The epitaphs were written, the headlines were damning. "Has the Champions League become boring?" one declared, as the round of 16 reached its conclusion.
After a round of disappointing action, some had gathered the competition into its coffin, dug its grave and started lowering it into the ground, when suddenly they heard a mysterious knocking noise coming from inside. Could it be? Could the Champions League... actually still be alive?
Yes, surprise surprise, it turns out that Europe's premier club competition might still have entertainment value after all, given that the quarter-final draw gave us Arsenal vs Bayern Munich, Manchester City vs Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona (sorry Borussia Dortmund vs Atletico Madrid, we'll all be watching the other channel). Who could have predicted it?
True, the last 16 draw was possibly the worst in the competition's history, with few big ties, and the potential jeopardy of PSG finishing second in their group extinguished when they drew the most underwhelming group winner, Real Sociedad.
Still though, the lack of interest for English fans was largely down to the failures of English clubs, rather than the failures of the competition itself. How was it UEFA's fault that Manchester United and Newcastle both got knocked out in the group stage, leaving only two Premier League teams remaining for the first time in many years?
Then, one of the two English clubs actually made it more interesting than it could have been, as Arsenal's tie with Porto surprisingly went all the way to penalties. Inter's tie with Atletico Madrid was similarly a nailbiter decided on spot kicks – the first two Champions League ties decided on penalties since 2016, incredibly.
If you put all of Europe's best teams in the same competition, eventually there will be drama, as the Champions League has proved time and time again over the years.
Remember that crazy week of semi-finals in 2019 when Liverpool came from three goals down against Barcelona, and Spurs came from three goals down against Ajax? There's no reason why similar drama can't happen again.
Now, we have a mouthwatering list of quarter-finals. Can Arsenal finally get revenge on Bayern Munich, after some miserable previous showings against them in the last 16 – most notably losing 10-2 on aggregate in 2017? It's former Spurs hero Harry Kane against the Gunners – he'll never live it down if he loses, but he could also produce a moment that lives long in the memory if he scores and Bayern win.
Then we've got Jude Bellingham's Real Madrid against Manchester City. Is his talent now so great that he can defeat the reigning European champions? We're about to find out. Los Blancos will certainly want revenge, too, after their 4-0 defeat at the Etihad in last season's semi-finals.
If that's not enough, the semi-final draw has pitted those two ties together, ensuring that one of PSG, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund will make the final. Can Kylian Mbappe guide PSG there, in his last season at the club? Will it be Xavi, in his last season in charge of Barça? Or will it be an even bigger underdog?
All four of the bookmakers' favourites are on the other side of the draw, but it should be remembered that similar was true in 2021, when the winner surprisingly came from the weaker half of the draw. Chelsea shocked everyone, despite finishing only fourth in the Premier League that season, just two points ahead of sixth.
The quarter-finals promise to be anything but boring – put the coffin away, the Champions League is not dead, and never was.
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