It was almost as if the European Cup, or Champions League as it has been branded since 1992, was just made for Real Madrid.

Los Blancos pride themselves on their history in the competition and rightly so.

The great Alfredo Di Stéfano was part of the famous Whites side which won five consecutive titles, starting from its inaugural year in 1956 right through to 1960.

There were plenty of memorable moments in those successive triumphs, including a 4-3 success over Stade Reims in Paris to secure their first cup while a 7-3 rout against Eintracht Frankfurt in Glasgow for their fifth, is a notable match in the history football.

In 1966, Real won again – beating Partizan 2-1 in Brussels but had to wait until 1998 for their seventh.

Predrag Mijatović scored the winner against Juventus in Amsterdam that season – and that kick-started another European golden patch for the Whites, which saw a 3-0 romp over Spanish rivals Valencia in Paris two years later.

Zinedine Zidane’s magical volley after an earlier Raul strike secured Real’s ninth triumph in 2002, again in Glasgow, but the club had to wait some 12 years for their next trophy.

A 4-1 extra-time win over city rivals Atletico Madrid in Lisbon (2014) tasted sweet and Real inflicted yet more misery on their local neighbours in 2016 when they beat Diego Simeone’s men for the second time in the space of three seasons, on penalties, at the San Siro.

Then, just last term, Real became the first team, under Zinedine Zidane, to successfully defend the Champions League and win back-to-back titles (not taking into account their magnificent run in the 1950s) by overcoming Juventus 4-1 in Cardiff. Cristiano Ronaldo was very much at the heart of that performance and netted twice.

Three Champions League wins in four years catapulted Real’s overall haul to 12, with their nearest challengers being AC Milan (seven) while Bayern Munich and Barcelona have five apiece.

Sergio Ramos lifts the trophy in Wales last June.

Octo Finissimo Automatic A Third World Record for Bulgari

Bulgari is once again the spotlight, proudly presenting its third successive world record.

The Octo Finissimo Automatic is the slimmest ultra-thin self-winding watch on the market to date.

After introducing its Tourbillon in 2014 and the Minute Repeater in 2016, the Maison unveils its new creation featuring a total thickness of just 5.15mm, while its self-winding movement is just 2.23mm thick for a 40mm diameter.

The iconic Octo is once again pushing the boundaries of watchmaking feasibility.