The Champions League has witnessed some lightning-fast goals throughout its decorated and entertaining history.

On Tuesday night, for example, Dušan Vlahović wrote his name in the history books by scoring just 31 seconds into his debut in the competition with a fine finish for Juventus away at Villarreal.

The 22-year-old showed exactly why he's one of the most exciting young strikers in the business by displaying supreme control and composure to open the scoring at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

Rapid Champions League goals

However, while Vlahović's strike for the Old Lady was most certainly impressive, it still didn't lay a glove on the fastest goal to have ever graced the Champions League.

According to UEFA themselves, Roy Makaay is the proud owner of that particular record with the Bayern Munich marksmen having found the net just 10.12 seconds into a clash with Real Madrid.

Now, considering that the record has stood for almost 15 years and the time on the stopwatch proves so formidably snappy, it's fair to say that it would take something pretty special to top Makaay.

Demba Ba vs Arsenal in 2014

But fear not, ladies and gentlemen, because although we can't offer you a Champions League strike quicker than Makaay's, we can give you the next best thing and it comes courtesy of a certain Demba Ba.

That's because the former Chelsea striker came just a matter of inches away from blowing the Champions League record to smithereens during a qualifying play-off against Arsenal in 2014.

Donning the colours of Besiktas at the time, Ba made the remarkable decision to shoot directly from kick-off and his effort was hit so sweetly that Wojciech Szczęsny immediately had to leap into action.

Football - Besiktas Training - Emirates Stadium, London, England - 26/8/14

Besiktas' Demba Ba during training

Mandatory Credit: Action Images / John Sibley

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Ba's crazy attempt from kick-off

In fact, if it wasn't for the Arsenal shot-stopper getting a touch on the ball to help it on to the crossbar, then there's good reason to think that Ba could have found the net after just three or four seconds.

Despite not actually resulting in a goal, it still makes for one of the most surreal Champions League moments we've ever seen all these years later, so be sure to relive Ba's wild attempt at making history down below:

How often do you see that? Bonkers.

So close to Champions League history

It's one thing to even think about starting a crucial Champions League play-off by attempting to score directly from kick-off, but it's another thing entirely to hit the shot so perfectly that it actually nearly came off.

However, sadly for Besiktas, it pretty much proved the closest that they came to breaking Arsenal's resistance across the two legs with Alexis Sanchez's lone strike at Emirates Stadium ultimately proving the difference between the two sides.

So, while Ba might not have bested the heroics of Makaay and Vlahović, it doesn't make the crazy moment that he attempted to make Champions League history any less amazing to watch almost 10 years on.