Bayern Munich are arguably the best team on the planet at this moment in time, and the Bavarian giants are now gearing up for the 2020 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain this Sunday.
Hansi Flick's men steamrolled their way into this year's final with crushing victories against Chelsea and Barcelona in the knockout stage, and while Lyon provided Bayern with a stern test in the last four, the Bundesliga champions ultimately cruised to a 3-0 victory to set up a clash with first-time finalists PSG.
Flick's side also triumphed in the German top flight for the eighth successive season a few months' ago, and while Bayern have not lifted the Champions League title since 2013, many are expecting the Bavarian powerhouses to come out on top this weekend and claim their sixth European title at the Estadio da Luz.
The Bayern Munich teams of old have also enjoyed some historic success in Europe's elite competition over the years, and here, Sports Mole takes a look at how Bayern fared in their previous European Cup/Champions League finals.
Bayern Munich 1-1 Atletico Madrid - Bayern win replay 4-0 (1973-74)
Having been knocked out at the quarter-final stage in the 1972-73 edition, Bayern found themselves in the European Cup final for the first time in 1974, where they would meet fellow first-time finalists Atletico Madrid.
Despite boasting legendary names such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Uli Hoeness, Bayern were unable to break down the Atletico defence after 90 minutes and were forced into extra time, where Luis Aragones's opener in the 115th minute was cancelled out by Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck's equaliser right at the death.
The 1974 final became the first and only one to be replayed, and Bayern turned on the style a couple of days later. Hoeness netted Bayern's opener within 28 minutes before Muller lashed in from a tight angle just before the hour mark at the Heysel Stadium.
Muller soon got his second in the 69th minute with a delightful lob over Miguel Reina before Hoeness completed the rout with eight minutes to go following a magnificent solo effort.
Bayern Munich 2-0 Leeds United (1974-75)
In a game that was marred by controversial refereeing decisions and violence in the stands, Bayern found themselves up against Leeds United as they looked to defend their European Cup title in 1975.
Jimmy Armfield's Leeds kept the holders at bay in the first half and were aggrieved when referee Michel Kitabdjian waved away two penalty appeals, and Bayern's Hoeness would then suffer a career-afflicting injury before the half-time whistle.
Things went from bad to worse for Leeds when Peter Lorimer's volley was disallowed for offside, and Bayern would take the lead soon after as Franz Roth finished off a sweeping move.
The game was put beyond Leeds' reach with nine minutes to go as Muller netted Bayern's second at the Parc des Princes, and the German giants won what would be the second of three consecutive European Cups in the 1970s.
Bayern Munich 1-0 Saint-Etienne (1975-96)
After knocking out Benfica and Real Madrid en route to the 1976 final at Hampden Park, Bayern would be faced with the task of overcoming French giants Saint-Etienne to secure an unprecedented three straight triumphs in the European Cup.
The formidable attacking line of Bayern was now boosted further by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and Hoeness also started the game despite the serious injury he suffered in the 1975 final.
Saint-Etienne gave the German powerhouses a terrific run for their money and were extremely unlucky not to find the back of the net, with Dominique Bathenay and Jacques Santini both hitting the crossbar.
Once again, Roth would be the hero of the hour for the holders as his thunderous effort from 25 yards was too powerful for Ivan Curkovic, and Bayern manager Dettmar Cramer soon lifted his second European Cup with the Bavarian giants.
Bayern Munich 0-1 Aston Villa (1981-82)
It would be another long and arduous six years before Bayern reached the final of Europe's elite competition once again, and they were facing unfamiliar opposition in the form of Aston Villa at the Feijenoord Stadion.
Following Bayern's triumph in the 1975-96 edition, English sides would go on to dominate the European landscape for the next few years, with Liverpool winning three and Nottingham Forest securing two crowns in the late '70s and early '80s.
Villa managed to keep that incredible run going with a historic 1-0 victory over Bayern in the 1982 final, with Peter Withe netting a tap-in from Tony Morley's cross.
Germany managed to reclaim their European crown in the 1982-83 season, but it would be Hamburg to lift the title rather than Bayern Munich, who faced another dismal few European Cup campaigns until they next reached the final.
Bayern Munich 1-2 Porto (1986-87)
Five years on from their disappointment against Villa, Bayern swept the competition aside in the 1986-87 campaign to set up a showdown with Portuguese giants Porto at the Praterstadion.
By this point, current Bayern manager Hansi Flick was finding his feet in the side, and the German lined up alongside Lothar Matthaus and Andreas Brehme in the middle of the park.
However, the Bavarian powerhouses would suffer another dose of disappointment in the European Cup final as Porto launched a late comeback to win the title for the first time in their history.
Bayern took the lead early on through Ludwig Kogl's header, but Porto's Rabah Madjer levelled with a cheeky backheel in the 77th minute before substitute Juary completed the turnaround three minutes later.
Bayern Munich 1-2 Manchester United (1998-99)
In a game that has gone down in football folklore, two of the world's most successful clubs in Bayern and Manchester United would fight for the honour of being crowned Europe's supreme team for the final time in the 20th century.
Bayern and United had already faced off in the group stages, with the German outfit finishing one point better off than their opponents, and the finalists had already played out 1-1 and 2-2 draws in Group D.
It took no longer than six minutes for Bayern to break the deadlock in Barcelona, with Mario Basler's free-kick finding the bottom corner and leaving Peter Schmeichel flat-footed in the United goal.
However, the treble-seeking United eventually managed to restore parity through Teddy Sheringham, who managed to poke home in the first minute of added time in the second half.
The tie looked poised to head for extra time, but Alex Ferguson's men would soon make history through none other than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who lashed in from a corner to send the United fans into delirium and condemn Bayern to a third successive European Cup final defeat.
Bayern 1-1 Valencia - Bayern win 5-4 on penalties (2000-01)
Two years on from that fateful night at Camp Nou, Bayern would endeavour to avoid a fourth defeat in a row in the European Cup final when they locked horns with Valencia at San Siro.
In a tale of three penalties, Valencia made their mark within the first three minutes as Gaizka Mendieta's spot-kick found the bottom corner despite Oliver Kahn going the right way.
Bayern were provided with the perfect chance to draw level when Stefan Effenberg was brought down in the area, but Santiago Canizares saved the resulting spot-kick from Mehmet Scholl as Valencia went into the half-time interval one goal to the good.
However, Bayern were awarded another penalty five minutes into the second half for handball, and Effenberg made no mistake from 12 yards to level the scores.
There were no more goals to be had after extra time and the 2001 final would be decided by even more penalties, and Bayern got off to the worst possible start as Paulo Sergio blazed his spot kick over the bar.
Nevertheless, Kahn produced the goods as he kept out three penalties - the last one from Mauricio Pellegrino - and the German giants won 5-4 in the shootout to win their fourth title in the tournament.
Bayern Munich 0-2 Inter Milan (2009-10)
It would take Bayern Munich another nine years before they could boast the honour of being Champions League finalists again, and this time they faced an Inter Milan side led by the famed Jose Mourinho.
Louis van Gaal had a plethora of attacking talent in his ranks, namely Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller, but it was Inter who drew first blood as Diego Milito rifled in after being played through by the effervescent Wesley Sneijder.
Bayern were unable to break down the staunch rearguard action of Mourinho's Inter, who boasted a trio of top-class Brazilian defensive players in Julio Cesar, Maicon and Lucio, as well as Argentinian maestros Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso.
The Italian side would soon double their lead through Milito once again, who danced his way past Daniel van Buyten before finding the bottom corner with aplomb.
Bayern Munich 1-1 Chelsea - Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties (2011-12)
In a tale as old as time, Bayern would find themselves up against English opposition in the Champions League final, and Bayern would ultimately be left heartbroken after a gruelling evening of football.
Seeking vengeance from their defeat to Man United in the 2008 final, Chelsea would be tasked with trying to overcome Bayern in their own backyard as they looked to become the first London side to lift the Champions League trophy.
It took Bayern 83 minutes to make their dominance pay against the Blues, with Thomas Muller finding space at the back post to head home past Petr Cech.
However, anything that Muller could do, Didier Drogba could do better. Only five minutes after Bayern took the lead, Drogba met Juan Mata's corner with an exquisite header which Manuel Neuer failed to keep out.
Bayern were handed a glorious opportunity to snatch the win in extra time, but Robben saw his spot kick saved by Cech after Drogba had fouled Franck Ribery.
The final would be decided by a penalty shootout once again. Mata stepped up first for Chelsea but saw his effort saved by Neuer, although the Spaniard's blushes were spared as Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger both missed from the spot.
Drogba wrote his name into Chelsea folklore by calmly slotting home the deciding penalty and subjecting Bayern to yet another defeat in a European final.
Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Dortmund (2012-13)
No longer than 12 months later would Bayern find themselves competing for Champions League glory once again, and the 2013 final had all the makings of a classic between two Bundesliga powerhouses at Wembley.
Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund were standing in Bayern's way of a fifth triumph in Europe's elite competition and a first Champions League crown for 12 years, and the game was locked at 0-0 until the hour mark.
Mario Mandzukic had the simple task of finishing into an empty net after Robben spectacularly kept the ball alive in the area, but Ilkay Gundogan soon equalised for Dortmund from the spot after Dante fouled Marco Reus.
Determined to eliminate the haunting memories of the 2012 final, Robben soon put the penalty miss against Chelsea out of his mind as he powered through the Dortmund defence before scuffing a low shot into the bottom corner in the dying embers of the final.
Bayern would hold on against their Bundesliga rivals to claim their fifth and most recent European crown, and the Bavarian giants have every reason to be optimistic about making it six this Sunday.
Ben Knapton
