26 years of meltdowns: Why the European champions always falter

Arrigo Sacchi's Milan had done it. European champions for the second year in a row, 1-0 winners over Benfica in Vienna thanks to Frank Rijkaard's solitary goal.

That was 1990. It was the 12th time in the 35-year history of the European Cup that the competition had been won by the holders. Real Madrid once won it five years in a row, Ajax and Bayern Munich three times in succession.

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Chris Flanagan
Senior Staff Writer

Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.