Which club is Europe’s most decorated?
For the purposes of simply counting the number of trophies won, has included ‘super cup’ competitions, although debate will continue to rage as to their relative merits.
Additionally,restrictions have been placed on leagues and the ranking takes clubs from the top four league competitions in Europe: England, Spain, Germany and Italy. These countries are historically the most dominant in European competition and, therefore, we have adjudged their domestic competitions to be the toughest to win.
If it was left open to clubs from any European league, the result would see Scotland’s Rangers come out on top, with Northern Ireland’s Linfield in second and Scotland’s Celtic in third. But we are more interested in finding out who’s the best of the best.
Competitions included: All UEFA competitions bar the Intertoto Cup (but including the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup), the Intercontinental Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, domestic top division titles, main domestic cups and League Cups (now defunct in Germany and Spain and never competed for in Italy, but held since the 1960s in England), and domestic ‘Super Cups’ (known in England as the Community Shield).
Ranking clubs from the top four league competitions in Europe: England, Spain, Germany and Italy
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1. Barcelona have won 89 trophies – The most successful club based on number of trophies won, Barcelona are the only club to win the treble twice. They boast five European Cup/Champions League victories, to go alongside four wins in the Cup Winners' Cup, three in the old Fairs Cup and five UEFA Super Cup triumphs. In Spain, Barca have been crowned champions 25 times, won the Spanish Cup a record 30 times, the Spanish Super Cup on 12 occasions and the Spanish League Cup twice. They have also claimed the Club World Cup three times, and in 2009 became the first club to win six trophies in a calendar year.
11. Chelsea have won 28 trophies – The Blues have won six top flight English titles, eight FA Cups, five League Cups and they were the first English club to win every UEFA trophy. In 2012 they became the only London club to win the Champions League, adding the Europa League a year later to complete the continental set, along with two victories in the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup and one in the UEFA Super Cup. They have also won four Community Shields. The Blues had racked up 11 trophies prior to Roman Abramovich's arrival, but have since won 16 in 14 years.
10. Atletico Madrid have won 29 trophies – Atletico have been very successful in recent years, winning seven trophies since 2010. Their 2014 triumph in La Liga took Atleti's Spanish title count to 10, the same number of times they have won the Spanish Cup, with two Spanish Super Cups for good measure. In 1962 they won their first European honour, the Cup Winners' Cup, followed by Europa League and UEFA Super Cup doubles in 2010 and 2012 respectively. They won it again in 2018, but the European Cup/Champions League has eluded them, despite being seconds away from winning two finals, as well as contesting a shoot-out in the 2016 final, but they did win the 1974 Intercontinental Cup – the predecessor to FIFA's Club World Cup – when European Cup holders Bayern Munich declined to take part. Atletico beat South American champions Independiente over two legs to be crowned world champions.
9. Internazionale have won 39 trophies – The only Italian club to win the treble, Inter won five trophies alone in 2010, including the Champions League, Serie A, Italian Cup, Italian Super Cup and Club World Cup. Overall, they have won three European Cups/Champions League, 18 Serie A titles, seven Italian Cups, five Italian Super Cups, three UEFA Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one Club World Cup.
8. Arsenal have won 45 trophies – Arsenal hold the record for the number of FA Cups won, with their success in 2017 taking their tally to 13 in the oldest football competition in the world. They can boast 13 English top flight titles, and share the record for most domestic doubles with Manchester United, having clinched both league and cup success in the same season on three occasions. They have won the League Cup twice, including as part of a double with the FA Cup in 1993, plus 15 Charity/Community Shields. In Europe, Arsenal's first trophy came with the Fairs Cup (a forerunner of the UEFA Cup/Europa League) in 1970, and they claimed the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994.
7. AC Milan have won 48 trophies – Milan are second only to Real Madrid when it comes to European Cup/Champions League victories, having been crowned champions of Europe on seven occasions. Their first success in the competition came in 1963, while their most recent Champions League final victory was in 2007. Until Real's success in 2017, Milan had been the last club to successfully defend the European Cup, winning back-to-back trophies in 1989 and 1990. Additionally, they have won two Cup Winners' Cups, five UEFA Super Cups, three Intercontinental Cups and one Club World Cup. On the domestic front, Milan boast 18 Serie A titles, five Italian Cups and seven Italian Super Cups – with their most recent Supercoppa coming in 2016/17.
6. Liverpool have won 59 trophies – The most successful English club in European football, Liverpool have won five European Cups, putting them level with Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the all-time list. The Reds have also claimed three UEFA Cups and three UEFA Super Cups. On the home front, Liverpool have won 18 top flight English titles, seven FA Cups, a record eight League Cups and 15 Charity/Community Shields. The only trophies of note to elude them come on a global stage, having lost two Intercontinental Cup finals in the 1980s and the Club World Cup in 2005. They also lost the 1966 Cup Winners' Cup final to Borussia Dortmund, so cannot complete the full set of UEFA competitions.
5. Juventus have won 64 trophies – Ahead of both Inter and AC Milan, Juventus are the most successful Italian club in total number of trophies. Juve have won 34 Serie A titles, by far the most in Italy despite being stripped of two championships for match-fixing. They have also claimed 123 Italian Cups and seven Italian Super Cups. In Europe, the Old Lady has the complete set of honours: winning two European Cups, three UEFA Cups, one Cup Winners' Cup and two UEFA Super Cups. Juve have also been crowned world champions twice, winning the Intercontinental Cup in 1985 and 1996.
4. Manchester United have won 66 trophies – The Red Devils are the most successful club in England, with 20 top flight titles, including 13 in the Premier League era. United have won 12 FA Cups, five League Cups and a record 21 Charity/Community Shields. They have a full set of European honours, having won the Europa League in 2017 to add to their three European Cups/Champions Leagues, Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup. United are the only English club to win a treble of Champions League, domestic title and main domestic cup, and are the only English club to win any global titles. In 1999 they won the Intercontinental Cup and in 2008 claimed the Club World Cup.
3. Bayern Munich have won 69 trophies – The kings of German football, Bayern have won the Bundesliga title a record 28 times and the German Cup on a record 18 occasions. They also won the now defunct German League Cup six times and the German Super Cup six times. Outside Germany, Bayern boast five European Cups/Champions Leagues, including three-in-a-row in the mid-1970s. They have won every European trophy, with one Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup triumph to their name. Bayern have also won the Intercontinental Cup twice and one Club World Cup, and are the only German club to complete the treble.
2. Real Madrid have won 86 trophies – The most successful club in the history of the European Cup/Champions League, Real Madrid have won the tournament on 13 occasions, including the first five editions and seven more in the Champions League era. The Spanish giants won back-to-back UEFA Cups in the 1980s and also boast four UEFA Super Cups on their honours list. Madrid claimed the Intercontinental Cup three times and have won the Club World Cup twice, in 2014 and 2016. In Spain, they have a record 33 titles, plus 19 Spanish Cups, nine Spanish Super Cups and one victory in the defunct Spanish League Cup.
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