The Most Successful Football Club in History.
Football is the most followed sport on the planet. Last year's world cup broke so many media records and was the most-viewed event of the year. As well as the now famous image of Lionel Messi lifting the world cup is the most liked on Instagram.
At the club level, especially clubs from the European leagues enjoy massive following and support all around the world. The Premier League in England, the Spanish La Liga, and the Italian Serie A enjoy top billing with each season finishing to the fan's delight. The Champions League is considered by football enthusiasts as well as sympathizers interested in other sports as the highest medal in club football.
The debate still remains though as to which club is the greatest of all time. There are a select group of over-achieving clubs predominantly European who dominate modern-day football and have managed to win the loyalty of die-hard fans all around the world.
Hence for the sake of justice and equity, the basis for discovering the best club in the world would be titles held. The most important football title in that regard, therefore, is the UEFA Champions League.
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round-robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout format and a single leg final. It is the most prestigious club competition in European football and by extension world football, played by the national league champions and runners-up for some nations.
Since its inception in 1955, Spanish clubs have had the highest number of victories (19 wins) followed by England (14 wins) and Italy (12 wins). Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it 14 times, including the first five seasons and also five of the last nine. They are also the current champions having beaten Liverpool 1-0 in the 2022 final.
This makes Real Madrid arguably the most successful football club in history.
Established a dozen decades ago as Madrid Football Club, later adding the title “Real” meaning royal or regal in Spanish (hence the royal crown in its logo). Madrid has its home grounds at the 81,044-capacity Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.
Real Madrid is one of the most widely supported teams internationally with its white kit among the most easily recognizable football jerseys. Among the three founding members of La Liga, Madrid has never been relegated from the top division and features in epic rivalries including “El Classico" with Barcelona and “The Derby/El Derbi" with Atletico Madrid.
The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s and 60s, winning five consecutive and six overall European Cups and reaching a further two finals. This success was replicated domestically with Madrid winning twelve league titles in the space of 16 years.
The team, which included Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Francisco Gento, and Raymond Kopa is considered by some pundits as the greatest club football team of all time. In recent memory, high-caliber players such as Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, David Beckham, Ronaldo de Lima, Micheal Owen and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have featured in the regal whites of Madrid. Madrid shares the record for the club with the highest number of Ballon d'Or holders (12) with Barcelona.
Madrid holds the record for most La Liga titles (35), most UEFA Champions League (14), most UEFA Super Cups (5), and most club world championships (8).
They have also been awarded the FIFA Club of the 20th Century, the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit, and Best European Club of the 20th Century.
Real Madrid fans call themselves “Madristas". If you are one, and you still don't know where the club gets its name (Real) from, it means royal. I hereby say it is safe to crown Real Madrid king of football.
For the other club fans out there, you probably don't agree with this, feel free to express yourself in the comment box and make sure to bring facts, not fiction.
By Dauda Onuoha.