20 May 1992 - The Iceman Koeman

On 20 May 1992, Barcelona won their first European Cup, beating Sampdoria with an extra-time free kick from center back Ronald Koeman.

Koeman had won the Cup before with his previous club, PSV, beating Benfica on penalties in 1988 after holding them scoreless through extra time. Koeman himself had converted PSV's opening kick in the shootout. (And Barcelona's road to the 1992 Final included a draw and a win against Benfica in the third-round group stage.)

In the Final, Barcelona met Sampdoria who were looking to salvage a disappointing season. After winning Serie A in 1991, they had slumped to sixth place in 1992 and would not be returning to European competition the next season. Barcelona, meanwhile, were in the process of claiming their second consecutive league title under manager Johan Cruyff, who himself had won three European Cups as a player with Ajax.

Playing before a crowd of 70,827 at Wembley, the match was closer than anyone expected. Scoreless deep into extra time, Koeman's opportunity came in the 111th minute as Sampdoria substitute Giovanni Invernizzi fouled Barcelona winger Eusebio Sacristán just outside the box. Koeman converted the ensuing kick, blasting the ball past the keeper. Although he had contributed 16 league goals that season, the one in the Final was his first in 11 appearances in the tournament.

Barcelona proceeded to win the tournament twice more (2006, 2009) and are currently preparing to return to Wembley next week to make another appearance in the Final against Manchester United.

12 April 1948 - The Italians Get Lippi

On 12 April 1948, future World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi was born in Viareggio, Italy. After a lengthy and distinguished career as a player in Serie A, he made his real mark as a manager, winning five Scudettos and one Champions League title with Juventus before taking the Italian national team to World Cup victory in 2006.

A midfielder, Lippi spent most of his playing years with Sampdoria, for whom he played from 1969 to 1980 (with a brief loan to Serie C side Savona in his first season). In that time, he made 274 league appearances for the Blucherchiati. In 1980, he transferred to Pistoiese, who were in Serie A the time, but were relegated at the end of the 1980-81 season. He spent one year with them in Serie B before retiring in 1982.

He returned to Sampdoria later that year to coach the youth team, then spent the next decade managing eight different clubs before landing in Turin in 1994 for the first of his two spells in charge of Juventus. In his first season there, the Bianconeri won both the league and the Coppa d'Italia, while finishing as runners-up to Parma in that season's UEFA Cup Final. Lippi then put together a string of additional trophies, including the 1996 Champions League Title and back-to-back Scudettos in 1997 and 1998.

In 1999, he moved to Inter, but had an unsuccessful 1999-2000 season and was sacked after one match into the 2000-01 season. He returned to Juventus in 2001 and won two more league titles in his first two seasons back in Turin.

In 2004, the Italian Football Federation appointed Lippi as manager of the national team, replacing Giovanni Trappatoni. He helmed the Azzurri to the 2006 World Cup title in Germany and retired three days later, handing the reins over to Livorno manager Roberto Donadoni. But after a disappointing Euro 2008 performance, the Azzurri sacked Donadoni and re-appointed Lippi, who is prearing to take the team to South Africa this summer.

21 March 1987 - Milan Gets A Ruud Awakening

On 21 March 1987, Dutch club PSV Eindhoven sold defender/midfielder Ruud Gullit to AC Milan for the then-record fee of £6 million. Gullit had already established himself as a world class player, helping PSV to the Eredivisie title in 1986 and 1987. He was named Dutch Footballer of the Year in both years. Gullit was unhappy at PSV, however, and requested the transfer to Milan.

At Milan, Gullit cemented his status as one of the world's greatest footballers. For his work with PSV and then Milan, he won the Ballon D'Or in 1987. Along with fellow Dutch internationals Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, he helped Milan claim the Serie A title in 1987-88 after a club drought of nine years. Gullit's Milan went on to win two more Scudettos in 1992 and 1993. Internationally, Milan won back-to-back European Cup championships in 1989 and 1990, as well as the World Club Championship in 1990, though injuries limited Gullit's time on the pitch and forced him into a more peripheral role.

He left Milan in 1993 to play for Milan's Serie A rivals Sampdoria, where he rediscovered his pre-injury form. He led Sampdoria to the 1994 Italian Cup and a third-place finish in the league. Along the way, Gullit scored the game-winning goal in Sampdoria's 3-2 win over Milan. His performance that season was so impressive that Milan re-signed him in 1994, but he again struggled to find his form and returned to Sampdoria to finish the 1994-95 season. He finished his playing career at Chelsea, where he played from 1995-98. He went on to manage several clubs, including Chelsea, Newcastle United, Feyenoord Rotterdam, and the Los Angeles Galaxy.