Highlights
- The all-time Champions League table shows Real Madrid's incredible success in the competition, while Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also prominent forces
- English clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool have achieved great success in the Champions League, while Man City have broken into the top 20 in recent years
The Champions League is back. Manchester City will be looking to win two on the trot, Real Madrid will be looking to regain their status as European champions and a plethora of Premier League outfits - notably Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United - will all be making returns to Europe's most prestigious club competition.
Amid all the excitement, we got thinking; which teams have established themselves as key pieces of the competition for their success and longevity? It's only when you break down Real's record in the Champions League era, that you realise how dominant the La Liga giants have been across the competition existence and not just domestically.
Looking ahead, though, much is made of the lofty expectations placed upon both Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to deliver the continue success in the pinnacle of football for years to come. Famously, the latter have never managed to lift club football's most coveted trophy, while the former plundered their first just last season. City have now crept into the top 20, while PSG sit 16th - more than 680 points beneath the list-leaders, Real. There's vast history inside the walls of the Bernabeu - and it's going to take several generations for the likes of City and PSG to even get close.
A table compiled by the folks over at Transfermarkt, which awards three points for a win and one for a draw (regardless of the stage of the competition) for each Champions League match competed in throughout history, shows Carlo Ancelotti's side as the runaway leaders. But who else sits in the top 15 of the list?
15 Borussia Dortmund - 261 points
Just pipping Paris Saint-Germain to the back end of this list is Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. Despite also being overshadowed by Bayern Munich by a considerable amount, they still have an impressive record in the Champions League. They have won 76 of their 164 European outings and have accrued 261 points.
14 Atlético Madrid - 261 points
Atlético have certainly not enjoyed as much European success as their cross-city rivals, but still sit in a respectable 14th place overall. It’s just unfortunately the notion of them sitting in Real Madrid’s shadow transcends into the wider picture of European football, too. They are perhaps the club with the most devastating record in Champions League history having featured in three different finals but never enjoying that sweet taste of victory.
13 Arsenal - 306 points
Returning to the competition this season are Arsenal, having not qualified since the 2016/17 campaign. The Gunners have transformed into a completely different entity under Mikel Arteta’s stewardship and will making to make a mark as they look to re-establish themselves as a regular in the competition. They had, however, become accustomed to strutting their stuff on Tuesday and Wednesday nights when at the peak of their powers and have 206 points to attest to that.
12 Inter Milan - 329 points
The Nerazzurri squared up with an imperious Manchester City side, led by Pep Guardiola, in the final last time out but tripped at the final hurdle, falling to a 1-0 defeat. In their storied history, however, they have been successful in the competition on three separate occasions: 1964, 1965 and in 2010. Beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final, their last triumph in Europe will be looked back on fondly as they have not been able to match that success since.
11 Ajax - 350 points
The Dutch side, famous for their ‘Total Voetbal’ philosophy, are the most dominant side in their native Holland with 36 Eredivisie gongs under their belt. Four Champions Leagues have also been added to their CV since the competition’s inception. Across their spell in the fabled competition, they have picked up a respectable 350 points, having played 215 games. In that period, they have won a century of those and drawn 50.
10 Chelsea - 355 points
The famous side from west London are three Champions League outings shy of reaching the 200-game milestone. In 197 fixtures, they have racked up 355 points from their 101 wins and 52 draws. Chelsea have been victorious on one less occasion than Premier League rivals Manchester United and, therefore, sit much lower in the table than them. Most football fans will remember that John Terry slip – if you don’t, make sure to look it up!
9 Porto - 403 points
Similarly to Chelsea, Porto have won the Champions League title twice, while their latest – in 2004 – was under perennial winner Jose Mourinho. Not only did the Portuguese tactician reign victorious in Europe but also took the club to treble success in that season. The charismatic coach was a key part of their success but overall, the Primera Liga giants have been a force to be reckoned with in Europe’s top table, having won 115 of their 357 games.
Top 10 all-time Champions League winners |
|
---|---|
Team |
Record |
Real Madrid |
14 |
AC Milan |
7 |
Bayern Munich |
6 |
Liverpool |
6 |
Barcelona |
5 |
Ajax |
4 |
Inter Milan |
3 |
Manchester United |
3 |
Chelsea |
2 |
All statistics per Transfermarkt |
8 Benfica - 403 points
Sitting on the same points at Porto is their domestic foes Benfica, who have also won the trophy on two occasions, having won them back-to-back in 1961 and 1962. The Estadio da Luz-based outfit have played three more games in the competition in comparison to Porto but have won one less. One thing that separates the two is Benfica’s favourable goal difference, which is 33 goals superior to Porto’s on +112.
7 Liverpool - 432 points
The Reds are the most impressive side from England in terms of success in football’s most coveted trophy, having won it on six different occasions. Most notably from those six is that famous night in Istanbul, where Liverpool’s win was figure headed by Steven Gerrard. Over 230 outings, they have plundered 432 points through 128 wins and 48 draws. Their +214 goal difference is very impressive, too, and is the fourth-best in the storied history of the competition, only bettered by Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
6 AC Milan - 439 points
Despite sitting prettily in second place in the all-time Champions League honours rankings, the Italian’s points tally does not bode so well, despite creeping into the top five. They were one half of one of the most memorable finals that will ever be played out, albeit on the losing side.
5 Juventus - 521 points
Flying the Serie A flag high is Juventus, who sit in fifth place in the star-studded list as they have picked up 521 points, 82 points higher than AC Milan. Their goal difference tally is better by the Milan-based outfit, however, though Juventus are superior in matches, wins and draws by racking up 297, 151 and 68, respectively.
4 Manchester United - 524 points
The English behemoths are not necessarily known for their dominance in Europe seeing as they have only won it three times, though it is their longevity in the competition that pulls them through. Erik ten Hag led the Red Devils to a return to Champions League action in his first season at the helm and kick off their 2023/24 campaign away from home against Bayern Munich.
3 Barcelona - 646 points
Barcelona have been blessed to home some of football’s brightest superstars over the years, most notably that pint-sized magician from Argentina, Lionel Messi. And it has used their plethora of talent to their best having accrued a brilliant 646 points. Despite being dwarfed by Madrid’s record on the biggest stage in football, Barcelona have still won 190 games and boast an impressive goal difference record of +313.
2 Bayern Munich - 747 points
In between the two Spanish powerhouses in second place are three-time Champions League holders, Bayern Munich. Not only are Bayern Munich a prominent force in Germany, but also in the world, most notably in the most prized tournament. They have accrued 283 wins in the competition and have the second-best goal record with a +419-goal difference.
The Bavarians have become a staple part of the competition and were last victorious back in 2019/20 as Kingsley Coman opened and closed the scoring just before the hour mark. With Harry Kane now leading their line, could they match AC Milan’s tally in May be adding a seventh trophy to the already-impressive collection?
1 Real Madrid - 930 points
History, then, leaves us in absolutely no doubt about Madrid's superiority as they stand tall and firm with their chests puffed out on 930 points. Having played 474 games, won 283 of those and boasting a fantastic +522 goal difference, their status as European kings is undisputed. Los Blancos also boast double the number of European Cups held by any other club in history. AC Milan rank as Real's nearest pursuer, having collected seven trophies.
UEFA Champions League - All-time standings (Top 25) |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position |
Club |
Matches |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
GD |
Points |
1 |
Real Madrid |
474 |
283 |
81 |
110 |
522 |
930 |
2 |
Bayern Munich |
376 |
224 |
75 |
77 |
419 |
747 |
3 |
Barcelona |
331 |
190 |
75 |
65 |
313 |
646 |
4 |
Manchester United |
283 |
152 |
68 |
63 |
227 |
524 |
5 |
Juventus |
297 |
151 |
68 |
78 |
171 |
521 |
6 |
AC Milan |
259 |
125 |
67 |
67 |
174 |
439 |
7 |
Liverpool |
230 |
128 |
48 |
54 |
214 |
432 |
8 |
Benfica |
260 |
114 |
61 |
85 |
112 |
403 |
9 |
Porto |
257 |
115 |
58 |
84 |
79 |
403 |
10 |
Chelsea |
197 |
101 |
52 |
44 |
153 |
355 |
11 |
Ajax |
215 |
100 |
50 |
65 |
105 |
350 |
12 |
Inter Milan |
195 |
93 |
50 |
52 |
74 |
329 |
13 |
Arsenal |
187 |
88 |
42 |
57 |
87 |
306 |
14 |
Atlético Madrid |
156 |
73 |
42 |
41 |
68 |
261 |
15 |
Borussia Dortmund |
164 |
76 |
33 |
55 |
67 |
261 |
16 |
Paris Saint-Germain |
139 |
74 |
27 |
38 |
111 |
249 |
17 |
Dynamo Kyiv |
186 |
65 |
41 |
80 |
-22 |
236 |
18 |
Manchester City |
117 |
64 |
24 |
29 |
108 |
216 |
19 |
Olympique Lyon |
136 |
58 |
36 |
42 |
49 |
210 |
20 |
PSV Eindhoven |
163 |
56 |
40 |
67 |
-6 |
208 |
21 |
Celtic |
150 |
60 |
27 |
63 |
4 |
207 |
22 |
Anderlecht |
163 |
53 |
35 |
75 |
-64 |
194 |
23 |
Valencia |
118 |
50 |
34 |
34 |
47 |
184 |
24 |
Olympiacos |
156 |
47 |
28 |
81 |
-89 |
169 |
25 |
Galatasaray |
155 |
42 |
39 |
74 |
-94 |
165 |
All statistics per Transfermarkt |