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The Champions League is arguably the biggest club competition in the world of football. The best teams from Europe battle it out for continental glory and only the cream of the crop have won the competition.
The top five European leagues have fans all around the world. Europe is home to some of the greatest footballing nations in the history of the sport. The Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A are viewed as the premium club football competitions in the world.
UEFA Champions League is Europe's elite club competition
The top European clubs have always housed the greatest footballers on the planet. The UEFA Champions League is the most elite and prestigious club tournament in the world.
The debate about which country has the best clubs in the world is one that has raged on for ages. The number of Champions League titles that teams from various European nations have won would be a good measure to gauge that.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the most successful nations in Champions League history.
(Note: Champions League was formerly known as the European Cup. The competition adopted the current round-robin group stage format and was rechristened as the Champions League in 1992. Only the winners since 1992 have been considered in this list).
#5 France - 1 UEFA Champions League title
Despite their rich football heritage, France have won just a single Champions League title. It came in 1993 which was the first season since the new format was adopted and the competition was renamed the Champions League.
Raymond Goethals' side defeated AC Milan 1-0 in the final which was played at Munich's Olympic Stadium. The historic win gave birth to the slogan "À jamais les premiers" which means 'Forever the first' among the Marseille faithful.
However, their triumph came right before a decade of downfall and it took a while for Marseille to get back on their feet. Paris Saint-Germain reached the final of the Champions League in the 2019-20 season but were beaten by Bayern Munich in the ultimate showdown.
#4 Germany - 4 UEFA Champions League titles
Bayern Munich have been one of the most successful sides in the Champions League in the 21st century. The Bavarians, who are renowned for their technical excellence, have won the most prestigious title in Europe three times since the turn of the millennia.
They first won it in 2001, beating Valencia 5-4 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after 120 minutes. They won it again in the 2012-13 season by defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 thanks to an 89th minute winner from Arjen Robben.
Bayern Munich's latest Champions League triumph came in the 2019-20 season. Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game against PSG in the final. The only other German side to have won the Champions League is Borussia Dortmund.
They defeated the defending champions Juventus 3-1 in the 1996-97 final held at the Olympic Stadium in Munich.
#3 Italy - 5 Champions League titles
The Italian top-flight, popularly known as Serie A, is widely considered to be the most tactically complex football league on the planet. Italian sides like AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus have a rich European history.
Juventus won the 1995-96 Champions league, beating defending champions Ajax in the final. AC Milan have won the title thrice. They first bagged it in the 1993-94 season, thrashing Barcelona 4-0 in the showdown held at the Olympic Stadium in Athens.
Their second triumphant run in the Champions League came in the 2002-03 season. The Rossoneri were one of the most dominant sides in Europe in the first decade of the 21st century. They won it again in the 2006-07 season, beating Liverpool in the final.
Inter Milan are the only other Italian side to have won the Champions League. Jose Mourinho led his side, who were widely viewed as underdogs, to a memorable win over Bayern Munich in the 2009-10 final.
#2 England - 6 Champions League titles
The English sides have been quite effective in the Champions League in recent times. Two of the last three finals were played between English sides. Liverpool have won the competition twice.
Their epic comeback win in Istanbul in 2005 over AC Milan after being 3-0 down at half-time is remembered as one of the greatest nights in the history of the competition. The Merseysiders won the Champions League for a second time in the 2018-19 season as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Manchester United have also won two Champions League titles. Their first came after a historic win over Bayern Munich in the final of the 1998-99 Champions League campaign. The Red Devils scored two stoppage time goals to beat the Bavarians and win the continental treble.
They then beat Chelsea in the 2007-08 season Champions League final on penalties. The Stamford Bridge outfit have become European champions twice. Their first triumphant run in the competition came in the 2011-12 season.
Chelsea are the reigning champions of Europe after winning the Champions League under the tutelage of Thomas Tuchel last term. They beat a formidable Manchester City side 1-0 in the final held at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.
#1 Spain - 11 Champions League titles
Real Madrid and Barcelona are two of the most successful clubs in the history of the game. The two sides have consistently housed some of the greatest players to have graced the game. Their European pedigree is unmatched and the two sides have made Spain the most successful nation in the history of the Champions League.
Real Madrid are the most successful club in the history of the competition. They have won it a whopping seven times which includes three successive wins between 2016 and 2018 under Zinedine Zidane.
Real Madrid's other Champions League title wins have come in the 1997-98, 1999-00 and 2001-02 seasons. Barcelona have won the Champions League title four times. The Catalans beat Manchester United in the finals of the 2008-09 and 2010-11 editions of the competition.
They beat Arsenal in the final of the 2005-06 season to win the Champions League for the first time since the change in format. Their latest Champions League triumph came in the 2014-15 season when the famed MSN (Messi, Suarez and Neymar) trio were running riot in Europe.
