Legendary Moments revealed on Berlin trophy tour
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
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Arne Friedrich and tennis ace Sabine Lisicki accompanied the UEFA Champions League trophy as your Legendary Moments were unveiled in artwork form in Berlin.
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Your top five European Cup Legendary Moments were unveiled at some of Berlin's most iconic landmarks on Wednesday as the UEFA Champions League trophy travelled around the German capital ahead of the June final.
Five unforgettable UEFA Champions League final snapshots, from Zinédine Zidane's spectacular volley in 2002 to Real Madrid CF's triumph last May, were unveiled by former German international defender Arne Friedrich, tennis star Sabine Lisicki and a crop of home-grown celebrities around the German capital, which will stage the final for the first time on 6 June.
"It's a huge event, you can see that from the crowds of people, it's something people get excited about. The trophy is in town today, the Champions League final is coming soon, and we're all hugely looking forward to it," said Friedrich, who played in the Olympiastadion with Hertha BSC Berlin for eight years between 2002 and 2010.
"Berlin is a city steeped in history, but the Champion League final was missing. I'll be involved, I'll be in the stadium. I'm really looking forward to going back to the Olympiastadion after so long. I played there for a long time, so to be involved in such an event is quite something."
Before a host of media, Friedrich revealed the first installation – capturing Manchester United FC's dramatic reversal of fortunes in the 1998/99 final against FC Bayern München – in Monbijouplatz before accompanying the trophy on its ride around the city. The Legendary Moments were chosen by fans via a poll on UEFA.com, with more than 280,000 votes cast in all.
"It was very sad for Bayern München and German football," Friedrich told UEFA.com as he and European club football's most coveted prize enjoyed the spring sunshine during a trip on the river Spree. "Those are the moments that belong to football, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, and in this case negative unfortunately. They're the emotions that only football provokes."
Sections of Berlin's infamous Wall in the Potsdamer Platz now stand alongside a mural of Madrid's 'Décima' which – like the four other installations – was produced by German art duo Peachbeach. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church provides an appropriately breathtaking backdrop to Zidane's Bayer 04 Leverkusen heartbreaker while the German capital's instantly recognisable TV mast towers over Liverpool FC's Istanbul fairy tale of 2004/05 in Alexanderplatz.
After a short journey to the East Side Gallery, the trophy passed into the hands of world number 19 Lisicki, who – as a Bayern fan – had to unveil another of her favourite club's UEFA Champions League final disappointments: Didier Drogba's victorious penalty for Chelsea FC in 2012. "You always hope a German team will bring the trophy home, because they have had really good moments. And I hope they'll have another good moment in Berlin," said Lisicki, delighted European club football's biggest showpiece is set for the city.
"It's super! It's a sporting event that you want to have here, and I'm really looking forward to the atmosphere. It will be something quite special, and I'm very excited about it, whoever wins."