We all know that Manchester United, Real Madrid et al are the most successful clubs – league titles wise – in their respective countries. The Red Devils have 20 titles under their belt while Los Blancos have 32. But it is not necessary that the club with most league titles is in the city that has the overall highest tally of league titles, or so is my assumption.
So without further ado, we take a look at the city in Europe’s top 5 leagues which have the most number of league titles and find out what else surprises they have in store for us.
Trending
Germany
It might seem that the situation is very simple in Germany – with Bayern Munich dominating the Bundesliga for the better part of the last 50 years. However, it is slightly more complicated than what it looks like.
Germany has 29 first-division league champions ever since 1903, out of which one team is from Austria – Rapid Wien – which is based in Vienna and won the title in 1941.
However, when all is said and done, it is Munich who leave the pack way behind with the number of league titles that they have won so far. Bayern Munich’s 26 coupled with the solitary league title won by TSV 1860 München in 1966 comprise of the 27 that Munich outfits have won during the years in Germany.
City with most league titles in Germany – Munich – 27 [Bayern Munich (26) and TSV 1860 München (1)]
Spain
When you consider the fact that only 9 teams have ever lifted the La Liga title, you are not necessarily left with too many clubs and cities to choose from. Add to that, that 2 of the 3 most successful clubs in La Liga history are from the Spanish capital of Madrid.
Real Madrid are the most successful club in the history of Spanish football with 32 league titles under the belt, they have also finished runners-up on 23 occasions – the second most. Barcelona have won the title on 24 occasions, while they have finished runners-up the highest number of times – 24. Atletico Madrid are the third most successful club in Spain with 10 La Liga titles.
City with most league titles in Spain – Madrid – 42 [Real Madrid (32) and Atletico Madrid (10)]
Italy
It is a different ball game altogether in Italy. A total of 16 clubs have lifted the Italian first-division title since 1898, out of which 3 different cities have clubs with more than 10 league titles.
There’s Genoa – who have 10 league titles split between Genoa (9) and Sampdoria (1). Then there is Milan – wherein 36 league titles are shared equally between Inter Milan and AC Milan. And then, there is Turin, the city with 39 league titles and the leader in Italy – for now.
Juventus have won an incredible 32 league titles over the years, while Torino have managed to get their hands on the prized asset on 7 occasions. The Old Lady’s current run of 5 consecutive Scudetto triumphs have helped bring Turin to first spot in the list, before which it was Milan who were the top dogs in Italian football.
City with most league titles in Italy – Turin – 39 [Juventus (32) and Torino (7)]
France
28 different teams have won the league title in France, while 3 cities have clubs who have conquered France on 10 or more occasions. There is the city of Saint-Etienne, where the Greens of Saint-Etienne ply their trade and have won 10 Ligue 1 titles – the joint-highest winners of the French top division alongside Olympique Marseille*.
Then there is the city of Marseille, where Olympique Marseille and Helvetique Marseille combined to win 13 titles between them. And then there is Paris – the capital of France and the city with most league titles in France.
Paris have had 17 league titles shared between 7 different clubs, which are – Paris Saint-Germain (6), Standard Athletic Club (5), RC Paris (2), Club Francais (1), CA Paris (1), Gallia Club Paris (1), Stade Francais (1).
City with most league titles in France – Paris – 17 [PSG (6), Standard Athletic Club (5), RC Paris (2), Club Francais (1), CA Paris (1), Gallia Club Paris (1), Stade Francais (1)]
*Olympique Marseille have won 9 titles in the Professional Era (1932 – present), while they had won 1 in the Amateur Era (1893-1929). Saint Etienne have won all of their 10 titles in the Professional Era.
England
England are the only nation out of the top 5 league to have 3 cities with clubs which have won more than 20 league titles. Yes, I know Manchester United has won 20 league titles themselves but it is not about just one club is it? How many have the noisy neighbors won? Well, Manchester City have 4 league titles until now. But are Manchester the city with most league titles in England. The answer to that is ‘NO’.
In fact, unlike France and Spain – where the two capitals having different clubs combined to dominate the first division – London does not have the most league titles and are 3rd in England in the number of titles won with 20. Out of which 13 have been won by Arsenal, 5 by Chelsea and 2 by Tottenham Hotspur.
So, which city has the most league titles in England then? Well, it is Merseyside – with 27 league titles under its belt. Liverpool have contributed towards the majority of this with their 18 titles while Everton have also lifted the top division trophy on 9 occasions.
Interesting Stat: Merseyside clubs have failed to win the domestic league since 1989-90 and are still the leaders. During that time, clubs from London and Manchester have won 23 titles. #Domination
City with most league titles in England – Merseyside – 27 [Liverpool (18), Everton (9)]
