The history of the beautiful football game is written by triumphant clubs, but only a handful are the best in the business.
Moreover, we all know that European football titans are probably the most distinguished clubs globally and have the largest fanbases. However, not all of them have lifted the largest amount of trophies. In this article, I’ll walk you through the top 10 most successful football clubs in history.
So, without further ado, I’ll delve deeper into the trophy cabinet of the world’s most decorated football clubs.
Dear football fans, prepare yourselves because you’re in for a treat!
#10 – SL Benfica
Country: Portugal
Trophies: 82 (2 European Champion Club’s Cup trophies, 38 Primeira Liga titles, 26 Portuguese Cup trophies, 7 Portuguese League Cup trophies, and 9 Portuguese Supercup trophies)
The best soccer club and the most decorated one in Portugal is SL Benfica. They play at one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe called Estadio Luiz and compete in the Portuguese top-flight competition, Primeira Liga. Founded in 1904, this European football giant has won 82 trophies in all competitions.
Benfica won numerous domestic trophies, but the ones that stand out are the 2 European Champion Club’s Cup trophies that Benfica won in 1961 and 1962. The legend of this memorable period for “The Eagles,” Eusebio, led Benfica to wins over Barcelona in 1961 and Real Madrid in 1962.
Besides Eusebio, many elite players have played for this Portuguese club, like Rui Costa, Nuno Gomes, Angel di Maria, and Mario Coluna.
Apart from having many domestic fans, Benfica has a huge fan base with over 14 million supporters across the globe.
#9 – Bayern Munich
Country: Germany
Trophies: 83 (3 Champions League trophies, 3 European Champion Club’s Cup trophies, 2 FIFA World Cup winner trophies, 2 UEFA Supercup winner trophies, 1x UEFA Cup winner, 33x Bundesliga titles, 1x Cup Winner’s Cup winner, 20 German Cup trophies, 10 German Super Cup trophies, 2 Intercontinental Cup trophies, and 6 League Cup trophies)
The football behemoth Bayern Munich is the no.1 club in Germany that lifted the most trophies. Their home ground is the well-known Allianz Arena, and they compete in the best football league in Germany—Bundesliga. Bayern is one of Germany’s oldest clubs, founded in 1900. They’re undoubtedly the most dominant club in their country, given that they’ve won 83 trophies throughout their rich history.
In more than 120 years of the club’s existence, there’ve been many successful periods. Still, the one that stands out was from 1973-1976 when Bayern won 3 consecutive European Champion Club’s Cup trophies led by the legendary striker Gerd Muller.
Bayern Munich produced some of the best football players in history, such as Franz Beckenbauer, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Philipp Lahm, Oliver Kahn, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and many others.
Bayern’s popularity is undeniable since they have 340,000 registered fans worldwide. However, there are tens of millions of unofficial fans across the globe.
#8 – Al-Faisaly SC
Country: Jordan
Trophies: 84 ( 2 AFC Cup trophies, 35 Jordanian Pro League titles, 21 Jordanian Cup trophies, 17 Jordanian Supercup trophies, and 2 Jordanian FA Cups)
Jordan’s finest football club that lifted the most silverware out of any club in their country is Al-Faisaly SC. Established in 1932, this Jordanian club won 84 trophies since they were founded. Al-Faisaly competes in the top-tier Jordan league called the Jordanian Pro League. Their home stadium is the Amman International Stadium.
This club from Jordan isn’t just the best club in their country. They’re also one of the greatest football clubs in all of Asia. Its most important trophies are the 2 AFC Cups they won two years in a row, in 2005 and 2006.
#7 – Real Madrid
Country: Spain
Trophies: 98 (8 Champions League trophies, 6 European Champion Clubs’ Cup trophies, 5 FIFA World Cup trophies, 35 La Liga titles, 20 Spanish Cup trophies, 13 Spanish Super Cup trophies, 5 UEFA Supercups, 2 UEFA Cups, 3 Intercontinental Cups, and 1 Copa Eva Duarte trophies)
The 7th spot on the list of the most successful clubs ever goes to arguably the greatest club in the world—Real Madrid. Known as the “Galacticos,” this Spanish club was founded in 1902 and has lifted 98 trophies. They participate in the La Liga and play on one of the most renowned stadiums in the world—Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid picked up a plethora of different trophies over the years, but the pinnacle of their success is 14 European Cups. Their best eras were from 1955 until 1960, when Real Madrid won 5 European Champion Clubs’ Cup trophies in a row, led by the Puskas-Di Stefano duo. Real’s other most memorable period was from 2013-2018 when they won 4 Champions League trophies in 5 years. The best players were Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, and Marcelo.
I can’t go on without mentioning Real players who were dominant in the 2000s, such as Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, David Beckham, and many others.
Real Madrid is one of the most popular clubs on the planet, with a remarkable fan base of over 400 million supporters worldwide.
#6 – Barcelona
Country: Spain
Trophies: 104 (4 Champions League trophies, 1 European Champion Club’s Cup trophy, 3 FIFA Club World Cup trophies, 27 La Liga trophies, 31 Spanish Cup trophies, 5 UEFA Supercup trophies, 4 Cup Winner’s Cup trophies, 14 Spanish Super Cup trophies, 3 Copa Eva Duarte trophies, 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup trophies and 9 Copa Catalunya trophies)
Barcelona surpasses their closest rivals, Real Madrid, by only a couple of trophies, which makes them the most decorated club in Spain’s football history. Barca is a one-of-a-kind club, which is recognized mostly for their “tiki-taka” playing style and legendary Camp Nou stadium. Barcelona is one of the oldest clubs in Spain, founded in 1899. This Spanish football giant competes in the La Liga and has won 104 trophies.
Barca’s best era was from 2008 until 2015 when the club lifted 4 Champions League trophies and countless domestic titles and cups. The most notable players in that period were Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, and Gerard Pique.
Many football legends have played in Barcelona, such as Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Romario, Ronaldo, Ronald Koeman, Hristo Stoichkov, etc.
The Catalans have a loyal fan base of 100 million supporters worldwide.
#5 – Atletico Penarol
Country: Uruguay
Trophies: 111 (51 Primeira Division trophies, 2 Uruguay Supercup trophies, 49 various national cups, 3 Intercontinental Cup trophies, 5 Copa Libertadores, and 1 Intercontinental Champions’ Supercup)
Even though Atletico Penarol is 5th on the list of the most successful football clubs, one club in Uruguay still amassed more trophies. This Uruguayan soccer club was founded in 1891, and its home stadium is called Campeon del Siglo. Atletico Penarol competes in the Primeira Division, Uruguay’s no.1 football league. Over 130 years since the club was established, Atletico Penarol’s trophy cabinet is filled with 111 titles and cups. Moreover, since they were founded, they haven’t been relegated from the Primeira Division.
Throughout the club’s history, they’ve lifted many domestic trophies. But, the ones that stand out from the rest are winning the biggest competition in South America, Copa Libertadores, five times (1960, 1961, 1966, 1982, and 1987).
The legendary defender Elias Figueroa is the club’s best player.
#4 – Celtic
Country: Scotland
Trophies: 114 (53 Scottish Premiership titles, 41 Scottish Cup trophies, 21 Scottish League Cup trophies, and 1 European Champion Clubs’ Cup trophy)
Scotland’s second most decorated football club ever is Celtic. The club was established in 1887, and its stadium, Celtic Park, is famous for its passionate atmosphere. Celtic’s trophy haul of an impressive number of 114 trophies makes it the 4th club in the world. Although Celtic has been relegated numerous times, it has mostly competed in the Scottish Premiership league, where they won 53 titles.
Celtic’s season of dreams was 1966/67 when they won five trophies, of which the biggest one was the European Champion Clubs’ Cup.
When we talk about the best Celtic players, there are many famous names like Kenny Dalglish, Henrik Larsson, Virgil van Dijk, Neil Lennon, and Shunsuke Nakamura.
Celtic is quite a popular football club since they have approximately 9 million supporters worldwide.
#3 – Club Nacional de Football
Country: Uruguay
Trophies: 116 (49 Primeira Division titles, 2 Uruguayan Supercup trophies, 47 various domestic cups won, 3 Copa Libertadores, 3 International Cup trophies, 2 Copa Interamericana trophies, 1 Recopa Sudamericana trophies, 3 Copa Aldao trophies, 4 Copa de Honor Cousenier and 2 Tie Cup trophies)
The most successful club in Uruguay is Club Nacional de Football, which has 116 trophies. The club was established in 1899, and the Nacional’s home ground is on the Gran Parque Central. In the club’s 125-year history, they’ve lifted their domestic league trophy a record-breaking 49 times.
Besides having won so many national trophies and cups, Club Nacional de Football has also lifted 3 Copa Libertadores trophies, which is an incredible feat since there are many high-level football clubs in South America.
Club Nacional has had a fair share of high-level players, but the best of all is the striker Luis Suarez.
#2 – Rangers
Country: Scotland
Trophies: 122 ( 55 Scottish Premiership titles, 34 Scottish Cup trophies, 1 Cup Winner’s Cup trophy, 1 Scottish Challenge Cup trophy, 28 Scottish League Cup trophies, 1 Scottish Second League title, 1 Scottish Third League title, and 1 Scottish Fourth League title)
Rangers is the 2nd on the list of the most successful football clubs of all time. This Scottish football giant beats their rivals, Celtic, by having eight more trophies than them, with 122 in total. Rangers is also one of the world’s oldest football clubs, founded in 1872. They play in one of the most well-known stadiums in Great Britain—Ibrox Stadium.
The Glaswegian club has a remarkable 55 Scottish Premiership titles, beating their arch-rivals, Celtic, by only two more titles. Despite winning every domestic trophy and cup, they didn’t lift any European Cup.
Many legendary footballers like Paul Gascoigne, Brian Laudrup, and Graeme Souness have played at this Scottish club. Rangers have a loyal and proud fan base with almost 10 million supporters across the globe.
#1 – Al Ahly
Country: Egypt
Trophies: 144 (43 Egyptian Premier League titles, 38 Egyptian Cup trophies, 14 Egyptian Super Cup trophies, 11 CAF Champions League trophies, 4 African Cuper Winners’ Cups won, 8 CAF Super Cup trophies, 1 CAF Confederation Cup trophies, 1 Afro-Asian Cup of Nations trophy, 7 Sultan Husein trophies and 17 Cairo League trophies)
The most decorated football club on the planet is the Egyptian soccer titans—Al Ahly. Their fruitful history is filled with iconic moments, famous players, and an impressive number of 144 trophies. This Egyptian football club was founded in 1907. It competes in the Egyptian Premier League in one of the biggest stadiums in Africa—Cairo International Stadium.
The 43 Egyptian Premier League titles are an outstanding achievement. Still, the club is the most proud for having won the biggest competition in Africa 11 times, which is the CAF Champions League.
Al Ahly is one of Africa’s most popular football clubs and has a fan base of millions and millions of supporters.
Featured image author: Fars Media Corporation. CC BY 4.0
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