Real Madrid leading the way: Which club has won the most Champions Leagues?

A total of 23 different clubs have been fortunate enough to get their hands on Europe's iconic club trophy, but who has celebrate continental glory on more occasions than any other?

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at which club have won the European Cup/Champions League the most often.

REAL MADRID - 15

The most successful club in European Cup/Champions League history are Spanish giants Real Madrid, who celebrated winning a record-extending 15th trophy in 2023-24, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Regarded by many as the 'kings of Europe', Los Blancos have triumphed in 15 of their 18 finals to date, winning six European Cups and nine Champions Leagues, while they have lost in the showpiece event on just three occasions.

Real Madrid were the winners of the first five European Cup finals between 1956 and 1960, before losing in two of the next four finals to Benfica (1962) and Inter Milan (1964). They then celebrated continental glory in 1966 and 1998, before winning the competition eight more times since the turn of the millenium.

AC MILAN - 7

The European giant with the second-most European Cup/Champions League titles are AC Milan, who have lifted the prestigious trophy on seven occasions.

Milan's first triumph was back in 1963 when they beat Benfica 2-1 in the final, and the Serie A side went on to celebrate further success in 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003 and 2007, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the final of the latter year under former head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

LIVERPOOL - 6

Liverpool are the most successful British club in European Cup/Champions League history to date, as they have lifted the trophy six times, including their very first triumph back in 1977 against Borussia Monchengladbach (3-1) in Rome.

The Reds retained their European crown the following season and also won in 1981 and 1984 during a dominant period on the continent, before celebrating success under Rafael Benitez and Jurgen Klopp in 2005 and 2019 respectively.

BAYERN MUNICH - 6

German giants Bayern Munich have also won a total of six European Cup/Champions League titles, including their first three in a row between 1974 and 1976 under Udo Lattek (1) and Dettmar Cramer (2).

The Bavarians then had to wait until the turn of the millennium to get their hands on the trophy another three times, firstly in 2001 before winning in 2013 and most recently 2020 when they beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final in Lisbon.

BARCELONA - 5

Barcelona have won the European Cup/Champions League a total of five times in their history to date, including their first in 1992 after beating Sampdoria 1-0 after extra time in the final at Wembley.

The Catalan giants also triumphed in 2006, 2009, 2011 and most recently in 2015 when Luis Enrique steered the club to a 3-1 victory over Juventus in the final in Berlin.

AJAX - 4

Ajax are not the European force they once were in the 1970s when they won their first three European Cups in successive years in 1971, 1972 and 1973 - winning their first under Rinus Michels and their next two under Stefan Kovacs.

The 36-time Eredivisie champions have not won Europe's most prestigious club prize since 1995 when they secured a slender 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the final in Vienna under former boss Louis van Gaal.

MANCHESTER UNITED - 3

Manchester United have won a plethora of domestic honours over the years and have also got their hands on three European Cup/Champions League trophies, including their first back in 1968 when Sir Matt Busby guided the club to a 4-1 victory over Benfica in the final at Wembley.

The Red Devils won their next two Champions League titles with Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, famously beating Bayern Munich by a 2-1 scoreline at Camp Nou in 1999 to complete a historic treble, before beating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties in the 2008 final in Moscow following a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.

INTER MILAN - 3

Completing this list of teams to have won the European Cup/Champions League at least three times are Italian giants Inter Milan, who celebrated their first two triumphs in the competition back in 1964 and 1965 under former boss Helenio Herrera.

The Nerazzurri then had to wait 45 years to become three-time champions, with Jose Mourinho steering the club to a 2-0 success over Bayern Munich in the final at the Santiago Bernabeu.