Right now, in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade, we’re in the middle of a period of Spanish dominance in the Champions League.
The New Kings
The Spanish sides have powered past Italy and England when it comes to total Champions League wins per nation. They’ve won six of the last eleven installments, which is about as commanding as it gets.
But the fact that, despite this run, the difference between Spain and the chasers isn’t that big, shows how intriguing the history of this great competition has been.
It seems like every nation has had a time to shine. Check out this map of Champions League winners per country to get a better overview.
Italian Stallions – 12 Wins
For the Italians this was the 1960s, the days of catenaccio and tactical pioneers like Helenio Herrera and Nereo Rocco.
Much later came the glory days of the Serie A, when van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard turned out for AC Milan and helped Arrigo Sacchi to back-to-back wins in ‘89 and ‘90.
English Era – 12 Wins
These days we get excited in England if a Premier League team can make it as far as the quarters. It’s a fall from grace compared to the start of the decade.
But it’s a disaster compared to the glory days in the late-70s and early-80s when English First Division teams could do no wrong in the European Cup. From 1977 to 1984 only Hamburg in 1983 could interrupt the English supremacy, led by Liverpool.
Spanish Superiority – 15 Wins
But both the very first installments of the European Cup and the most recent years have been all about Spain. If you think it’s hard for anyone else to get a look-in now, pity Real Madrid’s opponents from 1956 to 1960, when there was only ever one team in it.
The stars who shone back then are part of the football pantheon. If you don’t know a little about Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Paco Gento now’s your chance to find out.
We think of Real Madrid as European monsters, but after hogging the glory in the early years they had to wait until 1998 to win the “Big Ears” again.
Which brings us up to Guardiola and Luis Enrique’s Barcelona, and the indomitable Real Madrid. We’re now in the era of the Superclub, but the history of the Champions League shows that nothing is forever.
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