Porto's 3–0 victory over Monaco in 2004 marked the last Champions League final won by a club from outside the Big Five European leagues.
Key Facts
- Final score
- Porto 3–0 AS Monaco
- Venue
- Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen
- Man of the Match
- Deco
- Porto's previous UCL title
- 1987
- Monaco's UCL final appearances
- First ever
- Porto manager departure
- Mourinho left for Chelsea one week later
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Both Porto and Monaco entered the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League as relative underdogs led by young managers—José Mourinho and Didier Deschamps respectively. Porto had won the UEFA Cup the previous season, while Monaco were making their first appearance in the competition's final, having eliminated nine-time champions Real Madrid along the way.
On 26 May 2004 at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Porto faced Monaco in the UEFA Champions League final. Goals from Carlos Alberto, Deco, and Dmitri Alenichev secured a commanding 3–0 victory for Porto under José Mourinho, with Deco named Man of the Match in a dominant performance.
Porto's triumph gave Mourinho his greatest club honour before he departed for Chelsea just one week later, launching his rise as one of Europe's most prominent managers. The result also stands as the last Champions League final in which a team from outside the Big Five European leagues both participated and won.