FOR purists who believe the Champions League should be a competition between champions, tomorrow night’s final between the second- and fourth-best teams in England is far from the tournament set up in 1955 as the European Champions Clubs’ Cup. 

Liverpool have not been champions of England for 29 years, Spurs not for 58 years, yet, by the end of the day in Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium, one of those teams will be the champions of Europe. 

Whoever wins will set a new record as European Cup winners who have gone the longest since winning their domestic league, a distinction currently held by Liverpool who won the 2005 Champions League 15 years after their last league title.