FA Cup or the Football Association Challenge Cup is one of the oldest football tournaments in the world. Perhaps, it is the oldest national football competition in the world. In this rich history of the FA Cup, there have been several winners starting from 1871-72, the first season of the competition. More than 700 clubs from all around England compete in the league which makes it one of the toughest to win. Arsenal is the most successful team in the history of the FA Cup. They are top on the FA Cup winners list with 14 FA Cup titles. Arsene Wenger is the most successful club manager in the FA Cup history with 7 titles as a manager.

History of the FA Cup

One can imagine a competition that started in 1871-72 and continued will have a rich history. As per the FA Cup historian David Barber, on 20 July 1871 the then secretary of the Football Association Charles W. Alcock, proposed that there should be a competition where every team associated with the association would compete.

"That it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete."

Charles W. Alcock, the then secretary of the Football Association

The first match of the FA Cup took place on 11 November 1871 while the final was played on 16 March 1872 at Kennington Oval. Wanderers FC won the first-ever FA Cup title which had Alcock as a player as well. Therefore, Alcock became one of the first ever to lift the prestigious trophy.

Wanderers won 5 of the first 7 finals before clubs like Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and West Bromwich Albion started winning the competition in the last 1800s. Rovers also made a hat-trick of winning the Cup in 1883-84, 1884-85 and 1885-1886. The competition became the ball of the eye for the football fans around England and clubs too.

The Stolen Trophy

In 1895, after Aston Villa had won the FA Cup, the original FA Cup trophy was stolen from a Birmingham shoe shop window. The trophy belonged to William Shillcock of Aston Villa. The thief was not found by the investigation until after 60 years the thief himself accepted his crime. Henry (Harry) James Burge had made that crime. Moreover, he was sent to jail for nearly 50 years for his past crimes as well.

The Non-English Winner

Cardiff City are the only non-English team to win the FA Cup Title. They won it in 1927 against Arsenal.

The League Structure

The FA Cup has the biggest league structure. All of the 92 Premier League Clubs play the FA Cup. Along with them teams from the bottom level also take part in the competition. The FA Cup has 13 rounds of qualification. The lower-level teams play the first rounds of qualification and then teams with higher levels join them.

In 2021, after winning the FA Cup for the first time with Leicester City, Jamie Verdy became the first player to play in the all-qualifying round of the competition.

Read Also: Manchester City vs Manchester United FA Cup 2023-24 Final Highlights | The Red Devils win the FA Cup by defeating Man City 2-1 and qualify for Europe next season

The "Giant Killing Victory"

The FA Cup is known for the upsets created by the lower-level clubs. It is seen that nearly there is a 99% chance that a club from the lower level would beat the team one higher level every season.

If you take the example of Bradford City beating Chelsea FC in the sixth round of the FA Cup in 2015.

There's nothing like an old-fashioned cup tie, and there's nothing which draws us together as one footballing nation like the Football Association's Challenge Cup.

FA Cup historian David Barber.

10 Most FA Cup Winners List

In total 44 different teams have won the FA Cup. Wanderers FC was the first-ever team to enter the FA Cup winners list while Leicester City is the most recent one. Cardiff City is the only non-English team to feature in the FA Cup winners list. However, they do not feature in the Top 10 Most FA Cup Winners List.

#1 Arsenal Football Club- 14 FA Cup Titles

Famously known as the "Gunners", Arsenal is among the "Big Six" of English Football. A club formed by the workers of the Woolwich factory participated in the FA Cup tournament in 1889/90 with the name of Dial Square. However, they changed their name to "Royal Arsenal" later. After the name kept on changing on many occasions. However, the club and fans stayed with "Arsenal".

They are the team with the most FA Cup Titles. They have won it 14 times. Arsenal won their first-ever FA Cup in 1930 beating Huddersfield Town 2-0. After that, the ball went rolling as they won the trophy another 1936 beating Sheffield United 1-0. However, they did play another final in between those years against Newcastle United in 1932 but lost 2-1.

Their glory time came back in the early 2000s as they were the invincible team in English football. Perhaps, they had the longest winning streak in football with 49 games from 2003-2005. After winning the FA Cup again in 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993 and 1998, they made a hat-trick in the FA Cup.

Arsenal won the cup for consecutive three years in 2001, 2002 and 2003 beating Liverpool, Chelsea and Southampton respectively. Later they also won it in 2005 beating Manchester United in the penalty shoot-outs. The Gunners again proved the FA Cup as their home when they won it in 2014, 2015, and 2017. Their latest FA Cup success came in 2020 when they beat Chelsea 2-1. Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez were the stars for the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger won 7 FA Cup titles with Arsenal, which is the most by any manager in the history of the competition.

Read Also: 5 memorable performances by Indian football teams in Asian competitions

#2 Manchester United - 13 FA Cup Titles

The Red Devils of English Football are one of the most successful clubs in the history of Football. So, it so not surprising that they are also on the top part of the FA Cup Winners List. United have won the FA Cup 13 times.

Made by the workers of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company in the year 1878, the team was originally named Newton Heath L&YR Football Club. But, as the team's ownership was handed over few businessmen, the club name was changed. They named the club "Manchester United" in 1902.

Manchester United had to wait till 1909 to play their first-ever FA Cup final. But, they did not disappoint their fans as they won the trophy in their first final. They beat Bristol City 1-0.

But, after that, they had to wait long for their FA Cup glory. In 1948 they beat Blackpool 4-2 in their second FA Cup final. In 1957 and 1958 United lost two consecutive finals against  Aston Villa and  Bolton Wanderers respectively. However, in 1963, Manchester won against Leicester City by a 3-0 margin.

Read Also: FA Cup winners list: Since the beginning to most recent winner

The 1990s dominance

The 1976 final was special as it was the last time when the queen presented the FA Cup to the winners. However, United could not make that special as they lost to Southampton 1-0. However, they redeemed their pride as they won the trophy the next year in 1977 beating Liverpool 2-0. Manchester United won the trophy again in 1983 and 1985. In 1985, Kevin Moran became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup final. In the 1990s they won the trophy 4 times in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1999. Post-2000s Manchester United did not have that much success winning the cup.

Read Also: Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History

#3 Chelsea Football Club - 8 FA Cup Titles

Chelsea or the "Blues" is the only British club to win all three major UEFA trophies: The Cup Winners' Cup, the Champions League, and the Europa League. Regarded as one of the most successful clubs in recent years, Chelsea was never considered a consistent team. In 1905 the club was formed by the businessman Gus Mears, who had bought Stamford Bridge Stadium to rent a club.

The club had won nothing in their first five decades of existence. However, they were very popular among the fans as they were the first team to have more than 40000 attendance in league games. Chelsea won their first FA Cup in 1970 beating the then-biggest club Leeds United. The final was replayed as they beat Leeds 2-0. That final is still the second most-viewed match on television in the UK with 28 million viewers.

Chelsea had to wait more than 25 years to win their next FA Cup. They won it in 1997 beating Middlesbrough 2-0. Despite their not-so-great first century, Chelsea is on the top three of our FA Cup winners list only because of their fabulous 2000s.

From 2000 to 2020 Chelsea managed to play 9 FA Cup finals. Not only that they also won the six of them. Chelsea won the FA Cup in 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2018. Thus making them one of the most successful British clubs in recent years. The 2018 FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United was the first Final to use a video assistant referee (VAR). Post that they lost three consecutive finals in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Read Also: Top 10 highest scoring midfielders in the 21st century: Football facts

#4 Tottenham Hotspur- 8 FA Cup Titles

Next on our FA Cup Winners List is Tottenham Hotspur with 8 FA Cup titles against their name. "Spurs" is another team from the "Big Six" that is on the list.

Tottenham Hotspur was founded in 1882 by some grammar-school boys from All Hallows Church. They were first named the Hotspur but soon changed the name to avoid confusion with Hotspur FC. The 'Spurs' are considered the Cup specialist.

In 1901 they became the first non-league club to win the FA Cup. They defeated Sheffield United 3-1 in the final. But they had to wait until 1921 to win their second FA Cup. They won it by defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0. It was the 1960s that proved very successful for the Spurs. They won two consecutive FA Cups in 1961 and 1962 beating Leicester City and Burnley respectively. The Spurs won the trophy again in 1967 to make the 1960s a remarkable decade.

Tottenham had another good run in the competition in 1981 and 1982. In 1981 they defeated Manchester City 3-2 and in 1982 they defeated Queens Park Rangers 1-0. Both the matches were replayed matches as the first ones were a draw.

Tottenham has the highest win % in FA Cup finals winning 8 out of 9 finals that they played. They only lost to Coventry City in 1987 by a 3-2 margin. This was also the last time they had played the FA Cup final.

#5 Liverpool Football Club- 8 FA Cup Titles

Liverpool is the most successful British club along with Manchester United. The club was founded by John Houlding in 1892 after he parted ways with Everton FC.

Liverpool always had a great reputation for winning big competitions and their fan culture. However, it's their fan culture that made them see two of the most tragic stadium accidents in Football history. The Heysel and Hillsborough accident is one of the darkest days for Liverpool Football Club.

The club lost their first two FA Cup finals against Burnley and Arsenal in 1914 and 1950 respectively. In 1965 they beat Leeds United 2-1 in their first-ever FA Cup title. Then they won it in 1974 beating Newcastle United 3-0.

As the British clubs were banned from the European Leagues for five years after the Heysel accident, Liverpool focused on domestic competitions. They won the FA Cup in 1986 and 1989 defeating Everton twice. After that, they had successful FA Cup campaigns in 1992, 2001, and 2006.

The 2006 FA Cup final was one of the most dramatic ones. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard scored an equalizer to secure a penalty shootout which they won 3-1 against West Ham. Their recent FA Cup success happened this season in 2022. Jurgen Klopp became the first German coach to win the FA Cup. Meanwhile, Henderson became the first Liverpool captain to win all the trophies that can be won by a Liverpool player.

Read Also: Most Premier League Titles by English Clubs: Premier League 2021

#6 Aston Villa- 7 FA Cup Titles

Aston Villa is one of the oldest British clubs. It was founded by four cricket players associated with the Birmingham church in 1874. The cricket players founded the football club just to find something to do in the winter.

Villa is the founder member of The Football League and they were also the founder member of the Premier League.

Aston Villa won their first FA Cup in 1887 against West Bromwich Albion. They defeated them by a 2-0 margin. But, West Bromwich Albion took revenge as they were beaten by them in the 1890 FA Cup final. However, Villa managed to win their second FA Cup in 1895 as the rivalry against West Bromwich Albion continued. In 1897 they won the trophy winning the final against Everton 3-2. Fred Wheldon was the top scorer for the season for them with 22 goals.

Before the First World War stopped the competition, Villa won the FA Cup in 1905 and 1913 beating Newcastle United and Sunderland respectively.

In 1920 they beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 to win their 5th FA Cup title. Then, they won it in 1957 against Manchester United in the final. Post that they managed to play two FA Cup finals in 2000 and 2015 but were beaten by Chelsea and Arsenal receptively.

#7 Manchester City - 7 FA Cup Titles

Manchester City just like their arch-rivals Manchester United is one of the biggest British clubs. Though the club has seen more lows than highs their rich history in prime days makes them the club they are today.

City, the winner of the 2020-21 Premier League was formed in 1880 by Arthur Connell (the rector of St Mark's Church) and his daughter, Anna Connell. Their previous names were Gorton FC and Ardwick AFC. But in 1894 they changed their name to Manchester City.

Read Also: Most Premier League Titles by "Big Six"

City won their first FA Cup in 1904 against Bolton Wanderers. However, they were humiliated by the Bury in 1903 in the second-biggest loss in FA Cup history. In 1934 they defeated Portsmouth 2-1 to win their second FA Cup title. However, in 1955 they lost to Newcastle United but won the final in 1956 against Birmingham City by a 3-1 margin.

Leicester City was found to be easy opposition for them in 1969 as they won against them 1-0 for their fourth FA Cup title. City fans had to wait nearly 42 years for their next FA Cup glory. In 2011 they beat Stoke City 1-0 to win their major trophy in 35 years.

However, their glory could not last long as they were beaten by Wigan Athletic Club which was one of the biggest upsets of FA Cup history in 2013. City though managed to get back their reputation in 2019 as they defeated Watford 6-0 for the biggest winning margin in the FA Cup final. They won their last FA Cup title in the 2022-23 season, beating their arch-rivals Manchester United by 2-1.

#8 New Castle United- 6 FA Cup titles

The Black and Gold Brigade was formed in the year 1892. The west end's struggle in the league made them join with the much stronger East end of New Castle City. On Friday 9th December 1892, East End became Newcastle United.

New Castle lost their first three FA Cup finals. In 1905 they lost to Aston Villa and in 1906 they lost to Everton, while in 1908 they lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The hearts were broken of all the New Castle fans. However, they did manage to win the trophy in 1910 against Barnsley with a 2-0 victory over them in a replayed match.

Again in 1911 they played the finals but lost against Bradford City 0-1. This was the only time Bradford won the FA Cup in their history. Then, in 1924 they beat Aston Villa 2-0 to win their second FA Cup. 1932 was another good year for them as they beat Arsenal 2-1 to win their third of the competition.

The 1950s happened to great decade for the New Castle team as they won three FA Cup titles in that decade. They won it in 1951, 1952, and 1955. They defeated Blackpool. Arsenal, and Manchester City respectively in those years.

Till then they have managed to play in three FA Cup finals but haven't managed to win any of them. In 1974 they lost to Liverpool while in 1998 and 1999 they lost to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.

#9 Blackburn Rovers- 6 FA Cup Titles

Rovers is one of the oldest clubs in British Football. They were one of the biggest clubs in the earlier years of English football. However, with the rise of more professional clubs, they could not catch up with modern football.

Blackburn Rovers was established by Arthur Constantine and John Lewis in 1875. They were also the founding members of the Football League in 1888. Ewood Park is their home since 1890.

Blackburn found their first taste of success in the FA Cup by winning it in 1882 by beating Old Etonians 1-0. After that, they made a hat-trick of FA Cup in 1884, 1885 and 1886. They beat  Queens Park twice and West Bromwich Albion once in that period.

In 1890 and 1891 they won their next two FA Cup titles against Sheffield Wednesday and Notts County respectively. Since then they managed to win only one more FA Cup in 1928 beating Huddersfield Town by 3-1.

In 1960 they played their last FA Cup final against Wolverhampton Wanderers. But, they did not manage to win that final as they lost by a 3-0 margin.

#10 Everton Football Club- 5 FA Cup titles

Founded in 1878, Everton's original name was St. Domingo's FC. Later they changed their name to Everton FC in 1880. The rich history of the club starts in the 1890s as they started to taste their first major glories.

Everton won their first two FA Cups in 1906 defeating Newcastle United by 1-0. But before that, they had lost two finals in 1893 and 1897 against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa respectively.

They were back in British Football's top flight as Dixie Dean, their record goalscorer joined them in 1925. In 1933 they beat Manchester United for their second FA Cup Title. After that, in 1966 they beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 to win their third title.

Everton won their next two FA Cup titles in 1984 and 1995 against Watford and  Manchester United respectively. The last time they had played a FA Cup final was in 2009 against Chelsea. Louis Saha of Everton scored the fastest goal in a final in just 25 seconds of the match.

This is the Top 10 FA Cup Winners List. If you found our detailed work informative, share it with others.

On June 4, 2025, what was meant to be a joyous celebration of Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) IPL victory turned into a horrific tragedy outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. A stampede occurred amidst massive crowds attempting to gain entry for the victory festivities, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals and leaving numerous others injured.

The incident prompted immediate outrage and questions regarding crowd management, event planning, and accountability. Police subsequently filed an FIR against RCB, the event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), alleging various offenses including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and criminal negligence. Several individuals, including RCB's marketing head, were arrested in connection with the case.

Legal Challenges and Court Observations

In response to the criminal case, Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL), the entity managing RCB, along with DNA Entertainment Networks and some of their officials, have approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the FIRs. Their petitions contend that they have been falsely implicated and that the incident was not a result of their direct actions.

The petitions are being heard by Justice SR Krishna Kumar. During recent hearings, Justice Kumar has made observations, noting that it is "premature" to definitively conclude that RCB's social media posts inviting the public were the sole or primary trigger for the stampede.

The court has also urged the State not to make further arrests of RCB or DNA officials until the next hearing, signifying a cautious approach to the ongoing legal proceedings.

The State, however, has argued that RCB's invitations led to an uncontrolled gathering, far exceeding the stadium's capacity, contributing to the chaos. The investigation is ongoing, with a Special Investigation Team formed to probe the circumstances.

Many great players have taken the football pitch and left the fans in awe. However, only a few players have gone on to win various trophies in their careers. In this special article, we will take a look at an elite list of players who have won the most trophies in football as a player. 

Argentine football star Lionel Messi is the player with most trophies in football history. In his career so far, with club and country, he has won 46 major trophies. Moreover, he is one of the very few players to win FIFA World Cup. Ballon d'Or, and UEFA Champions League in his career. 

But, yes, the below list only counts the major trophies won with teams and only only individual awards. We wanted to be clear with that at the start. With this list of "11 players who have won the most trophies in football history," we will able to judge which player has been a part of a winning team mostly. 

Though, it is not always the case that when you win a trophy, you have a big role to play in that. But, in this list, all the players listed always had big contributions to their team's success. So, without further a due, let's checkout the list. 

Top 11 players with the most trophies in football:

11. Vitor Baia (34 trophies)

Vitor Baia spent most of his career with FC Porto except playing two years for Barcelona. Baia started his career with FC Porto in 1988 and left the club to join Barcelona in 1996. 

Before retiring in 2007, he played for Barcelona in two stints and won the La Liga in 1997-98 season. His most success came his boyhood club FC Porto, where he won the Liga Portugal 10 times.

However, the biggest achievement was to win the UEFA Champions League in 2004 with the Dragons. Under the visionary eyes of Jose Mourinho, they created one of the greatest underdog success stories in European football.

In a total, Baia won 25 trophies with the Porto while adding the rest to his collection of glories for Barcelona. Unfortunately, he was not able to add any trophy while playing for Portugal.

10. Kenny Dalglish (34 trophies)

Scottish legend Sir Kenny Dalglish is Liverpool's one of the most legendary players. Apart from playing 13 years for the Reds, he played for Celtic for 8 years at the start of his career.

For Liverpool FC, he won a club record 8 Premier League titles along with three Champions League titles. He had won 7 English Super Cups and 2 FA Cup titles as well.

While playing for Celtic, he became the Scottish Champion four times.

9. Angel di Maria (35 trophies)

One of the most underrated players in modern football history, Di Maria always had to shine under the shadows of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Di Maria played alongside Lionel Messi for Argentina and then shared club dressing room with Cristiano at Real Madrid.

With his latest trophy for Benfica in the Portuguese Super Cup, he now has won 35 trophies in his career. Di Maria won five Ligue 1 titles with PSG and won his only Champions League title with Real Madrid.

Read Also | Football facts: 10 players who have played most games with Lionel Messi

However, just like Lionel Messi, his international success bloomed late in his career. He won the Copa America twice in 2021 and 2024. But, his major success was to win the FIFA World Cup 2022, where he scored an important in the final.

Di Maria retired from international football after the 2024 Copa America final.

8. Cristiano Ronaldo (36 trophies)

Arguably one of the greatest players in the history of football, Cristiano Ronaldo has 36 trophies in his cabinet at the moment. The Portuguese legend won his latest trophy for Portugal, as he lifted the UEFA Nations League 2025 for his country.

Ronaldo, who started his club career with Sporting CP, won the Portuguese Super Cup with the club in 2003. That was the start to a historical career which gave football fans joy for over two decades.

Read Also: Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History (Updated)

The Portuguese legend flourished under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. He then joined Real Madrid, where he won four of his five UEFA Champions League titles. Ronaldo has won a title for every club he has played for so far.

However, one of his biggest achievements as a player was to win the UEFA European Cup with Portugal in 2016. Besides scoring over 900 career goals, Ronaldo's success for every team is what makes him a legend.

7. Ryan Giggs (37 trophies)

Ryan Giggs played all his life for one football club; Manchester United. In his 24-year career at the club, he won a total of 37 trophies, a record for the club.

Not only that, with 13 Premier League titles, he is league's most successful player ever. With the Red Devils, he also went on to win two UEFA Champions League title.

For United, he played 963 games and has 168 goals and 265 assists, another record for United.

6. Sergio Busquets (38 Trophies)

Sergio Busquets, the FC Barcelona and Spain legend is one of the most underrated players ever to play. The central defender was part of one of the greatest international team which won 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2010 Euros for Spain.

Read Also: Barcelona team that won "EVERYTHING" in 2009: Busquets to leave as the last man of that team

The former Barcelona captain won 9 La Liga titles. Not only that, he won 7 Spanish Cups and Spanish Super Cups as well for the Catalan club.

However, his biggest achievement in club football was to win three UCL titles for Barcelona. His latest trophy is the 2024 Supporters’ Shield winners with Inter Miami CF.

5. Maxwell (38 trophies)

Maxwell, the Brazilian left back might be the only unknown player on this list. The defender achieved most of his success playing for PSG in France.

However, he found success with FC Barcelona as well. But, joined PSG to find more chances as well.

Maxwell's first trophy was with Cruzeiro, winning the Brazilian Cup in 2000. Soon the joined Ajax, wining two Dutch League titles.

His move to Barcelona via Inter Milan and FC Empoli saw him winning the UEFA Champions League title in 2011. But his most success came with PSG, winning the Ligue 1 four times in a row from 2013 to 2016.

Read Also: Messi vs Ronaldo: The hat-trick battle

4. Gerard Pique (39 trophies)

Another player from that legendary Spanish and Barcelona team, who features in this list. Although known for his career at FC Barcelona, Gerard Pique had success with Manchester United as well.

It might be quite revealing for many that, he played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, against whom he had some tough battles later.

Read Also | Reliving Barcelona's Golden Era: A Tribute to Footballing Brilliance

Pique won 9 La Liga titles for Barcelona to go with 3 UCL titles for the club. But before reaching there he had won the Premier League and Champions League for United in the 2007-08 season.

He was also an integral part of the Spanish team which won the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and UEFA Euro in 2012.

3. Andres Iniesta (39 trophies)

Probably the best midfielder of the modern era, Andres Iniesta with 41 trophies is the third most successful footballer ever.

Another important player of that iconic Spanish and Barcelona team, Iniesta found success early in his career. He won his first major trophy with Spain U-17 team winning the U-17 Euros in 2000. He followed that up with the U-19 Euro title next year.

His Barcelona career started in 2002 which continued till 2018. In those 17 year at Barcelona, he won 32 trophies. Post that, he joined Japanese club Viseel Kobe where he won three trophies as well.

Read Also | Andres Iniesta: Who has won the most trophies for FC Barcelona?

Along with all club level success, Iniesta's greatest achievement was to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup alongside lifting the 2008 and 2012 Euro Cup. His goal in the 2010 World Cup final to hand Spain their first-ever World Cup, is regarded as one of the greatest World Cup moments.

Iniesta called it a day in 2024 after spending a year at the Emirates Club. 

2. Dani Alves (43 trophies)

Before Lionel Messi took over as the player with most trophies in football history, it was Dani Alves who had the record. The defender won 23 trophies in eight years at Barcelona.

Dani Alves won six La Liga and three Champions League titles with Barcelona. He then won 19 more titles while playing for Juventus, PSG, and Sao Paulo. He won domestic titles in Italy, France, Brazil and Spain as, which makes him one of the greatest of his era.

Read Also: All the FIFA World Cup winners and runners-up since 1930

The defender won six major titles with his national team, Brazil. He started his Brazil career by winning the U-20 FIFA World Cup in 2003. Alves then won two Copa America titles in 2007 and 2019. He concluded his international career by winning the Olympic gold in 2021.

Despite the recent off-field controversies, with 43 trophies in his cabinet, Dani Alves is one of the greatest ever to play the game.

1. Lionel Messi (46 trophies)

Leo Messi is the player with the most trophies in football history. With his latest triumph at the 2024 Supporters’ Shield winners, the magician from Argentina won his 46th trophy in his career.

Messi won back-to-back four international trophies with Argentina within three years. He won the Copa America 2021 and then went on to win the Finalissima 2022. Then he capped off his greatest achievement by winning FIFA World Cup 2022.

The Argentine maestro has also won the Olympic Gold Medal with his country in 2008. His latest international success came in Copa America 2024.

In club football history, Messi is the most successful player with 41 club trophies to his name. He started his career with his boyhood club Barcelona and played 18 seasons for the club, scoring a record 672 goals.

Read Also | Top 10 La Masia Graduates who ruled football

The 8-time Ballon d'Or winner won four Champions League titles with Barcelona. Alongside European success, he won 10 La Liga titles as well, most for Barcelona. He has also won Spanish Cup seven times.

After his great stint at Barcelona, Messi went to the French League to play for PSG. However, he was unable to bring the UCL to the French giant, he won the French League with them. In addition, he won the French Super Cup for the season 2022-23 with PSG.

Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest football players and goal scorers ever, has won 36 trophies in his senior career so far. The Portuguese legend is among the top 10 football players with the most trophies in history as well. 

Ronaldo, till now, has won 17 different trophies in his career, and among them, two are with his country, Portugal. Today, in this article, we will discuss every single trophy Cristiano Ronaldo has won in his career.

Read Also | 11 players who have won the most trophies in football history

Cristiano Ronaldo's international trophy cabinet

Ronaldo got the taste of winning a trophy with Portugal on only three occasions so far. In the historic and emotional 2016 European Championship, he was able to lift the trophy, despite being sidelined for the most amount of time due to a knee injury in the final. 

Éder's lone goal helped Portugal lift the EURO 2016 and Ronaldo lift his first international trophy with Portugal.

Read Also | Greatest Premier League XI Ever: Rooney, Ronaldo or Salah?

Ronaldo's second international trophy came three years after that European success. In the UEFA Nations League 2019 final, Goncalo Guedes scored the lone goal for Portugal against the Netherlands to lift the inaugural Nations League title.

Ronaldo then became the oldest player to score in a Nations League final as Portugal won their second UEFA Nations League in 2025, becoming the first team to do so. They defeated Spain in the penalties to win the title.

Cristiano Ronaldo's club trophies

One of the most successful players ever, Cristiano Ronaldo, won trophies across three major European Leagues. He won his first-ever trophy in 2003, with Sporting CP, by lifting the Portuguese Super Cup. 

His winning momentum then reached a great high at Manchester United as he went on to win 3 Premier League titles, 1 UEFA Champions League title, 2 English League Cups, 1 English Super Cup, the FA Cup and FIFA Club World Cup for the Red Devils.

But, Ronaldo's success reached its peak when he joined Real Madrid for then a record fee of €94 million. With Real Madrid, Ronaldo won another four Champions League titles, which made him one of the most successful players in the tournament's history.

Read Also | Players with the most champions league titles 

Not only that, he also went on to win 2 La Liga titles, 3 FIFA Club World Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups and two Spanish Cups and Spanish Super Cups. 

However, Ronaldo did not stop there as he went on to conquer Italy with Juventus. With Juventus, Ronaldo won 2 Serie A titles, 2 Italian Super Cups and one Italian Cup. 

In all, Ronaldo till now has won 33 club trophies in his career. His last club trophy came with Al-Nassr when he won the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023.

Read Also | Statistical Overlook of Messi vs Ronaldo Debate: Who Is the G.O.A.T?

Every single trophy Cristiano Ronaldo has won in his career

In football, a team wins a treble when they win three major trophies in a single season. Winning the continental treble means winning the premier national league competition, the main national cup competition, and the main continental trophy, for UEFA, which is the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League.

Though winning the Europa League is also considered a treble, it is not accepted wholeheartedly by the pundits and fans as winning the UEFA Champions League. 

Till now, 9 European clubs have been able to win the continental treble. Before we discuss all the European treble winners in men's football history, we must know about the types of Trebles we have in football. 

Barcelona is the only club to win multiple trebles with both their men's and women's team, completing the feat in 2024.

Continental treble

This is considered the actual treble in football where a team go on to win the national league, national cup competition and the main continental trophy. Celtic Football Club in 1966-67 became the first team in football history to win a Continental treble. Till now, 22 men's teams have won the Continental Treble, with 30 being the total number of times. In Europe, only 8 football teams have been able to accomplish the feat.

Domestic treble

Generally, for most of the footballing nations, winning a domestic treble is not possible since they do not allow first-division teams to win any secondary cup or league. A domestic treble includes winning three national competitions, including the national league title, the national cup competition, and one secondary competition. Countries which were under British or French possessions once allowed domestic trebles to happen. Celtic with 8 domestic trebles, and Rangers, with 7, are the most successful teams when it comes to winning domestic trebles.

European treble winners in men's football history

1. Celtic | 1966-67

In the 1966-67 season, Celtic became the first team ever to win the continental treble when they won the Scottish Football League, Scottish Cup and European Cup (UEFA Champions League now).

Celtic with 58 points in the Scottish Football League went past Rangers to clinch the national league. In the Scottish Cup, they defeated Aberdeen Football Club by 2-0 in the final to win the trophy. William Wallace was the goalscorer for them in the final. 

In the European Cup, Celtic defeated Inter Milan by 2-1 in Lisbon to become the first-ever Treble winner in football history. Thomas Gemmell and Thomas Chalmers were the scorers for Cletic that day.

2. 1971-72 | Ajax

Ajax, the football club from the Netherlands became the second European team to win the treble in the 1971-72 season. They won the Eredivisie, their national league and then won the KNVB Cup and later on won the European Cup to complete their treble. That season, Ajax were nearly the invincible team losing just one game in the whole season. 

Here are all the teams which went unbeaten in a whole football season. 

In the Eredivisie, Johan Cruyff became their top goal scorer with 25 goals. Ajax with 63 points, 8 points cleared Feijenoord in the second position. In the KNVB Cup, they defeated FC Den Haag in the final by 3-2 to win the cup. Cruyff had scored the opener in that game also and scored three goals in the tournament. 

In the European Cup, they defeated Inter Milan by 2-0 with Johan Cruyff scoring a brace for them. In all together Cruyff had scored 33 goals for them that season in the three tournaments.

3. 1987-1988 | PSV

In the 1987-88 season, PSV became the second team from the Netherlands to win the historical treble. That season they won the Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup and the European Cup. They won their 10th Eredivisie title with 59 points, 9 points clear of Ajax in the league table. Wim Kieft scored 29 goals in that season for PSV in the league. 

In the KNVB Cup final they defeated Roda JC by 3-2 in the extra time. Then, they went on to win the European Cup by defeating Benfica in the final by a 6-5 penalty shootout. Ronald Koeman came out as one of the standout performers for PSV that season. 

Know about defenders with most UEFA Champions League goals.

4. 1998-99 | Manchester United

It took 11 more years for any team to win the European Treble and Manchester United became the first team from England to achieve that feat. United, under  Sir Alex Ferguson won the Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League after not winning any trophies in the previous season. The treble is regarded as the achievement in his career, and he was awarded the knighthood in November 1999 after that success. 

They won the Premier League with 79 points, 1 point more than Arsenal. Dwight Yorke with 18 goals was their and League's joint-highest goal scorer in that season. In the FA Cup, despite facing difficult opponents throughout the tournament, Ferguson's men kept on fighting back, and after two semi-final replays against Arsenal and a final against Newcastle United, they won the FA Cup. Paul Scholes and Teddy Sheringham scored for them in a 2-0 win in the final.

Read about teams with the most Premier League titles. 

In the Champions League, they were drawn into the group of death alongside FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Brondby. They qualified for the knockouts as the runner-up from the group and defeated Inter Milan and Juventus in the quarter and semi-finals, respectively, before beating FC Bayern Munich in a historic comeback in the final. In front of 91000 people in Barcelona, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored in the added minutes to hand Manchester United a terrific 2-1 win over Bayern.

Do you know which team won the FA Cup most number of times?

5. 2008-2009 | Barcelona

FC Barcelona in the 2008-09 season became the first Spanish team to win the European Treble. Under their former captain, and Barcelona B coach Pep Guardiola, the Spanish giants reached their peak in that season winning the La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. They are still the only Spanish team to win the European Treble. 

After selling players like Deco and Ronaldinho, Barcelona started to reorganise their shape as a club and Lionel Messi alongside Samuel Eto'o became their hero at the front. They won La Liga with 87 points, 9 points clear of Real Madrid. Samuel Eto'o with 30 goals in the league was their top scorer. 

In the Copa del Rey final, they defeated Athletic Bilbao by 4-1 as Yaya Toure, Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Bojan scored for them after conceding an early goal. 

In the 2008-09 Champions League, Barcelona had to clear the qualifying round first to enter the group stage. They defeated Wisła Kraków in a two-legged qualifying round before entering the group stage alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting CP and Basel. 

They topped the group stage and then went on to beat Lyon, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea in the knockouts before beating Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the final in Rome. Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi scored one goal each as Barcelona scripted history. Messi finished with 38 goals in all competitions that season. That season saw Lionel Messi win his first Ballon d'Or award with a record margin of 240 points than second-position Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona in 2009 became the first team to win a "sextuple" in European football history.

6. 2009-10 | Inter Milan

Right after Barcelona's historical 2008-09 season, Inter Milan created their history as they became the first and still the only Italian team to win the European treble. They were the sixth European Treble winners in the men's football history. It was the "special one", Jose Mourinho's second and last season with the club that helped the Italian giants create history. 

After a historical season with FC Barcelona, Samuel Eto'o was swapped with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and was sold to Inter Milan. Eto'o that season went on to become the only player to win back-to-back European Treble. That season Inter Milan won their fifth consecutive Serie A title, Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League. 

They first won the Coppa Italia by beating Roma in the final. Diego Militao scored the lone goal for them in the final. Then, they won the Serie A on the final match day with 82 points, 2 points more than Roma. Diego Militao scored 22 goals in the league season for them.  

In the UEFA Champions League, they were clubbed with Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv and Rubin Kazan and progressed to the knockout stage as the runner-up of the group. In the knockouts, they defeated Chelsea, CSKA Moscow and Barcelona before winning 2-0 against Bayern Munich in the final. Militao scored a brace for them and won the player of the match award as well. 

Read about managers with the most wins in UEFA Champions League history.

7. 2012-13 | FC Bayern Munich

In the 2012-13 season, FC Bayern Munich became the first and only German team to win the European Treble. Under head coach Jupp Heynckes, they won their 22nd Bundesliga title, and 5th UEFA Champions League title alongside the DFB-Pokal title. 

Before the season they brought in players like Xherdan Shaqiri, Dante, Claudio Pizarro, Mitchell Weiser, Tom Starke and Mario Mandzukic alongside Javi Martinez for a then-record signing fee. 

In the league, they acquired a record-breaking 91 points as Mario Mandzukic finished with 15 goals against his name. In the DFB-Pokal, they defeated VfB Stuttgart in the final by 3-2 as Mario Gomez scored a brace for them.

In the Champions League, they were grouped with Valencia, BATE Borisov and Lille. They moved to the next stage as the group champions and then faced Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona in the knockouts. In an all-German final, they defeated Borrusia Dortmund by 2-1 to complete their treble. Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben scored for them in the final.

8. 2014-15 | FC Barcelona

Under head coach Luis Enrique, FC Barcelona in the 2014-15 season became the first team in European football history to win the treble more than once. In the summer, Barcelona signed Uruguayan striker  Luis Suarez which helped them create one of the most successful trios in football history in M-S-N with Messi, Suarez and Neymar. They had also signed Marc-André ter Stegen and Ivan Rakitic same season.

They won the La Liga narrowly with 94 points, 2 points clear of Real Madrid. Lionel Messi (43) was outscored by Cristiano Ronaldo (48) in the league that season. Neymar also scored 22 goals for Barcelona in the league that season.

In the Copa del Rey final, they defeated Athletic by 3-1 as Messi scored a brace and Neymar netted once. 

In the Champions League, they faced PSG, Ajax and APOEL in the group stage and advanced to the knockout stage as the champions of the group. They then went on to beat Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich before beating Juventus by 3-1 in the final. Neymar, Rakitic and Suarez scored in that final. Messi with 58 goals in all competitions was their top scorer. After that performance, Messi went on to beat Ronaldo and Neymar to win his 5th Ballon d'Or.

9. 2019-20 | FC Bayern Munich

Post Barca's remarkable success in the 2014-15 season, German club FC Bayern Munich went on to equal their records as the second team in European Football history to win the treble more than once. Under coach Hansi Flick they went on to become the second team in European football to win the "sextuple". 

Niko Kovac was the manager for FC Bayern Munich when they started the season, and then Hansi Flick was named as the interim manager. In a season hit by Covid-19, Bayern were forced to play behind closed doors. 

However, that did not restrict them from being their brutal best. Robert Lewandowski broke the record for the most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season (34) as Bayern lifted the league for the 29th time. 

In the DFB-Pokal final, they defeated Bayer Leverkusen by 4-2 as Robert Lewandowski scored a brace for them.

In the UEFA Champions League round of 16, they defeated Chelsea. Then, they humiliated Barcelona by an 8-2 win (the biggest margin in a UEFA Champions League knockout game) and thrashed Lyon by 3-0 before beating PSG by 1-0 in the final. Kingsley Coman scored the all-important goal for them in the final.

10. 2022-23 | Manchester City

In the 2022-23 season, Manchester City became the second English team and 8th overall team to win a European Treble. Pep Guardiola created one of his records as he became the first coach in European history to win the treble more than once.

Manchester City were coming into the season as the Premier League defending champions and signed players like Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez to strengthen their squad. Erling Haaland went on to break the record for the most Premier League goals scored in a single season as he scored 35 goals in the whole season. City went on to win their 7th Premier League title with 89 points.

In the FA Cup final, City's captain Iikay Gundogan scored the fastest goal in the FA Cup final's history as they defeated Manchester United by 2-0 in the final. 

The Haaland riot continued in the UEFA Champions League as well as he scored four goals against RB Leipzig in the round of 16. They then went on to beat Bayern in the quarters and Real Madrid in the semis before beating Inter Milan in the final by 1-0. Rodri scored the lone goal for them in the final and was named player of the final as well. 

Erling Haaland scored 52 goals in his 53 games for Manchester City that season. However, despite that performance, he could not beat Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or trophy. 

11. 2024-25 | PSG

PSG became the latest team to win the European treble under Luis Enrique as they clinched their first-ever Champions League trophy, and also lifted the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France trophies.

In Ligue 1, they clinched the French Championship with 84 points, as Ousmane Dembele, with 21 goals, won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot. 

In the Coupe de France final, they defeated Reims by 3-0 as Bradley Barcola scored a brace and Achraf Hakimi scored another goal to seal the win.

In their historic Champions League season, Dembele finished as their top scorer of the season while Desire Doue scored a stunning brace to help them lift the title. Achraf Hakimi scored in all quarters, the semis and the final to become one of the heroes for them.

With this win, Luis Enrique became the second manager to win two European trebles with two different teams. 

In Europe, the Champions League is seen as the most demanding title among players, managers, and clubs from all over Europe. The Giant clubs compete for this specific trophy every year, with the prestige and financial rewards received from the tournament being among the biggest in club football.

Achieving success in this competition is usually seen by most players and managers as the benchmark of club-level achievement in Europe. For many managers, winning the Champions League is the ultimate goal.

Some managers, however, have managed to win the competition multiple times, some with multiple teams as well. Without further due, here are the interesting football facts of the five managers with the most Champions League titles.

Read Also: Barcelona 2008/09 vs Man City 2022/23 - which Pep Guardiola treble team is better?

Football Facts: Managers with the most UCL titles 

Pep Guardiola | 3 Champions League titles

Many regard Pep Guardiola as the greatest manager of his generation due to his success with all the clubs he has managed. The Spanish manager has won the competition thrice in his managerial career, two times with FC Barcelona and once with Manchester City.

Guardiola won his first Champions League title in his first season in charge of Barcelona, with his side defeating Manchester United 2-0 in 2008-09 as part of their first-ever treble. The former Barcelona midfielder was 38 years old at the time, making him the youngest manager to win the competition to date.

He won his second title two years later in the 2010-11 season, defeating the same opponent 3-1 in the final. Lionel Messi was the star of both triumphs, scoring both times.

Then he managed Bayern but wasn't able to bring any Champions League titles to the German Club. Finally, his 12-year wait came to an end when Manchester City defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in the Final of the UCL 2022-23 season.

Read Also | European treble winners in men's football history

Zinedine Zidane | 3 Champions League titles

Zinedine Zidane led Real Madrid in its most dominant period of the 21st century. The Frenchman won three titles with Los Blancos in three years in charge of the club.

Zidane won his first title just four months after he replaced Rafael Benitez as manager of Real Madrid. He led the side to defeat Atletico Madrid on penalties in the 2015-16 final.

The next season, Real Madrid defeated Juventus 4-1 in the final for their 12th crown.

Zidane led Real Madrid to a 3-1 win over Liverpool in the 2017-18 final. The Frenchman is the only manager in history to win the competition three consecutive times. He is also the first and only French manager to win the competition to date.

Bob Paisley | 3 European Cups

Bob Paisley was a Liverpool soccer player, manager, and administrator for almost 50 years. 

No football manager demonstrated the art of leading quietly and without ego more than Bob Paisley. He won twenty trophies in nine years for Liverpool Football Club between 1974 and 1983.

He brought 3 European Cups, six League Championships (including three in a row in 1981, 1982, and 1983), three League Cups, 6 Charity Shields, one UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup.

Paisley is the only British manager to win the European Cup three times. Bob is now regarded as one of the best soccer managers of all time.

Carlo Ancelotti | 5 Champions League titles

Carlo Ancelotti is one of football's managerial greats of the 21st century. The Italian manager has won five Champions League titles in his time as a manager, having also won the competition twice as a player.

Ancelotti won his first Champions League title in the 2002-03 season with AC Milan as his side defeated Juventus on penalties in the final. He won his second title in the 2006-07 season as AC Milan defeated Liverpool 2-1.

Ancelotti won his third title with Real Madrid in the 2013-14 season after his side defeated Atlético Madrid 4-1. His fourth title came in the 2021-22 season with Real Madrid once again after a 1-0 victory over Liverpool.

He completed his fifth win in the Champions League as a manager in the 2023-24 season when Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund by 2-0 in the final.

The Italian manager is also the only manager to win all of Europe's top five leagues.

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Football Facts: Managers with the most UCL titles (Top Ten)