"We're by far the greatest team..."
Liverpool won the Club World Cup in December, which officially makes them the best side on the planet.
That status won’t hold forever, though, so we’ve decided to pore through the history books in search of the 30 most successful sides in football history. Featured here are teams from Europe, Africa, South America, Central America and Asia, all ranked on the amount of major trophies they’ve won…
29= Independiente, Argentina (43)
A member of Argentina's Big Five, Independiente are - by one measure - South America's most successful side: no club can better their haul of seven Copas Libertadores, won in 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1984.
La Roja also claimed the Intercontinental Cup on two occasions, including in 1984 (pictured), and have been crowned Argentine champions 16 times.
29= Fenerbahce, Turkey (43)
One of the most successful clubs in Turkish football history, Fenerbahce have won 22 Super League titles - the most recent of which was in 2013/14 - six Turkish cups and nine Turkish Super Cubs.
They are yet to taste success on the European stage, however, although they did reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2007/08, when they were narrowly beaten by Chelsea.
28. Saprissa, Costa Rica (46)
Costa Rica's most successful side are also one of the kings of CONCACAF, at least in terms of total trophies won. Saprissa have finished on top of their domestic league on no fewer than 34 occasions - five more than second-placed Alajuelense.
Their continental exploits have also proved fruitful: Saprissa's trophy cabinet contains three CONCACAF Champions' Cups and five Central American Club Championships.
25= River Plate, Argentina (48)
No Argentine club has more Primera Division titles to their name than River Plate, who have finished at the summit of the standings 36 times. Their first top-flight gong came way back in 1920, and their most recent in 2014.
River Plate have been one of South America's strongest outfits in recent years, winning the Copa Libertadores in 2015 and 2018, and finishing as runners-up in 2019. They have won the continent's principal trophy on four occasions in total.
25= CSKA Sofia, Bulgaria (48)
By their lofty standards, CSKA Sofia are currently in the midst of a trophy drought, having failed to lift a piece of silverware since scooping the Bulgarian Cup in 2016.
CSKA have been crowned Bulgarian champions on a record 31 occasions, although the emergence of Ludogorets Razgrad as a domestic force means they have not won the league since 2008.
25= Milan, Italy (48)
Milan may have won almost half the amount of Serie A titles as Juventus, but no Italian club can compete with the Rossoneri when it comes to European achievements.
Milan first won the European Cup in 1963 - Cesare Maldini (pictured) was part of the team that beat Benfica at Wembley - and have since added another six gongs to their collection, winning the continent's foremost prize in 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003 and 2007. They also lifted the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup twice.
24. Grasshoppers, Switzerland (59)
A sleeping giant, Grasshopper Club Zurich have not won the Swiss championship since the 2002/03 campaign. They even suffered an ignominious relegation to the second tier in 2019, having almost gone down six years earlier.
They remain Switzerland's most successful ever side, however, having won a record 27 league titles and 19 Swiss Cups, which is also a record.
23. Zamalek, Egypt (52)
One of only two clubs to have participated in every season of the Egyptian Premier League, Zamalek are also one of their country's most successful clubs.
The Cairo-based giants have won the league title 12 times, most recently in 2014/15, and lifted the Egypt Cup on 27 occasions, including in 2018 (pictured). On the continent, only one club have won more than their five CAF Champions Leagues.
22. Colo-Colo, Chile (54)
Colo-Colo became the first Chilean club to win the Copa Libertadores, beating Olimpia of Paraguay in the final of the 1991 edition. They came close to adding a Copa Sudamericana (South America's equivalent of the Europa League) to their honours list in 2006, only to fall to Pachuca at the final hurdle.
Unsurprisingly, they have also dominated domestic competition, claiming a record 32 league titles and 12 Copas Chile, seven more than the next-best Universidad de Chile.
21. Boca Juniors, Argentina (55)
Arguably South America's most famous club, Boca Juniors are also one of the most successful sides on the continent. Only domestic rivals Independiente can better their tally of six Copas Libertadores, while Boca also lifted back-to-back Copas Sudamericana in 2004 and 2005.
Fierce rivals River Plate have a marginally better Primera Division record, having won 36 titles to their adversaries' 33. Boca have also won three Copas Argentina and three Intercontinental Cups.
20. Olimpia, Paraguay (57)
Founded in 1902, it took Olimpia a decade before winning their first Primera Division crown - but they've hardly looked back since. The Asuncion-based outfit have been crowned national champions 44 times, 12 more than their closest competitors Cerro Porteno.
They've enjoyed success in the Copa Libertadores too, winning the trophy in 1979, 1990 and 2002. In fact, only clubs from Argentina and Uruguay have triumphed in South America's biggest competition more often than Olimpia.
19. FCSB, Romania (58)
Formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, a dispute between the club's owner and the Romanian army forced a name change for the country's most successful side in 2017.
For now at least, the honours claimed in the Steaua Bucharest era still officially belong to FCSB, rather than rival outfit CSA Steaua Bucharest. That trophy haul includes 26 Liga I titles, 23 Romanian Cups and a European Cup, won in 1986 with victory over Barcelona.
17= Liverpool, England (60)
Twenty-two points clear of reigning champions Manchester City, Liverpool are on the verge of winning their first league title since 1990. That will take them to 19 in total, just one behind arch-rivals Manchester United.
The Reds remain England's most successful club in European competition, having added a sixth Champions League to their honours list last season. They also won the UEFA Cup in 1973, 1976 and 2001, and beat Flamengo in the Club World Cup final in 2019.
17= Anderlecht, Belgium (60)
Anderlecht are enduring a hugely underwhelming season at present: they occupy ninth place in the Belgian Pro League at the time of writing, and are closer in points to the bottom than the top.
Their struggles have not elicited much sympathy from elsewhere in the country, though. After all, Anderlecht have enjoyed plenty of dominance down the years, having won 34 top-tier titles, nine Belgian Cups, three Belgian League Cups, a UEFA Cup and two Cup Winners' Cups.
16. Galatasaray, Turkey (61)
No team in Turkey have won more Super Lig titles (22) or Turkish Cups (18) than Galatasaray, who were victorious in both competitions last season. The 2019/20 campaign hasn't been quite as kind to them, however: the Lions are down in sixth spot at the time of writing, although league leaders Sivasspor are only five points ahead.
Galatasaray also tasted success in Europe around the turn of the millennium, winning the UEFA Cup in 1999/00 and the UEFA Super Cup the following season.
15. Juventus, Italy (63)
Juventus have ruled the roost in Italian football this decade, winning eight consecutive Serie A titles to take their overall total to 35, almost more than double the tally of Inter and Milan (18 each) in second spot.
By comparison, Juve's European record is average at best. The Bianconeri have scooped the Champions League on only two occasions, although they have lifted the UEFA Cup three times - only Sevilla have been more successful in Europe's secondary tournament.
13= Bayern Munich, Germany (70)
No German side has come close to challenge Bayern's preeminence in recent years, with the Bavarians finishing on top of the Bundesliga pile in each of the last seven seasons.
Overall they have won the German top flight 29 times, including with Lothar Matthaus, Soren Lerby and Dieter Hoeness in their side in 1985 (pictured). They are also out in front when it comes to DFB-Pokal triumphs (19), while only three clubs have won more than their five Champions Leagues.
13= Ajax, Netherlands (70)
Ajax may have been underdogs for much of their thrilling run to the Champions League semi-finals last term, but that was down to the current financial landscape of the European game rather than the club's historical standing within it.
Indeed, Ajax are four-time European champions, having triumphed in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1995. They also have a UEFA Cup, a Cup Winners' Cup and 34 Eredivisie gongs to their name.
10= Manchester United, England (74)
Before Alex Ferguson took charge at Old Trafford in 1986, Manchester United had only seven league titles to their name. By the time of his departure in 2013, that figure stood at 20 - the most of any team in English football history.
United have also won 12 FA Cups and five League Cups, but a return of three Champions Leagues is slightly under par given the extent of their domestic success.
10= Al-Faisaly, Jordan (74)
No club comes close to matching Al-Faisaly's record in Jordanian football. The Blue Eagles have won the top-flight title 34 times, more than double the return of second-placed Al-Wehdat and 26 more than Al-Ahli in third spot.
Twenty FA Cups sit in Al-Fairsaly's trophy cabinet, which also contains 16 Super Cups and two AFC Cups, the Asian equivalent of the Europa League.
10= Porto, Portugal (74)
Jose Mourinho's side stunned Europe when they won the Champions League in 2004, but Porto are actually one of the continent's most successful clubs. And their continental triumph 16 years ago was not the first of its kind, with the Portuguese outfit also victorious in the European Cup in 1987.
Porto rank second in the all-time Primeira Liga standings, having won the title 28 times between their first in 1935 and their latest in 2018. They have also won 16 Tacas de Portugal and 21 domestic Super Cups, plus two Europa Leagues and one UEFA Super Cup.
9. Olympiacos, Greece (75)
Unbeaten and two points clear of PAOK, Olympiacos are on course to avoid a third consecutive season without a Greek Super League title this term. Three barren seasons would be out of step with much of the club's history, with the club having won 44 championships to date.
That is a national record, as is their collection of 27 Greek Cups. European success has proved elusive, though, with Olympiacos having failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League or the same stage of the Cup Winners' Cup.
8. Benfica, Portugal (82)
Portugal's most decorated club, Benfica have won a record 37 Primeira Liga crowns and 26 Tacas de Portugal, at least nine more than any other team. They have also scooped seven Tacas de Liga - an impressive tally given the competition only launched in 2007.
Benfica were once Europe's preeminent force too, winning back-to-back European Cups in 1961 and 1962. Somewhat surprisingly the Eagles have never won the Europa League, despite reaching the final in 1983, 2013 and 2014.
7. Real Madrid, Spain (90)
By far the most successful club in Champions League history, Real Madrid have lifted the famous trophy on no fewer than 13 occasions. Their dominance has come in three spells: los Blancos won five in a row between 1956 and 1960, three in five years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and four in five seasons in the 2010s.
They have also won a record 33 La Liga titles, despite having finished on top of the pile just twice since 2008. Madrid's trophy cabinet also contains 19 Copas del Rey and two UEFA Cups.
6. Barcelona, Spain (91)
Barcelona may trail their great rivals when it comes to Champions Leagues - Real Madrid have 13 to the Blaugrana's five - but the Catalan club are marginally more successful overall.
Barcelona have finished on top of La Liga 26 times in total, including on seven occasions since 2010. They have won also won 30 Copas del Rey and 13 Supercopas de Espana - both national records - plus four Cup Winners' Cups and five UEFA Super Cups.
5. Celtic, Scotland (105)
One of only five clubs with more than 100 trophies to their name, Celtic have been a major force within Scottish football for most of their existence. Their recent run of eight successive league titles has moved them up to 50 overall, while the Bhoys have also been triumphant 39 times in the Scottish Cup and 19 times in the Scottish League Cup.
The bulk of Celtic's silverware has come at home, but their most memorable triumph came on the continental stage, when the Lisbon Lions beat Inter in the final of the 1967 European Cup in Portugal's capital.
4. Penarol, Uruguay (108)
Uruguay has a rich football history, of which Penarol are a major part. Los Carboneros won their first league title in 1900 and their latest in 2018, with 48 further triumphs squeezed in between.
Penarol have also won five Copas Libertadores, emerging victorious in 1960, 1961, 1966, 1982 and 1987, as well as three Intercontinental Cups, including in 1982 when they beat Aston Villa 2-0.
3. Nacional, Uruguay (113)
Penarol, however, are not the most successful side in Uruguayan football history. That honour belongs to their arch-rivals Nacional, who have amassed five more pieces of silverware than their fellow Montevideans.
Nacional have won 47 league titles to Penarol's 50, but their overall figure is boosted by eight Copa de Competencia triumphs in the early part of the 20th century. They have also won three Copas Libertadores, three Intercontinental Cups and two Copas Sudamericana.
2. Rangers, Scotland (115)
Rangers may be the second force in Scottish football right now, but they still occupy top spot in the all-time silverware rankings. The Glaswegian giants have been crowned national champions 54 times, and have also won 33 Scottish Cups and 27 Scottish League Cups.
Like Celtic, they have just one European trophy to their name: the 1972 Cup Winners' Cup, secured with victory over Dynamo Moscow in the final.
1. Al Ahly, Egpyt (118)
The most successful club in world football as of 2020 are Egyptian heavyweights Al Ahly, who have made trophy-winning a habit since they were founded in 1907. The Cairo-based side have been crowned national champions on 41 occasions, while they have also won 36 Egypt Cups and 11 Egyptian Super Cups - all three being records.
Most impressive is their success on the continental stage. Al Ahly truly are Africa's leading club, having won eight CAF Champions Leagues (at least three more than any other side), four CAF Cup Winners' Cups and six CAF Super Cups.
