It’s now 100 days until the UEFA Champions League final comes to Cardiff! 

In 2014 we had a taste of European football in Cardiff when Real Madrid beat Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup at the Cardiff City Stadium, but this will represent the very first time that the famous Champions League trophy is presented in Wales. As a lifelong football fan, I can’t wait. 

Fan parks will be laid on around Cardiff by UEFA as part of the Champions Festival featuring entertainment and music. The Champions League Trophy Tour will end in Cardiff shortly before the final, giving us the chance to see the trophy close up and to meet Champions League legends at autographing sessions. 

Put simply, it’s the biggest club football match on the planet and reportedly the most-watched annual sporting event – with an estimated TV audience of up to 300 million fans in 200 different countries. 

I am so proud that UEFA has chosen our great city and stadium to host this final. This will represent another opportunity for Cardiff to show itself off to the world once again, and confirms Wales’s place in football’s top tier after our stunning effort in Euro 2016. 

We will have to wait until April to find out which two teams will make the final in Cardiff, but it’s almost certainly going to feature two giants of European football.  The previous final held in Milan saw a tense Madrid derby, with Real Madrid beating Atlético Madrid on penalties – one of which was slotted home by Cardiff’s very own Gareth Bale.