Which teams have won the Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (also known as the European Cup) is an annual club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and is attended by top-level European clubs. This is the most prestigious club tournament in Europe and in the world, because the European teams are the strongest. This is where the highest quality teams from all the continent’s top championships participate.
European Cup and Champions League
The tournament was introduced in 1955 under the name “European Cup”. It was originally a direct elimination tournament and only the champs of their leagues played. The race took on its current name in 1992, with the addition of a pre-elimination group phase, allowing multiple entrants from certain countries, not just the champions. In 1992 the name of the tournament was also changed and now it is called the “Champions League”. Currently, the strongest footballing countries can qualify 4 teams, up to 5.
In its current format, the UCL begins at the end of June with a preliminary round, three qualifying rounds and a playoff round, all played with an away visit. The top six enter the group stage, joining the 26 pre – ranked teams.
The 32 teams are divided into eight teams of four couples and play at home and away. The eight group winners and eight second-place finishers continue on to the elimination phase of the Champions League, which ends with the final game in late May or early June.
The UCL winner automatically qualifies for next year’s tournament, as well as playing the UEFA Super Cup final and participating in the FIFA World Cup tournament.
The Champions League has so far been won by 22 clubs, 12 of which have won it more than once. Real Madrid is the most successful club in the long history of the tournament, winning it 13 times, including in its first 5 seasons. Liverpool are the current UCL winners, defeating Tottenham 2-0 at the 2019 final. Spanish clubs have the highest number of titles (18), followed by England (13) and Italy (12). England has the highest number of winning teams, with five clubs winning the cup.
All Champions League winners
Champions statistics for the respective years
- Real Madrid – 13 cups (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) and 3 lost finals;
- Milan – 7 cups (1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007) and 4 lost finals;
- Liverpool – 6 cups (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019) and 3 lost finals;
- Bayern Munich – 5 cups (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013) and 5 lost finals;
- Barcelona – 5 cups (1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015) and 3 lost finals;
- Ajax – 4 cups (1971, 1972, 1973, 1995) and 2 lost finals;
- Inter – 3 cups (1964, 1965, 2010) and 2 lost finals;
- Manchester United – 3 cups (1968, 1999, 2008) and 2 lost finals;
- Juventus – 2 cups (1985, 1996) and 7 finals lost;
- Benfica – 2 cups (1961, 1962) and 5 finals lost;
- Nottingham Forest – 2 cups (1979, 1980);
- Porto – 2 cups (1987, 2004);
- Celtic – 1 cup (1967) and 1 lost final;
- Hamburger – 1 cup (1983) and 1 lost final;
- Steaua Bucharest – 1 cup (1986) and 1 lost final;
- Marseille – 1 cup (1993) and 1 lost final;
- Borussia Dortmund – 1 cup (1997) and 1 lost final;
- Chelsea – 1 cup (2012) and 1 lost final;
- Feyenoord – 1 Cup (1970);
- Aston Villa – 1 Cup (1982);
- PSV Eindhoven – 1 Cup (1988);
- Crvena Zvezda – 1 Cup (1991).
All-time leading scorers in the Champions League
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 128 goals in 169 games
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 114 goals in 141 games
- Raul Gonzalez (Spain) – 71 goals in 142 games
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland) – 64 goals in 86 games
- Karim Benzema (France) – 64 goals in 119
- Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands) – 56 goals in 73 appearances
- Thierry Henry (France) – 50 goals in 112 games
- Alfredo di Stefano (Argentina) – 49 goals in 58 games
- Andrey Shevchenko (Ukraine) – 48 goals in 100 games
5 most legendary teams in the Champions League
This tournament has seen some phenomenal squads that remain forever in the history of world football, but there are some who have been dominant for a huge amount of time. Here, Betinum selects the five teams that had legendary teams over several periods of history.
Of course, this is a purely individual choice and we are fully aware that everyone would have their own views. We have not deliberately sorted them by who is the best, because their successes are at different times and achieved under different conditions, so they cannot be compared.
Real Madrid
Two of Real Madrid’s legendary squads remain one of the greatest in the history of the Champions League. 1st is the one who has won 5 times in a row the European Cup and in the first 5 editions of the tournament between 1955 and 1960. The legends of those teams were Puskas, Copa, Gento, Santamaria, Del Sol, but the absolute superstar is Alfredo Di Stefano.
It’s hard not to mention “Galacticos” at the beginning of the new century and players like Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, Raul, Carlos, etc., but as accomplishments the Los Blancos stars between 2014 and 2018 no doubt remain as the strongest Real Madrid team ever seen at all. Why? Because for 5 years they won the tournament 4 times.
It is an achievement that is almost impossible to win in the near future, and perhaps even in the distant future. The key figures in these successes were Ramos, Marcelo, Kroos, Bale, Pepe, Modric and the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo.
Milan
Books have been written for the Milan teams, but they do not have very long periods of dominance and claiming title after title in the Champions League. Their successes are periodic, but very constant.
However, we are going to pay attention to a truly legendary team that did not record as many successes while it could easily take at least 4 Cups from the Champions League, but only took one at the end. It is about this squad of Milan between 2003 and 2007. In 2005 Milan played with Liverpool in the final. It is by many the biggest final ever in the history of the tournament. Unfortunately for the Rossoneri, however, they did not win their match against Liverpool.
The reason is that Milan led 3-0 at halftime and literally crushed the British, who were not so good then, but their spirit, some tactical changes, captain Gerard and the fans played a huge role in the comeback.
The Milan team then had only legends that remain in history as such. Here are the eleven of the Rossoneri from that Champions League final – Dida, Cafu, Stam, Nesta, Maldini, Gatusso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Kaka, Crespo and Shevchenko, and the coach is Carlo Ancelotti.
However, just two years later, in 2007, Milan took their 7th European Cup, taking revenge on Liverpool and defeating them 2-1 in the Champions League final.
Liverpool
Liverpool teams will be remembered for their phenomenal dominance in the late 70’s and early 80’s until 1985, when it was over. Then the Reds play their final with Juventus with Platini in the opponent team. The final in Heysel in Belgium becomes a huge tragedy in which 39 people die.
Then the Old Lady wins 1-0 Liverpool after a non-existent penalty and probably the final should not have been played at all, but in the end it happens, and Liverpool and all English teams are banned from participating in the Euro tournaments for 5 years.
This decision was made because it is believed that the English fans have created a stir, which causes clashes and chaos.
This marks the end of the dominance of that legendary Liverpool team in Europe, but before 1977 until 1985 he has been a factor every season in the tournament and has won it 4 times.
Emblematic players have since remained Phil Neal, Alan Hansen, Steve Highway, Graham Souness, David Fairclough, Ray Clemens, Steve Nicol, Ronnie Whelan, Sammy Lee, Ray Kennedy, Terry McDermott, Mark Lawrence, Phil Thompson, and Alan Kennedy and by no doubt the biggest names for then – Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish.
Jurgen Klopp’s 2018 team to this day is also exceptional, but for now there is one Champions League cup and we are yet to see where it goes.
Barcelona
The era of Messi, Guardiola, Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta. Barcelona had perhaps the greatest team ever seen in the history of the Champions League as a football style between 2009 and 2011, when it was their peak.
In 2006. with Frank Rijkaard with players such as Deco, Ronaldinho, Puyol, Xavi, Mota, Iniesta, van Bronckhorst and Messi winning the 2nd Champions League Cup for Barcelona.
After the arrival of Guardiola, however, and the introduction of tiki-takai, not only Barcelona but Spain as a national team dominated the world and created something great. Barca took the cup 2 more times by 2011, and in 2015. They won the tournament with Luis Enrique as coach and the deadly trio on the attack – Messi, Suarez and Neymar also known as MSN.
Ajax
The reason why Ajax is one of the biggest teams in the world is not only because of their unique academy. In fact, it created an ingenious team in the early 1970s. Then Rinus Michels introduces total football.
The tactic of total football is that each player can replace another on the pitch with the exception of the goalkeeper. Accordingly, one team can attack and defend up to 10 people at a time. Implementing such tactics requires incredible physical training as well as the ability of each player to play as an attacker or defender.
This is due to the Ajax team, which was full of stars and played in a 4-3-3 formation. The biggest players on the team are legends such as Piet Keizer, Johan Neeskens and Johan Cruyff, who later developed his ideas in Barcelona. That Ajax team won 3 times in a row the European Cup and remains in the golden history of the tournament.
After Ajax’s dominance and their three consecutive cups came Bayern, who in turn also won the tournament 3 times in a row and would no doubt enter this rankings easily. The same is true of the Milan team with Sacchi since the late 1980s, but as we wrote above, the ranking is purely subjective.