Discover the top 5 most successful English football clubs of all time – Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea!
Good success stories have been experienced by English football clubs in history. From the dominance at Manchester United in the 1990s to the European glories of Liverpool and Manchester City as a contemporary hotshot, there exist clubs that have emblazoned their names into history books. And now, taking a look at the most successful five English football clubs, measured according to their collection of major trophies. Here they are:
5. Chelsea – 34 Titles
One of the most potent forces in English football to come into existence since the start of the century is Chelsea, an effort at rejuvenation that dates back to 2003 when Roman Abramovich gained control over the club and took pains to fortify the team with a blend of established talent and new faces. Since then, the Blues have been fighting and doing astonishingly well in their bag of five Premier League titles and their first-ever First Division Championship, which dates back to 1955.
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| Trophy Cabinet | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club |
European Success: Chelsea have fared well on the European front too, winning the European topmost competition UEFA Champions League two times (2012 and 2021) and the Europa League two times. Such recent accomplishments have made them one of the best clubs in the world.
Domestic Success: The club has also received domestic success with various FA Cups, League Cups, and Community Shields.
5 Premier League Titles
2 Champions League Titles
2 Europa League Titles
4. Manchester City – 35 Titles
Fast rise: Manchester City under the ownership change in 2008 has morphed into a real power football team. Manchester City have been more potent under Pep Guardiola. The Citizens have won eight Premier League titles, and their latest season was the 2023-24 season. Although City had only won two First Division titles before the success of the modern era, City cannot be debated out to control dominance both in league and cup competitions.
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| Gallery: 2022/23 Champions League trophy lift! Manchester City FC |
Their crowning achievement came in 2023 when they won their first-ever UEFA Champions League, cementing their place among Europe's elite.
8 Premier League Titles
1 Champions League Title
Multiple Domestic Cup Titles
3. Arsenal – 48 Titles
Though Arsenal have had their share of rough times in the past decade, they remain one of the most successful clubs in English football. The Gunners had their golden age in the 1930s, winning five league titles in that decade itself. Arsenal's greatest modern success came under Arsène Wenger with two Premier League titles, in 1997-98 and, famously, in the 2003-04 season when the team went undefeated in the league, losing not a single match.
Arsenal still stand alone at the top in respect of the domestic cups. They can claim to have won the most titles in the FA Cup with a total of 14 titles to date. Their elusive dream for Europe remains as yet since they do not have any notable European trophies.
3 Premier League Titles
14 FA Cup Titles
0 Major European Titles
2. Manchester United – 68 Titles
Success can be synonymous with Manchester United, or at least it is under Sir Alex Ferguson who took the team to an unbelievable thirteen league titles during his stay as a manager. The Red Devils have won the Premiere League trophy twenty times out of which, thirteen titles were in the Premiere League timescale. Another English club that has made its appearance in the UEFA Champions League is Manchester United. They won it twice: in 1999 and 2008. They, therefore are European powerhouses beyond the English borders.
United, as a club, has not been as strong since Ferguson left. Yet they have still clinched several honors, most recently being the EFL Cup, FA Cup. The overall trophies clinched by United stand at 68; these include 20 league titles, 12 FA Cups, and 3 Champions League victories.
20 League Titles
12 FA Cup Titles
3 Champions League Titles
1. Liverpool – 69 Titles
Of course, top of the list stands Liverpool with a record 69 top-class honors. The Reds were at the absolute pinnacle during the 1970s and 1980s, collecting league title after league title and cementing their European prowess. Domestic dominance had to slow down at times, but Jürgen Klopp breathed new life into the team, which won their first top-flight title in 30 years in 2020.
This is where Liverpool shines: in European competition. With a superior 6 Champions League titles, the highest of any English team, including the famous win in Istanbul in 2005, they have added UEFA Super Cups and EFL Cups to their trophy collection. They remain among the most successful clubs in English football history.
19 League Titles
8 FA Cup Titles
6 Champions League Titles
These five clubs have written the map of English football through their relentless victory hunt: from Liverpool's supremacy across Europe to Manchester United's unprecedented success in the Premier League and for that matter Chelsea and Manchester City of recently, long-term legacy keeps soaring for them. More silverware can fill in already gleaming trophy cabinets waiting to be viewed by the fans.
