An email from V Monty: “Jules Rimet trophy?” he asks. “It’s a bit like Superman 2 – you remember it as being amazing but when you check back now you find it’s got a 1970s style that has kind of had its day. Personally I would like to see a trophy very modern – a holographic chrome robo-cup with neon green trappings. That ice hockey trophy looks like the equivalent of a queen bee – the queen nut-bolt, from which all of planet Earths little nut-bolts are birthed.”
And on that bombshell, I think I’ll leave you with a nice weekend and some mouthwatering semi-final clashes to look forward to. Take care, all.
Updated
The European semi-finals draws have concluded
Champions League
Barcelona v Bayern Munich
Juventus v Real Madrid
Europa League
Napoli v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Sevilla v Fiorentina
Poll: Who will win the semi-finals?
Housekeeping: For adminsitrative purposes, the winners of the Champions League semi-final between Juventus and Real Madrid will be considered the “home” team. They’ll get the big dressing room and get to wear their home strip in the event of a clash with their opponents.
More on trophies: “I’ve always found the simplicity of the the NFL’s Vince Lombardy Trophy rather appealing,” writes Chris Ross. “Though no trophy produces a heady, Proustian rush - if you can apply that to sight as well as smell - is the FIFA World Cup trophy.”
An email from Jack Barrett: “I would love to see Juventus to reach the final. After romping this season (and also the past three and four seasons!),” he says. “I think it’s about time that they delivered on the European stage. It may even help them keep a couple of key players.”
Champions League semi-finals
Barcelona v Bayern Munich
Juventus v Real Madrid
Champions League semi-final two
Juventus v Real Madrid
Champions League semi-final one
Barcelona v Bayern Munich
Not long now until the Champions League semi-final draw. Asked by Gianni Infantino who he thinks will win the tournament, Karl Heinz Riedle sits on the fence and says “everybody”. He’ll be asked back.
Updated
An email from Charles Antaki: “Surely the original Jules Rimet trophy?” he says, nominating his idea of the most elegant trophy in sport. “A little bit Supremacist perhaps, but for champions of the world that seems appropriate.”
An email from Michael Garton: “If you’re wondering what the ugliest ever football trophy is, just google Copa MX (Mexico’s equivalent of the FA cup),” he writes. “As for the most elegant, surely that’s the FA cup itself.”
@bglendenning if you want a dodgy trophy the Aussie A-League silverware is affectionately known as the Toilet Seat pic.twitter.com/Bp1ZsFWSUh
— Sayings McSayings (@GreenNGoldMatt) April 24, 2015
Europa League semi-final draw reaction: Urbane and cosmopolitan Football Weekly contributer, BT Sport pundit and man of the world James Horncastle tweets ...
Few better home and away legs than Florence and Seville.
— James Horncastle (@JamesHorncastle) April 24, 2015
Europa League semi-final draw
Napoli v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Sevilla v Fiorentina
Europa League semi-final two
Sevilla v Fiorentina
Europa League draw semi-final one
Napoli v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Uefa drawmeister Gianni Infantino has taken to the stage in Nyon. “First of all, I would like to pass on congratulations and best regards from our president, Michel Platini,” he says. “Well, we are now reaching the climax of this season’s two major European club competitions. In each competition, we are just four matches away from knowing the identity of the teams who will contest the finals – firstly, the Uefa Europa League final at the National Stadium in Warsaw on 27 May, and then, the UEFA Champions League final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on 6 June.”
Updated
An email from Kevin Porter. “I’ve always quite admired the design of the European Cup, now Champions’ League Trophy, except perhaps for its size,” he says. “We’re on the fifth one now?
What footie trophy do people think is most elegant and which the most ugly?”
I’ve always found the Ashes urn ridiculous, I have to say, although I appreciate the sentiment and tradition behind it. THe CHampions League trophy is my favourite, although the Stanley Cup for ice hockey also takes a bit of beating.
How the draw works: It’s all filler and no killer as we wait for proceedings to get under way. THe side drawn first will play the first leg at home on 5/6 of May and the second leg away on 12/13 May. There will also be an additional draw to decide which of the eventuasl semi-final winners will, for administarative purposes, be considered the home team in the finals.
The draw rehearsal: In the practice draw, Juventus were paired with Bayern, while Real Madrid and Barcelona made up the other semi-final. I’d be happy enough for the same two pairings to come out in the real thing, just to prevent us having another all Spanish final.
Champions Leaghue trophy handover: While the trophy and its Uefa handlers is currently gadding around the world, it will be presented to Michael Müller, the mayor of Berlin, by Uefa president Michel Platini at a special ceremony on Monday morning. From Wednesday, the trophy will embark on a tour of the city, with football fans being offered the opportunity to meet and greet the famous silverware as it wends its way around the German capital by Trabant, riverboat and via city trains and subways. Along with the trophy for the women’s Champions League (current holders: Wolfsburg), it will then go on display in Berlin’s Rotes Rathaus between 2 and 8 May.
Hello everybody. Welcome to our live coverage of the Champions League semi-finals draw. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus are the teams whose names will be screwed inside the plastic footballs, given a swirl around the giant upturned contact lens and plucked at random after 11am (BST) to give us the pairings for the two semi-finals. The first legs will be played on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 May, with the return legs being played on Tues 12 and Wednesday 13 May. The final will take place at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Saturday 6 June.
