The soul of the Champions League isn’t the players or the teams, but the fans.

And every one of them has a story on how their squad earned their undying loyalty.

ESPN’s very own Luis Miguel Echegaray is no different. His tale is of a stirring, intercontinental journey into the ranks of Birmingham’s Aston Villa that continues to be written.

So today, as he makes his way to their big Champions League showdown against Bayern Munich, LME explains why he bleeds the Villains claret and blue and explains how a revamped format has this entire league more than ready to deliver.

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