UEFA Champions League · Season Review · 2025/26
The 5 moments that defined this Champions League.
From Valverde's wonder volley to Dembélé's decisive penalty — a season that had everything.
The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League will be remembered as one of the most dramatic in years. Across 186 matches, 650 goals, and one extraordinary final in Budapest, the tournament delivered moment after unforgettable moment. Here are the five that stood above the rest.
Moment 01
Valverde's hat-trick volley — the goal of the season.
Federico Valverde had already scored twice when he received the ball on the edge of the area, flicked it up with his left foot, and volleyed it into the top corner with his right. UEFA's Technical Observer panel named it the goal of the season — and it was hard to argue. Real Madrid were ruthless that night, City looked lost, and Valverde looked like the best midfielder in the world.
Moment 02
Mbappé breaks Ronaldo's record — 13 goals in the league phase.
Kylian Mbappé arrived at Real Madrid with something to prove — and he proved it in the most emphatic way possible. His 13 goals in the league phase alone eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 11 set a decade earlier. By the time the knockouts arrived, he had 15 for the season. A statement campaign from the world's most expensive footballer.
Moment 03
Bayern vs PSG — the 5–4 semi-final that left everyone breathless.
Nine goals. Two of the best teams in Europe. Luis Díaz's stunning takedown and curling finish for Bayern was voted the third-best goal of the season — but it was the chaos of the entire match that will be remembered. PSG eventually came through the tie, but this was the kind of football that reminds you why the Champions League is the greatest club competition on earth.
Moment 04
Van de Ven's solo run — a defender doing the impossible.
Defenders are not supposed to do this. Micky van de Ven picked up the ball deep in his own half, drove past three players, and finished with the composure of a striker. It was the second-best goal of the entire season according to UEFA's observers — and a reminder that Tottenham, for all their inconsistency, had a genuinely world-class player at the back.
Moment 05
Dembélé's penalty — the kick that won the Champions League.
Arsenal were leading. PSG were struggling. Then Kvaratskhelia was fouled in the box, and Dembélé stepped up. He sent David Raya the wrong way, leveled the match at 1–1, and set PSG on the path to their second consecutive European title. One kick. One moment. The entire season — decided.
A season of 650 goals, record-breaking performances, and one final for the ages. The 2025/26 Champions League had it all — and Paris Saint-Germain, as they have done so often this decade, had the last word.
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