The Champions !

Com a devida vénia ao site World Soccer, aí fica a letra do hino que se vai ouvir no inicio do jogo da proxima quarta feira em Nou Camp:

«This is Lasagne


To football fans it is familiar as Mozart or Beethoven. The sweeping strings, the fanfare of brass, the chorus of indistinct voices….It is the Champions League theme.

The programme begins – we hear it. Cut to advertisements – we hear it. The players line up as if for National Anthems – we hear it. But what is it? And are they really saying “lasagne”?

In 1992, when the Champions League was launched, UEFA commissioned Tony Britten, a British composer, to come up with a theme for the tournament. Britten chose to use “Zodok the Priest” by George Handel as the base for his work. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra would play the piece, and the Chorus of the Accedemy of St Martin in the Fields would sing he words.


The lyrics are as follow:


Ce sont les meilleure equipes
Es sind sie allerbesten mannschaften
The main event
Die meister
Die besten
Les grandes equipes
The champions!

Une grande reunion
Eine grosse sportliche veranstaltung
The main event
Ils sont les meilleurs
Sie sind die besten
These are the champions
Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes equipes
The champions!


Not a mention of Lasagne anywhere…


It is ironic that, while the words are declaimed in English, French and German, since 1992 these nations can muster only four Champions League wins between them. It is also ironic that the theme came to be used just as the tournament was opened up to clubs who were NOT champions. But then that’s another story…»