Seedorf leads way for past winners

Clarence Seedorf has every chance of becoming the most successful player in UEFA Champions League history should AC Milan go all the way in this season's competition.

Unique feat
The 31-year-old Dutch midfielder has been a winner on three occasions, an achievement shared with Roberto Carlos, Raúl González and Fernando Morientes who figured in Real Madrid CF's triumphs of 1998, 2000 and 2002. What is unique about Seedorf's treble is that each came with a different club, namely AFC Ajax (1995), Madrid (1998) and Milan (2002). If Milan prevail again, Seedorf will join Phil Neal (Liverpool FC - 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984) in becoming one of only three non-Madrid players to have lifted the European Champion Clubs' Cup at least four times, with Paolo Maldini moving on to five successes.

Unrivalled success
Maldini, 38, is untouchable in terms of current players in the European Cup having reigned supreme with Milan in 1989 and 1990, as well as in the 1994 and 2003 UEFA Champions Leagues. He would need another continental crown in addition to this season's to catch Madrid great Paco Gento, who won six editions of this tournament between 1956 and 1966. Team-mate Alessandro Costacurta, who is not certain to feature for the Rossoneri, played in 1989, 1990 and 2003 yet was suspended for the 1994 showpiece. In all, 28 players who have played in a final are represented in the semi-finals of this campaign though only Seedorf, Maldini and Costacurta have tasted glory more than once.

Eight survivors
Milan have eight other players who have collected the club game's premier prize. Dida, Alessandro Nesta, Kakha Kaladze, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Serginho, Massimo Ambrosini and Filippo Inzaghi were all involved in the 2003 success against Juventus. Dario Šimić did not take part, while Cristian Brocchi was an unused substitute. Meanwhile, Andriy Shevchenko, who converted the Rossoneri's winning penalty in the Old Trafford shoot-out, is one of four European champions in the Chelsea FC ranks. The others are Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho, crowned with FC Porto in 2004, and Claude Makelele, who helped Madrid prevail in 2002. Geremi was an unused substitute for Madrid in 2000 and played no part in 2002.

United trio
Like Geremi, Paul Scholes and Wes Brown missed out on the finest hour in Manchester United FC's UEFA Champions League history, the former through suspension, the latter being limited to bench duty. Three of United's number, however, starred in the 1999 showpiece - Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Edwin van der Sar secured a winners' medal with Ajax in 1995. More recently, nine of Liverpool's squad contributed to Milan - including Maldini, Costacurta and Seedorf - losing in dramatic circumstances in the 2005 final: Jerzy Dudek, Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypiä, Jamie Carragher, Harry Kewell, Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard, John Arne Riise and Luis García. Of that list, only García has no chance of playing in the final again due to injury.

Mourinho aim
All the managers in this year's semi-finals have scaled the loftiest height at least once. José Mourinho is bidding to become just the third coach after Ernst Happel (Feyenoord - 1970, Hamburger SV - 1983) and Ottmar Hitzfeld (BV Borussia Dortmund - 1997, FC Bayern München - 2001) to claim the European Cup with two different teams following his feat with Porto. Sir Alex Ferguson (United - 1999), Carlo Ancelotti (Milan - 2003) and Rafael Benítez (Liverpool - 2005) are also eager to celebrate two wins.