Thousands welcome Polish leg of trophy tour

The 2010 UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, presented by UniCredit, continues to roll through central Europe, and on its latest, Polish leg attracted 20,000 visitors to Warsaw as well as famous names of the modern game.

The tour's autumn 2010 edition had already completed successful stages in Germany and the Czech Republic by the time it landed in Poland on 28 September – and immediately set about wooing football fans in a country that will co-host UEFA EURO 2012.

A total of 24,600 people throughout Poland were able to view the trophy and some 5,200 official pictures were taken with the cup at its final destination of Warsaw.

The tour promises to transport to local communities the magic of the UEFA Champions League, and this was certainly the case during stopovers in the cities of Wroclaw (28 September), Krakow (29 September) and Poznan (30 September) in the company of former Poland goalkeeper Józef Młynarczyk, UniCredit local ambassador for this leg.

Młynarczyk lifted the European Champion Clubs' Cup with FC Porto in 1987, and was joined by two more recent winners of the UEFA Champions League Trophy when the European club game's most glittering prize reached the Polish capital on Friday 1 October for a three-day sojourn.

Luís Figo, UniCredit ambassador for the UEFA Champions League, and Peter Schmeichel, UEFA Trophy Tour ambassador for Warsaw, helped to present the cup they were once acquainted with as players during an opening ceremony in Constitution Square.

Taking part in the accompanying press conference, Figo – a winner with Real Madrid CF in 2002 – spoke of "the best club competition around" while Schmeichel, who triumphed with Manchester United FC in 1999, added: "Apart from the FIFA World Cup, this trophy is the biggest there is – winning it was the highlight of my career."

All the ambassadors took part in the autograph sessions which, along with the chance to have a picture taken with the trophy, proved a major draw for the thousands of visitors to the travelling exhibition.

Another main attraction in the trophy tour village that acts as the UEFA Champions League Trophy's temporary residence was the display of original memorabilia – including photos and videos – charting the competition's journey from its inaugural 1955/56 season to the here and now.

The Warsaw public, many of whom were resplendent in football tops, brought personal mementoes such as scarves and photos to be signed, and were kept entertained throughout by table football games and other activities on site.

The trophy tour left Poland on Monday for a six-day visit to Slovakia (4-10 October), with Austria (11-17 October) being the last stop on its autumn itinerary. A detailed schedule is available here: http://be-part-of-it.unicredit.eu/en/tour/2010.