With its high excitement factor and end-to-end tactics, the competition has become a major draw worldwide.

Most countries have bought TV rights, which in turn has brought in finance to help attract many of the world's best players at some stage in their careers.

However, Jesus for one is not convinced the fayre on offer in England has outstripped the abilities on show in Spain, Germany and Italy.

"In Spain, Germany and Italy there is a big technical and tactical input in every match," said Jesus.

"There are many foreign players in England, and also quite a few teams have foreign managers, so the quality has improved.

"The English league is a good league but compared with Spain, Germany and Italy it is not so good."

Jesus does claim Benfica's opponents in the Champions League tomorrow, Manchester United, are a class apart given their outstanding form in Europe over the last four years, during which time they have played in three finals.

"They are different," he said.

"That is the reason why they have won so much.

"Manchester United have different ideas and a different history. They show that on the pitch.

"They are much stronger technically this season.

"They keep the ball quite well and in almost every match they have 60% possession compared with the other team."

If Jesus is to be believed it sets up a chess-style confrontation at Old Trafford tomorrow in a repeat of the 1968 final Sir Alex Ferguson hopes does justice to the legacy of Sir Matt Busby.

"As we welcome Benfica to Old Trafford the memories of many Manchester United supporters will fly back to those early days in European competition when George Best mesmerised Portugal's finest in the Stadium of Light and then ultimately to the night Sir Matt Busby achieved his European dream in 1968 to make United the first English club to win the European Cup," Ferguson told United Review.

"That must have been an emotional occasion for Sir Matt, who had defied the English football hierarchy to take United into the European Cup.

"Matt Busby was a man of vision.

"He persuaded his chairman to accept UEFA's invitation to take part in a championship of champions because he felt after proving his team the best in England, he wanted to measure them against the best of other countries.

"Even the air disaster didn't deflect his purpose and just 10 years later, he did in fact prove that in 1968 his team were the supreme champions.

"Now Europe runs deep in the psyche of Manchester United and Benfica evokes these memories."