By Victor Kanayo
Portuguse football star Cristiano Ronaldo has now been designated with a special legendary award following his notable achievements in the Champions League.
This is as organisers UEFA honoured him as the all-time leading goal scorer of the European football league.
Also, former Italy goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon received the 2024 UEFA President’s Award.
The duo were honoured at the UEFA Champions League phase draw that took place in Monaco on Thursday evening as the special recognition award was presented by the UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin.
Remarkably, Ronaldo scored 140 goals in 183 games appearances at the Champions League.
New UCL Pattern Unveiled
Meanwhile, organisers have rolled a new look fixtures in the UEFA Champions League for the 2024/25 football season.
It’s now an inaugural 36-team format.
In it, every team will play eight games against eight different opponents, instead of six in the new format of Europe’s elite club competition, with all 36 clubs now pooled together into one league rather than split into groups.
The number of matches in the new format will increase from 125 to 189.
Champions League action begins on September 17 to 19, and with the increased number of fixtures, the league phase runs until 29 January rather than finishing before Christmas.
Full Lineup Of Action As Captured By Eurosport
Manchester City fixtures: Inter (h), PSG (a), Club Brugge (h), Juventus (a), Feyenoord (h), Sporting CP (a), Sparta Prague (h), Slovan Bratislava (a).
Inter Milan were drawn second from the pot and will face a home game against another Premier League side in Arsenal, as well as welcoming RB Leipzig. They will also take on current Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Inter fixtures: Leipzig (H), Arsenal (H), Leverkusen (A), Red Star (H), Young Boys (A), Monaco (H), Sparta Prague (A).
Bayern Munich were given a home game against PSG but must also travel to Barcelona, and play Aston Villa away in their league phase.
Bayern Munich fixtures: PSG (H), Barcelona (A), Benfica (H), Shakhtar (A), Dinamo Zagreb (H), Feyenoord (A), Slovan Bratislava (H), Aston Villa (A).
Borussia Dortmund are another German side drawn against Barcelona, and they will face the Catalans’ arch rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, as well as playing Celtic at home.
Dortmund fixtures: Barcelona (H), Real Madrid (A), Shakhtar (H), Brugge (A), Celtic (H), Dinamo Zagreb (A), Sturm Graz (H), Bologna (A).
Barcelona also face a short trip to Benfica in neighbouring Portugal, and will be tested with a tricky home match against UEFA Europa League champions Atalanta.
Barcelona fixtures: Bayern (H) and Dortmund (A), Atalanta (H), Benfica (A), Young Boys (H), Red Star (A), Brest (H), Monaco (A).
For fellow La Liga side Real Madrid, there is a difficult trip to Anfield in Arne Slot’s first Champions League campaign with Liverpool, as well a home clash with AC Milan.
Real Madrid fixtures: Dortmund (H), Liverpool (A), Milan (H), Atalanta (A), Salzburg (H), Lille (A), Stuttgart (H), Brest (A).
Liverpool will welcome back Xabi Alonso, who was a star for them as a player before he departed to Real Madrid, and was also linked as a potential replacement for Jurgen Klopp after a historic league triumph with Leverkusen last season. The Reds have a testing group of fixtures, meeting Milan, Lille, Bologna, PSV and Girona, as well as Leverkusen.
Liverpool fixtures: Real Madrid (H) and Leipzig (A), Bayer Leverkusen (H), Milan (A), Lille (H), PSV Eindhoven (A), Bologna (H), Girona (A)
Arsenal, meanwhile, were handed a relatively favourable draw, with PSG and Inter the most difficult opponents on paper.
Arsenal fixtures : PSG (H), Inter (A), Shakhtar (H), Atalanta (A), Dinamo Zagreb (H), Sporting (A), Monaco (H), Girona (A).
PSG have a tough set of fixtures, with Atletico Madrid, Bayern and Arsenal all expected to be strong.
Paris Saint-Germain fixtures: Man City (H), Bayern (A), Atlético (H), Arsenal (A), PSV
