decided to hand a replica trophy to the winner each year, with the club's name engraved on it. This means the club can display it permanently in their museum. However, the original trophy is lifted after the match and then returned to UEFA's custody at their headquarters in Switzerland. If Arsenal win, they can make replicas of the trophy but must mark them as such, and the replica can be a maximum of 80% of the size of the actual trophy.
Previous Rules for Keeping the Trophy
Before 2009, clubs that won the trophy five times in total or three times in a row could permanently keep the cup. Real Madrid was the first to do so after winning the first five editions from 1956 to 1960. Ajax kept it after three consecutive wins from 1970 to 1973, and Bayern Munich achieved the same from 1974 to 1976. AC Milan won a fifth time in 1994 to join the elite club. Liverpool became the sole English team to permanently keep the trophy after beating AC Milan in the 2005 final, known as the 'Miracle of Istanbul'. Liverpool also holds the honour of being the last team to keep the trophy forever before the rule change. Barcelona's 2015 victory meant they had to return the trophy to UEFA.
Mikel Arteta's Comments
Speaking ahead of the final in Budapest, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta called it a "privilege" to compete in the final of football's most prestigious club tournament. He said: "It's huge. It's a massive privilege. You see the impact immediately when you reach the final, how people react, to be there, to be present, to have travelled there, and the demands that you have from all of that. It's the most special competition in the world at club level. There's no question about that. And I really want to enjoy the day, and obviously win it."
Fans can watch the UEFA Champions League final on HBO Max via Prime Video's HBO Max channel.
