The first installment of this season’s Champions League knockout rounds bore out Wicky’s assessment in stark fashion. Besides, the history of the Champions League — in its modern incarnation, ever since the European Cup was reimagined in 1992 — is one of imbalance. The Champions League has always been a competition that brought two worlds together. The Champions League is still soccer’s gold standard. The Champions League has boomed as its pool of potential winners has grown smaller; its strength is in the heights it can reach, not the breadth of its base.

Source: New York Times February 22, 2018 05:00 UTC