Trophy tour comes to an end in Sofia

The UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, presented by UniCredit, came to a close in Sofia following successful stops in Berlin, Budapest, Bucharest and Sarajevo.

UniCredit ambassador Fabio Capello and UEFA ambassador Robert Pirès were on hand in the Bulgarian capital to witness the end of the trophy's journey around the continent. The biggest prize in European club football began its trip in Berlin on 20 September before stopping in Budapest at the end of the month and then travelling to Bucharest and Sarajevo, where it was joined by Paulo Sousa and former Juventus star Hasan Salihamidžić.

"It's my second time in Sofia and the trophy tour is a great way to bring the trophy here for the Bulgiarian people," said Pirès, who also had his say on Arsenal FC's prospects for the season. "I don't know if they can win the UEFA Champions League, who knows, but I hope that perhaps they will win the Premier League. It's been a long time since they won the Premier League, especially for the fans, so hopefully that might happen this season."

At every stop fans have had the chance to have their photo taken with Old Big Ears, while this season's tour has had increased social media coverage with FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner Karl-Heinz Riedle taking part in a Google+ hangout in the German capital before Pirès took to the hotseat in Sofia on Friday. At various stops throughout the trophy's journey there have also been #Ask Q&A sessions on Twitter with Capello and former Real Madrid CF midfielder Christian Karembeu.