2004–05 UEFA Champions League
The trophy in Liverpool's museum
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|
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 July 2004 – 25 May 2005 |
| Teams | 32 (group stage) 72 (total) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 Liverpool (5th title)
|
| Runners-up |
 Milan
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 125 |
| Goals scored | 333 (2.66 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
 Ruud van Nistelrooy(8 goals) |
The 2004–05 UEFA Champions League was the 50th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, and the 13th since it was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League in 1992. The competition was won by Liverpool, who beat Milan on penalties in the final, having come back from 3–0 down at half-time. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was named as UEFA's Footballer of the Year for his key role in the final and throughout the Champions League season. The final, played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, is often regarded as one of the best in the history of the tournament. With eight goals, Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy was the top scorer for the third time in four seasons.
As it was their fifth European Cup title, Liverpool were awarded the trophy permanently, and received the UEFA Badge of Honour. A new trophy was made for the 2005–06 season.
Porto were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Internazionale in the first knockout round.
16 winners from the third qualifying round, 10 champions from countries ranked 1–10, and six second-placed teams from countries ranked 1–6 were drawn into eight groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group will advance to the Champions League play-offs, while the third-placed teams will advance to the third round of the UEFA Cup.
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