The anthem was written by English composer Tony Britten in 1992 for the rebranded UEFA Champions League, adapting George Frideric Handel's 1727 coronation anthem Zadok the Priest. Its lyrics move between English, French and German, UEFA's three official languages, and the famous refrain is simply the champions repeated in each language. Performed by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields chorus, it has opened televised matches ever since, becoming shorthand online for football prestige, dramatic entrances and anything presented as elite or unbeatable.