It's certainly getting more and more predictable.
Winners
manc utd (1999, 2008)
ac milan (1994, 2003, 2007)
barca (2006)
liverpool (2005)
porto (2004)
reial madrid (1998, 2000, 2002)
bayern munich (2001)
borussia dortmund (1997)
juve (1996)
ajax (1995)
marseille (1993)
Runners up
chelsea...
If you want any tom, dick and harry to play in the European Cup then don't call it the CHAMPIONS league, simple as that.
If chelsea had won it, would it have been the almost runners up league?