Pick of the pics: the best of the Lisbon gallery

UEFA's digital images coordinator Paul Murphy was in Lisbon for the opening of the UEFA Champions Gallery and he talks us through his top ten selections of the photos on show ...

This selection from the UEFA Champions Gallery shows the depth and character of the exhibition. The highlight of this selection is local hero and SL Benfica legend Eusébio with Mario Cóluna, Santana and Fernando Cruz, enjoying a game of cards in a London hotel the night before the 1961/62 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur FC, on their way to retaining the title.

This picture, is one of the gems of the collection on display in the gallery. It captures a true star of European football in a way that many people will never have seen them. It is a rare insight into players' lives on the road during the early days of European club football competitions.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid CF's players celebrating on the pitch with the trophy following their triumph in the first ever European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1956 is topical as the club go in search of La Décima in the 2014 final, with this season's top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo looking to lift the trophy again – as shown here from his 2008 success with Manchester United FC.

Club Atlético de Madrid's top scorer in this season's competition, Diego Costa, will be looking to get his side's hands on the trophy for the first time. Franz Beckenbauer of FC Bayern München (1975) and Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona (2011) are just some of the many legends of the game to have had a big impact on the competition, while José Mourinho and Sir Matt Busby are some of the famed managers on display in the gallery.

Arjen Robben showing off the trophy to photographers after last season's dramatic showpiece represents the incredible media spectacle the UEFA Champions League final has become. Another big growth in the game is captured in the women's football section of the gallery – the first time women's football has been part of an exhibition like this – with the photo from the 2012 final showing some of the record 50,212 spectators who attended the game.

The UEFA Champions Gallery and UEFA Champions Museum are open from 6 to 25 May between the hours of 10.00 and 20.30. The exhibitions are located at Gallery Edifício dos Paços do Concelho, Praça do Município, Museum Rua do Arsenal, 21.

The Champions Festival opens its gates at Praça do Comércio to the public on 22 May. It is open between 11.00 and 23.00 on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 11.00 and 17.00 on the Sunday. Plan your visit.

All times local.