Football, as a sport, has always brought more than tactics, games, wins, defeats and glories. It has been like a cultural fest between two types of thoughts, cultures, beliefs and history. In every corner of the world whenever two rival football teams face each other, there is always something more than the game which is on the line. It is about honour, pride and passion at the end of the day. European football has had quite a few famous and infamous rivalries over the years and today, in this article, we will talk about a few most iconic rivalries in the European Football Leagues.

El-Clasico | Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona

If you talk about football rivalries, you will have to start with Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona's El-Clasico in Spanish football. Both clubs have rich history and heritage and the passion of the fans makes it like a battlefield whenever there is an El-Clasico fixture in La Liga, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Champions League or in any other tournaments.

The world keeps an eye on every El-Clasico fixture as most of the iconic footballing stars also want to be part of the game and the fixture has produced some of the most iconic matches in the history of world football. 

Read Also | Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Last Five El-Clasico 

If we talk about a brief history of the rivalry, we will have to go back to 1899 when FC Barcelona was established and three years later, Real Madrid was formed. In the beginning, both clubs played friendlies but soon their rivalry grew after the establishment of La Liga.

From disputes over players' signatures to bringing the best players to their clubs, the El-Clasico has seen everything from its early days. Over the years, some of the best football players intensified the rivalry like Ladislao Kubala and Luis Suárez playing for Barca and Ferenc Puskas and Di Stefano for Real Madrid.

In the most recent times, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo brought the best out of both teams and the fans around the world were treated with some intense yet beautiful football via El-Clasico.

Read Also | El-Clasico stats since Messi left Barcelona 

Unlike most of the football rivalries, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are not from the same city. FC Barcelona is based out of Catalonia, who are currently fighting for their independence from Spain which makes the El-Clasico more than a football game now. It is now become a battle for roots and independence.

El-Clasico Results till now

The stat is accurate as of 29th August 2024 and includes all the official and friendlies between the two clubs.

Read more about El-Clasico: Head-to-Head Stats

Most Goals in El-Clasico

1. Lionel Messi - 26 Goals
2. Alfredo Di Stefano - 18 Goals
3. Cristiano Ronaldo - 18 Goals
4. Karim Benzema - 16 Goals

Read more about Most Goals in El-Clasico History.

Biggest win Margins

1. Real Madrid 11-1 FC Barcelona, 19 June 1943, Copa del Rey
2. Real Madrid 8–2 Barcelona, 3 February 1935, La Liga

Players who scored for both teams in El-Clasico

1. Josep Samitier
2. Luís Enrique
3. Luís Figo
4. Ronaldo Nazario

El Clásico femenino

FC Barcelona have dominated Real Madrid in Women's Clasico since Real Madrid are a very new team and were founded in 2022 whereas the Barca Femeni team have been in existence for the last 22 years. So far, Barcelona Femeni have won all of their 14 matches against Real Madrid Femenino.

The UWCL Quarter-final match in 2022 between these two teams at Camp Nou saw a then-record attendance from women's football match of 91,553 spectators.

The Milan Derby: Inter vs. AC Milan

Just like El-Clasico, the Milan derby is also a football match where players of both clubs fight for bragging rights and the heritage of their clubs.

Brief history of the Milan Derby

In 1899, Herbert Kilpin, a British businessman and others founded the Milan Football and Cricket Club. The club had a cricket and a football team running under Edward Berra and David Allison. A few years later, in 1908, the Italian Football Federation introduced the Federal Championship and Italian Championship. The Federal Championship allowed foreign players to participate whereas only Italian players could play in the Italian Championship.

This started internal chaos within the club as there was a distinct dissent among the club members about whether to have foreign players or not. One year later, Kiplin, who wanted to have foreign players in the club, along with other members parted ways from the club and formed Football Club Internazionale which is now known as Inter Milan.

The Inter fans are known as Nerazzurri while the AC Milan fans are known as Rossoneri. Both clubs share the same stadium during their games. The San Siro Stadium in Milan is the home for both teams.

First-ever Milan Derby

Although there are many disagreements about when the first-ever Milan Derby was played, it is said that it was in 1908 when the first-ever Milan Derby was played in the Chiasso Cup final which AC Milan won by 2-1. The first-ever official Milan Derby was played in the inaugural 1926–27 season of the Divisione Nazionale, the first Italian National League. AC Milan won the match by 3-2.

The Abandoned Match and the Iocnic photo

On 12 April 2005, the Milan Derby was abandoned after Inter fans started throwing objects on the field in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 2005 Quatrer-finals. AC Milan were leading by 2-0 in the first leg, and took a 1-0 lead in the second leg, 3-0 on aggregate. The match was abandoned after 73 minutes and Milan were handed a 3-0 victory at the end. 

Milan Derby: Head-to-head stats

The data is accurate as of 29 August 2024 and includes all the competitions. 

Most Goals in Milan Derby

1. Andriy Shevchenko - 14 Goals
2. Giuseppe Meazza - 13 Goals
3. Gunnar Nordahl - 11 Goals
4. Istvan Nyers - 11 Goals

The North West Derby: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

The North West Derby between Manchester United and Liverpool Football Club is one of the most storied rivalries in European football history. Despite being just 35 miles away from each other, both clubs have different roots, histories and ideologies. 

It all began when in 1894 Manchester merchants created the Manchester Ship Canal to avoid Liverpool’s steep port taxes. This created economic and industrial competition between the cities and that ignited the rivalry that we saw on the pitch today.

Read Also | 10 Most FA Cup Winners List: FA cup in detail

In fact, right before the establishment of the Manchester Ship Canal, Newton Heath (United's old name) had faced Liverpool in a play-off match which saw Newton Heath getting relegated to the second division. 

The United-Liverpool derby is greater than their own city derbies against Manchester City and Everton respectively. The rivalry is so intense that no players since 1964 have been directly transferred between the clubs. 

Read Also | Most Premier League titles as a player

United vs Liverpool: Head-to-head statistics

The data is accurate as of 29 August 2024.

Most goals in United vs Liverpool matches

Women's Football: United vs Liverpool

Even in Women's football, both clubs have the same amount of passion and rivalry among each other whenever they play. Manchester United's women's team were founded in 2018 while Liverpool F.C. Women were founded in 1989 and since then, these two teams have faced each other 8 times. 

The data is accurate as of 29 August 2024.

Read Also | Women's Super League 2024-25 full fixture and schedule

Der Klassiker: Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund

This is one of the newest rivalries among the European Football Leagues and the most exciting football tussle in the Bundesliga currently. The word "Der Klassiker" in German means the "German Classic". However, due to the low number of matches between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, many German fans and pundits do not consider this fixture as the German Classic.

Everything remained sorted between two of the most successful clubs in German football until the 1990s when Dortmund won the Bundesliga successive times in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons and challenged Bayern's dominance in the league. 

Read Also | Most Successful Teams of Top Five European Football Leagues 

In 1996, then Bayern captain Lothar Matthaus mocked Andreas Moller, his German national team teammate by wiping imaginary tears from his eyes during a game. Moller gave the response by slapping Matthaus on the face. Later, in that season, Dortmund won the 1997 UEFA Champions League final against Juventus in Munich, the home of Bayern Munich.

The rivalry intensified when Bayern hired Dortmund's successful coach Ottmar Hitzfeld as their head coach in the 1997-98 season. In the second meeting between the clubs in the 1998-99 season, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn first launched a Kung-Fu-style kick on Stephane Chapuisat and then nearly bit Borussia Dortmund's Heiko Herrlich's ear.

However, the rivalry remained a tad silenced in the mid-2000s before a coach named Jurgen Klopp took charge of Borussia Dortmund and took them to back-to-back Bundesliga success in 2011 and 2012 with players like Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels, Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa. In the next season, Bayern took revenge by beating Dortmund in the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley.

Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund - Head-to-head stats

Most goals by a player in Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund matches

The Old Firm Derby between two of the most successful clubs in Scotland, Celtic and Rangers FC is one of the oldest rivalries in football history. Started as a friend, both clubs became rivals at the start of the 19th century and since then have formed a rivalry which is enriched by political, religious, cultural and social differences in the country.

Celtic fans are historically Irish-Scots and Catholic whereas Rangers fans are native Scots and come from the Protestant community. In the early days, Rangers had an unwritten rule of not signing any player from a Catholic ethnicity until  Graeme Souness signed Mo Johnston, an ex-Celtic forward in 1989.

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

Rangers FC was formed in 1872 while Celtic was formed 15 years later in 1887. In their early days, Rangers FC was termed as the "friends of Celtic" until 1902 when Rangers' wooden stadium collapsed during the Scotland vs England match, resulting in the death of 25 fans and injuring many. Post that, the Rangers had to rebuild their Ibrox stadium and it was financed by selling off their best players to Celtic. Celtic took advantage of the situation and won the Scottish League title six times between 1905 and 1910. 

Since then, the rivalry has become so intense that incidents of deaths and killings have been noticed during past derbies. Although both clubs have taken up a project to tackle bigotry and sectarianism in sports, the fans never changed. In fact, as per an activist group in Glasgow, violent attacks and domestic abuses increase by nine times during Old Firm weekends.

In fact, things get so much out of control that £550,000 was spent by Celtic, Rangers, the SFA and the SPFL just for the policing inside the stadium alone during nine derby games between April 2016 and December 2017

How did the name Old Firm come?

The Old Firm name came when in the Scottish Cup final in 1904, a large number of people attended the match giving considerable financial benefit to both the clubs meaning an old firm that produces business or money.

Did you know?

At the start of the 21st century, both Celtic and Rangers together trademarked the name "Old Firm" and as of 2021, it is still being renewed. 

Celtic vs. Rangers: Head-to-head stats

The stat is accurate as of 29 August 2024.

Most goals by a player in Old Firm derby

The stat is accurate as of 29 August 2024.

The Battle of Britain: Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur

The North London derby between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur is called "The Battle of Britain." Started in 1887, the rivalry grew in 1913 when Arsenal moved their home ground from Manor Ground in Plumstead to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, just 6.5kms apart from Tottenham Hotspur's White Hart Lane Stadium.

The move was opposed by the Spurs' fans as they used to call Highbury their territory and they did not like Arsenal being there with them.

The rivalry surged when in 1919, right after World War I, the first division was supposed to be expanded by two teams by votes and Arsenal pipped over Suprs to get into the first division league after an endorsement by John McKenna, the then Chairman of Liverpool FC and the League president.

However, Tottenham won the 1919-20 second-division league to be promoted to the first-division league and the first-ever North London derby (after Arsenal's move to a new stadium) took place in the following season which resulted in a 2-1 victory for the Spurs.

Read Also | Breaking Down the Most Iconic Football Facts and Moments of All Time

Since Tottenham were placed in the second division from 1928 to 1933 and from 1935 to 1950 both of these clubs could face each other 195 times in competitive first-class matches. Many times during these matches the result of the league depended on the North London derby and even as per fans, they would not mind losing against an opponent rather than helping their North London rival excel in the league.

Read Also | Most Goals in the Premier League history - Alan Shearer at the top 

Most of the North-East part of London supports Tottenham whereas the North-West part supports Arsenal and they never miss any chance to go at each other even though they find themselves working together.

Arsenal vs Spurs Head-to-head stats

Most Goals by a player in North London Derby 

Women's football

Arsenal Women's are the most successful team in English women's football. They won the English Football Championship a record 15 times while winning the Women's FA Cup a record 14 times. 

Till now they have faced Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women's team 16 times and won in 12 of them while losing once and drawing thrice.

More football rivalries in European leagues

Other than the above-mentioned six football rivalries, here are a few other iconic football rivalries in European football leagues.

• The Lisbon Derby: Benfica vs. Sporting CP in Portugal
• The Istanbul Derby: Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahce in Turkey
• The Eternal Derby: Red Star Belgrade vs. Partizan Belgrade in Serbia
• Le Classique: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Olympique de Marseille in France

What does it truly mean to be a world champion club? The FIFA Club World Cup provides the answer, pitting the best against one another in a quest for global dominance.

As the 21st edition of Club World Cup is ongoing, with highly competitive and strong clubs fighting for the ultimate glory, it is time to look back at the history of this tournament.

This article will explore all the past winners, top scorers, most successful teams, all at once.

FIFA Club World Cup: Past Winners

The FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament designed to crown the world's best club team, first took place in 2000. It then paused for several years, from 2001 through 2004, before returning as an annual event.

Now, 2025 marks the beginning of an entirely new era for the Club World Cup, featuring an expanded format and a fresh vision for global club football.

Check out the past winners list below:

FIFA Club World Cup: Top Scorers

Here comes the elite list where individual dominance shines:

FIFA Club World Cup: Most Successful Teams

Real Madrid holds the tag of most successful team in FIFA Club World Cup history with 5 titles. Check out the other clubs that follow:

• Real Madrid: 5 wins
• Barcelona: 3 wins
• Bayern Munich: 2 wins
• Corinthians: 2 wins

Every now and then, a year comes along that changes sports history. Imagine waiting years, even decades, for your favourite team to win. For fans across the globe, 2025 has turned that dream into reality.

This year has been special, marked by some of the longest trophy droughts in sports finally coming to an end. Teams like South Africa in cricket and Bologna in football have broken long-standing curses, proving that anything is possible. 

Is 2025 the miraculous year in sports history? Join us as we explore why 2025 is a year sports fans won't soon forget, and is also termed as "Year of the underdogs."

1. South Africa won an ICC Trophy after 27 years/ 9,862 days

For nearly three decades, the "chokers" tag clung to the Proteas like an unwanted shadow. Time and again, they reached close to the glory, only to falter at crucial moments. But 2025 changed everything, as they lifted ICC WTC Trophy defeating a strong Australian side in the Final.

South Africa showcased a cricketing masterclass with extraordinary team efforts in a high-stakes final match. From Aiden Markram's century to Temba Bavuma's batting class, they gave it all to earn the standing ovation from the crowd as they walked with pride after the win.

This victory, as Mark Boucher previously said, indeed is the turnaround they needed to inspire future generations and earn global respect as champions that they truly deserve.

They made the world chant "It's time for Africa" with their performance.

Read Also: Most ICC Trophies by any men's team

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2. RCB won their first ever IPL trophy after 18 years/ 6,570 days

For 18 painfully long years, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and their passionate fans endured a rollercoaster of hope and heartbreak in IPL. Led by Rajat Patidar, RCB delivered exceptional, balanced performance this season, finally breaking free of their curse.

The image of Virat Kohli lifting the IPL trophy, the last major piece missing from his glittering cabinet, was one of the most iconic sporting moments of this year. It not only signified the team's victory, but also the ultimate reward for loyalty and career-long excellence.

The overall team contribution and management are the key factors that led them to secure their place as champions, shutting all the haters down.

Read Also: IPL 2025: RCB batters create this unique history before the playoffs

AAAAARRRRR CEEEEEEE BEEEEEE ❤🏆#TATAIPL | #RCBvPBKS | #Final | #TheLastMile | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/lp3AwgCVQl

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) June 3, 2025

3. Go Ahead Eagles won the KNVB Cup after 93 years/ 33,968 days

Go Ahead Eagles soared to their first major trophy in 93 years, winning the KNVB Cup in 2025. For generations of fans in Deventer, this was a moment they might have only dreamed of. The emotions outpouring after the victory were sensational.

Their journey in the tournament was an underdog saga, defeating AZ Alkmaar, where they equalised the final match in the 99th minute to take it to penalties, and ultimately winning it from there!

4. Bologna won the Italian Cup after 51 years/ 18,619 days

Bologna's victory in the Italian Cup after 51 years was a testament to patience and a perfectly executed season. Their triumph in 2025, defeating AC Milan 1-0 in the final, was a moment they manifested for years.

Key contributions from players like Don Ndoye, who scored the decisive goal despite returning from injury, and the tactical decisions of the coach, Vincenzo Italiano, brought joy to a city that waited for so long.

5.  Crystal Palace won the first ever major trophy (FA Cup) after 119 years/ 43,714 days

Perhaps the most astonishing drought-breaker of 2025 belonged to Crystal Palace. After 119 years, the Eagles finally lifted their first-ever major trophy, the FA Cup. 

The single decisive goal from Eberechi Eze and crucial saves from goalkeeper Dean Henderson shaped their 1-0 victory over Manchester City FC. This victory proved that even after more than a century, a club's biggest dream can still become reality!

Read Also: Football teams with most international trophies

6. Newcastle United won the League Cup after a long wait of 55 years/ 20,367 days

For the passionate supporters of Newcastle United, 2025 brought an end to a 55-year wait for a major domestic trophy as they won the English Football League Cup.

The sight of the Magpies defeating the 10-time champions Liverpool (1-2) was a powerful moment that reinforced belief in their new era. Goals from local hero Dan Burn and Alexander Isak brought the victory home for them.

7. Harry Kane won his first-ever major trophy (Bundesliga) after 32 years/ 11,676 days

For years, England's most prolific striker, Harry Kane, was burdened by an unfortunate tag: "trophy virgin." Despite his goal-scoring records and individual brilliance, a major team trophy has always slipped away from him.

But 2025 finally saw the narrative shattered as Kane immediately made his mark after joining Bayern Munich, leading them to their 33rd Bundesliga title. He was also the top scorer of the 2024-25 season, having scored 26 goals and 8 assists.

This victory felt like a personal one, putting a line to complete the picture in his football career.

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

This one’s coming home with me! 🏆

Buzzing to be Bundesliga top goalscorer for the second year in a row and this one’s even more special as it goes alongside the Bundesliga title! Couldn’t have achieved this without the support of my teammates! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/WnvIvCf28S

— Harry Kane (@HKane) May 17, 2025

8. Tottenham won the UEFA Europa League after 17 years/ 6,296 days

2025 finally broke Tottenham Hotspur's 17-year trophy drought, as they won the UEFA Europa League. This was a monumental win, bringing the title back to North London.

The tense final against Manchester United saw a crucial goal from Brennan Johnson secure the 1-0 victory. However, the most iconic image was Son Heung-min, the club's long-serving captain, finally lifting a major trophy.

After a decade of dedication and numerous near misses, Son's emotional moment, draped in the Korean flag, was the highlight of his commitment and love for football.

A moment Tottenham fans will never forget 🏆#UELfinal | @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/ROFK5pRtDD

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 22, 2025

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. 

The pain of a Champions League final defeat is a feeling few footballers will ever experience. But for some, that crushing disappointment has become an all too familiar nightmare.

The recent 2025 final saw Lautaro Martinez experience this heartbreak, joining a list of legendary players who have been extremely close to European glory, not once, but multiple times.

Check out the list of players with most Champions League finals without winning it ever.

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus) | 3 Finals

One of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time, Gianluigi Buffon was the extraordinary last line of defence for Juventus for many years. He reached the finals 3 times out of which twice he led the the team as a captain, and lost all of them.

• 2003 Final: Faced AC Milan that ended 0-0 after extra time, where Buffon made a crucial save from Filippo Inzaghi in the normal time. However, Juventus ultimately lost 3-2 on penalties.
• 2015 Final: Led Juventus against Barcelona and faced a 3-1 defeat, despite a commendable performance.
• 2017 Final: Lost 4-1 against Real Madrid and it was painful as the opponent dominanted completely in the second-half.

Read Also: Football Facts: Managers with most UCL titles

Paolo Montero (Uruguay, Juventus) | 3 Finals

Paolo Montero was a key central defender of Juventus' backline during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He too reached the finals thrice and never tasted victory in any of the Champions League finals.

• 1997 Final: Juventus were the defending champions in this season, and was unable to control Borussia Dortmund, lost 3-1 in the finals.
• 1998 Final: Lost 1-0 vs Real Madrid in a tense final, which marked their second consecutive final defeat.
• 2003 Final: Battled AC Milan to a 0-0 draw and eventually lost 3-2 in penalties.

Alessio Tacchinardi (Italy, Juventus) | 3 Finals

Another player of Juventus, Alessio Tacchinardi, a hardworking midfielder, finds his place in this list with 3 final defeats. He also has the same story as Montero, with disappointing losses in the years 1997, 1998, and 2003.

Read Also: Most Champions League titles won by Football Clubs

Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, Inter Milan) | 2 Finals

The Argentinian striker, Lautaro Martinez is Inter Milan's attacking shepherd and captain. He made his way up in this list with their recent loss in the 2025 Champions League final against PSG. He was a part of 2 finals and lost both the times.

• 2023 Final: Despite great efforts, lost 1-0 to Manchester City in a thrilling final. Martinez had a chance to equalize but couldn't convert, a moment that lingered in the memory for Inter fans.
• 2025 Final: A heavy 5-0 loss against Paris Saint-Germain which added a second layer to his final setbacks.

Antoine Griezmann (France, Atletico Madrid) | 2 Finals

Antoine Griezmann was the creative heartbeat and primary attacking threat for Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid during their golden era. He reached the finals 2 times with this side and met with defeats every time.

• 2014 Final: Faced cross city rivals Real Madrid in a dramatic final, and lost 4-1.
• 2016 Final: Another defeat against Real Madrid, where they lost 5-4 (Juanfran missed the decisive penalty) in penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Read Also: 10 most successful African Players with most goals in the UEFA Champions League

Other Atletico Madrid Players with 2 UCL final defeats in the same years (2014, 2016):