Five things that vaguely connect Brighton & Hove Albion with the Champions League Final
1) The Seagulls beat the reigning European champions Chelsea 3-1 in a pre-season friendly at The Amex in 2012.
2) Stefan Iovan lifted the Champions League Trophy for Steaua Bucharest in 1986. He also captained them again in the final in 1989. Iovan played six games for the Seagulls in the 1990-91 season, including the Division 2 play-off final and the Sussex Senior Cup final.
3) Brian Clough and Peter Taylor managed Nottingham Forest to successive European Cup victories – the forerunner of the Champions League – in 1979 and 1980. Six years earlier, the pair mangaged Albion in the old Division 3 – one level below Forest at that time. What might have been!
4) Dennis Mortimer lifted the Champions League trophy for Aston Villa in 1982. Four years later he played one season for Albion in Chris Cattlin’s brilliant but unlucky team of 1986.
5) Vicente Rodriguez, who played for Albion from 2011 to 2013, was described by many as the most gifted ever Seagulls player. Vicente was an unused substitute for Valencia in the 2001 final.
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