Ranking the 15 Best Champions League Final Goals

Since the European Cup was rebranded the Champions League in 1992, the final has seen some spectacular goals.

Some have been winners, while others have come in losing efforts, but most have been important in their own ways.

Zinedine Zidane and Lars Ricken scored perhaps the two most famous goals in a Champions League final. But who else has scored a goal to make the list of the best goals to be scored in the final?

Here's a rundown of the best 15 Champions League final goals.

Feel free to use the comments section below to agree, disagree or add your own.

15. Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona v Manchester United, 2009)

With the 2009 final between Barcelona and Manchester United goalless, Samuel Eto'o took the ball into the box, turned inside Nemanja Vidic and, with defenders closing in, poked his shot past Edwin van der Sar with a sharp near-post finish.

It set Barcelona on the way to a 2-0 win, sealed with a rare Lionel Messi header.

14. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United v Barcelona 2011)

Manchester United were on the back foot as half-time approached in the 2011 final against Barcelona at Wembley.

Then, Wayne Rooney picked up the ball in midfield, ran at Barca's back four, bounced a pass off Javier Hernandez and bent his shot past Victor Valdes.

Ultimately, it was all in vain, as United lost 3-1.

13. Lionel Messi (Barcelona v Manchester United 2009)

Lionel Messi doesn't score in big games, and he certainly doesn't score headers. Or so people believed in 2009.

Wrong and wrong.

Barcelona were already up 1-0 against Manchester United in Rome in 2009. And in the second half, Messi looped a header over Edwin van der Sar to seal a 2-0 win.

12. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United v Chelsea, 2008)

Big games call for big players, and in 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo rose to the occasion. Literally.

Wes Brown crossed in the ball from the right, and Ronaldo jumped highest to give Manchester United the lead over Chelsea.

He missed a penalty in the shootout, but he still ended the night with a winners' medal.

11. Lionel Messi (Barcelona v Manchester United, 2011)

Lionel Messi at his best.

Manchester United were happy to let Barcelona pass in front of their back four. But comfort tunred to panic as Messi picked up a pass from Andres Iniesta, ran at the Patrice Evra and flashed a left-foot shot past Edwin van der Sar.

It helped earn Barcelona a 3-1 win and the trophy.

10. Didier Drogba (Chelsea v Bayern Munich, 2012)

Chelsea were heading for defeat after Thomas Muller's late goal put Bayern Munich up 1-0 in the Allianz Arena.

Then, Didier Drogba intervened with a bullet header two minutes from time.

It wasn't even the highlight of Drogba's night. After a goalless extra time, the striker stroked home the penalty to win the Champions League for Chelsea.

9. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United v Bayern Munich, 1999)

It was perhaps not the most beautiful goal, but few Champions League final goals have sparked more wild celebrations than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's in 1999.

Manchester United were 1-0 down to Bayern Munich heading into stoppage time. But goals from Teddy Sheringham and then Solskjaer handed Sir Alex Ferguson's side the most unlikely of triumphs.

8. Fabrizio Ravanelli (Juventus v Ajax, 1996)

Fabrizio Ravanelli looked like he was chasing a lost cause during the 1996 final between Juventus and Ajax.

But after Frank de Boer and Edwin van der Sar made a mess of the clearance, the Italian striker nipped in to score from an impossible angle.

Ravanelli ended up lifting the trophy after Juventus won on penalties.

7. Steve McManaman (Real Madrid v Valencia 2000)

Steve McManaman's volley from the edge of the penalty area put Real Madrid 2-0 up against Valencia in 2000.

It earned the former Liverpool winger the Man of the Match award and helped Real Madrid win the trophy for the eighth time.

6. Vladimir Smicer (Liverpool v Milan, 2005)

With Liverpool trailing Milan 3-1 in Istanbul, Vladimir Smicer took a pass from Dietmar Hamann and lashed a vicious 25-yard shot into the net.

Smicer's goal swung the game back toward Liverpool. They equalised soon after and completed the most remarkable comeback after triumphing on penalties.

5. Hernan Crespo (Milan v Liverpool, 2005)

Hernan Crespo's finish to put Milan 3-0 up over Liverpool in 2005 was slick enough.

But it was nothing compared to Kaka's pass to create it. It should have sealed Milan's triumph, but it ended up counting for nothing, as Liverpool fought back to win on penalties. 

4. David Villa (Barcelona v Manchester United, 2011)

Barcelona were already 2-1 up against Manchester United at Wembley in 2011.

But any hopes United had of getting back into the game disappeared with a swipe of David Villa's boot.

He curled the ball into the top corner to seal a 3-1 win with the goal of the game.

3. Lars Ricken (Borussia Dortmund v Juventus, 1997)

On as a substitute less than 20 seconds earlier, Lars Ricken might have wanted to take a touch to settle himself as he ran onto Andreas Moller's pass. 

But he didn't.

The 20-year-old chipped the ball into Angelo Peruzzi's net with his first touch of the final to earn Borussia Dortmund a 3-1 win over Juventus.

2. Dejan Savicevic (Milan v Barcelona, 1994)

Milan destroyed Barcelona in the 1994 final.

But the highlight of the game belonged to Dejan Savicevic. There didn't seem to be much on when Savicevic wrestled free of his marker on the right.

But he had the composure to lob Barca goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. The Spaniard wasn't even that far off his line.

1. Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen, 2002)

There didn't seem to be much danger as Roberto Carlos' cross dropped out of the sky above Hampden Park. 

Then, Zinedine Zidane smashed a left-foot volley into the top corner. It proved to be the winner, as Real Madrid beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1.

A fitting way to win the Champions League.