Micah Richards, Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry have chosen their five greatest teams to ever win the Champions League.
The trio were pundits for CBS Sports’ coverage of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final victory over Villarreal on Tuesday night.
It has been 30 years since Europe’s premier competition took on its current name after previously been known simply as the European Cup.
Barcelona’s 2008-09 team was chosen by Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards as one of their five greatest Champions League winning teams over the last 30 years
The trio all collectively agreed also on Real Madrid’s 2017-18 winning team that beat Liverpool
The CBS pundits all collectively agreed on two teams when revealing their top five teams in the Champions League era.
They all agreed on Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side that beat Manchester United 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in 2009 thanks to goals from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi.
Carragher said on CBS Sports: ‘This is the greatest team I’ve ever seen. I think that team and that manager changed football. You still see that today with the way teams play.
‘We saw things with that team that we never saw before in terms of how the game is played.
Carragher hailed Barcelona’s 2008-09 team as the greatest that he has ever seen
‘I think also the influence of the Spanish national team which was one of the best we’ve ever seen with a World Cup and two European championships.’
Richards had praised for Barcelona’s midfield of the time as he said: ‘Talk about Xavi and midfielders, we need to put respect on Xavi’s name as he started that tiki-taka, then (Andres) Iniesta came after him and those two on the same team were brilliant.’
Henry who was part of the team that lifted the trophy that season added: ‘To dominate world football and have lot of players coming from the academy, not a lot of clubs can say that.
‘Obviously I am biased as I played in that team but it’s generally one of the best I’ve seen.’
The other team that made all three of their lists was the Real Madrid side that beat Liverpool in 2018-19 after a brace from Gareth Bale and a goal from Karim Benzema.
Manchester United’s treble winners were the only English side to make any of the lists
Richards opted to include the Red Devils despite his allegiances for their rivals Man City
Carragher: ‘It wasn’t just for that season they had an era of winning four European Cups really close together.
‘The role certainly of Gareth Bale on that night, Cristiano Ronaldo at that stage, they are synonymous with winning the Champions League.
‘They are not remembered so much as a great team but a team with great individuals.’
Richards: ‘To win three times on the bounce you’ve got to be a great team. They were actually my number one pick.
‘I think they’re the best, if you win it three consecutive years you’ve got to be one of the best teams.’
The former Manchester City man was also the only one of the three to pick an English team.
Richards chose the 1998-99 treble-winning Manchester United team that beat Bayern Munich 2-1 after late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Henry and Carragher both chose Ajax’s famous 1994-95 winning Champions League side
Henry chose Ajax as his number one pick despite playing for Barcelona’s 2008-09 team
He said: ‘This was a great team, two substitutes coming on scoring. Even though I’m a blue you’ve got to give a bit of loving to the red side.
‘Won the treble this year, big Schmeichel, look at him. Great memories, Sir Alex Ferguson one of the greatest to ever do it. That team needs some respect.’
Carragher and Henry chose the 2010-11 Barcelona team, with the ex-Liverpool man describing their 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the final as one of the ‘most dominant’ performances he has seen in a final.
Henry and Richards also picked the 2014-15 Barcelona team which consisted of the famous MSN partnership with Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.
The former French World Cup winner described the front three as ‘ridiculous’.
Despite his past with Barcelona, Henry chose the Ajax 1994-95 team as his number one pick.
Bayern Munich’s Champions League winning squad of 2020 was the most recent to be listed
Henry and Carragher agreed that Liverpool would make their lists if they win the quadruple
He said: ‘I know I played for Barcelona but that Ajax team at that age, doing what they did scoring against that Milan with Frank Rijkaard back in the squad.
‘They were almost all from the academy and went onto have great careers individually. That team was outstanding.’
Carragher also chose the 95 Ajax side, as well the 1993-94 AC Milan side who he believed was the ‘best team’ he had seen before Guardiola’s Barcelona.
The most recent team to make any of the lists was Bayern Munich’s 2019-20 winning team which made Richards’ selection.
Both Carragher and Henry also revealed that Liverpool’s current team will make their selection if they win the quadruple.
Carragher said he would put the current Liverpool side ahead of the 95 Ajax side, if they are to lift the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.