Real Madrid have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the Champions League ever since the tournament launched as the European Champion Clubs' Cup in the 1950s.
Legends have been born and records have been broken, with the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano, Raul and Cristiano Ronaldo conjuring up memorable moments for Madridistas over the years.
So, how many times have they actually won the competition? Goal brings you the full list of titles and more.
On this page
- How many Champions Leagues have Real Madrid won?
- Were Real Madrid allowed to keep the Champions League trophy?
- Which teams have won the most Champions Leagues?
- What other European titles have Real Madrid won?
How many European Cups & Champions League have Real Madrid won?
Real Madrid have won the European Cup (now Champions League) on 13 occasions, making the Spanish giants the most successful team in the competition's history.
Their first-ever European Cup triumph came in the 1955-56 season and it was the beginning of a record run whereby they won the tournament for five seasons in a row.
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Having been the dominant force in European football during the 1950s, and to a lesser extent in the 1960s, Madrid had to wait until the late-1990s before they were once again at the top.
They had to wait a remarkable 32 years before they could get their hands on the Champions League crown, finally ending the drought in 1998 under the guidance of Jupp Heynckes.
Carlo Ancelotti famously delivered 'La Decima' - Real Madrid's 10th Champions League title - in 2013-14 before Zinedine Zidane led them to three Champions Leagues in a row from 2015-16 to 2017-18.
You can see the full list of Real Madrid's European Cup and Champions League wins in the table below.
| Title | Year | Final | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1955-56 | Real Madrid 4-3 Reims | Jose Villalonga Llorente |
| 2 | 1956-57 | Real Madrid 2-0 Fiorentina | Jose Villalonga Llorente |
| 3 | 1957-58 | Real Madrid 3-2 AC Milan (AET) | Luis Carniglia |
| 4 | 1958-59 | Real Madrid 2-0 Reims | Luis Carniglia |
| 5 | 1959-60 | Real Madrid 7-3 Eintracht Frankfurt | Miguel Munoz |
| 6 | 1965-66 | Real Madrid 2-1 Partizan | Miguel Munoz |
| 7 | 1997-98 | Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus | Jupp Heynckes |
| 8 | 1999-00 | Real Madrid 3-0 Valencia | Vicente del Bosque |
| 9 | 2001-02 | Real Madrid 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen | Vicente del Bosque |
| 10* | 2013-14 | Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid (AET) | Carlo Ancelotti |
| 11 | 2015-16 | Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid (5-3P) | Zinedine Zidane |
| 12 | 2016-17 | Real Madrid 4-1 Juventus | Zinedine Zidane |
| 13 | 2017-18 | Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool | Zinedine Zidane |
Key: * 'La Decima' | AET - after extra time | P - game won on penalties.
In 2018, Zidane became the first and only Real Madrid head coach to win three Champions Leagues, doing what could not be achieved by iconic figures such as Vicente Del Bosque and Miguel Munoz.
As well as their 13 successful final appearances, the club have competed in three further finals - coming out on the losing side in 1962 (against Benfica), 1964 (against Inter) and 1981 (against Liverpool).
The closest team to Real Madrid in terms of success in the Champions League is AC Milan, with seven titles, followed by Bayern Munich and Liverpool, with six titles each.
Madrid's perennial Clasico rivals Barcelona lag well behind with five Champions Leagues in their trophy cabinet, though they have enjoyed similar levels of success in the post-1992 'Champions League era'.
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Were Real Madrid allowed to keep the Champions League trophy?
Real Madrid have a genuine version of the Champions League trophy thanks to an old rule that was in place which allowed teams to keep the silverware if they won it five times in total or three times in a row.
An exclusive club of teams has won the trophy for themselves, with Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool and AC Milan joining Los Blancos.
The rule was scrapped from 2009 on and nowadays clubs are rewarded with a replica trophy, with UEFA keeping the original.
Which teams have won the most Champions Leagues?
| Rank | Club | Titles won | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 13 | 3 |
| 2 | AC Milan | 7 | 4 |
| =3 | Bayern Munich | 6 | 5 |
| =3 | Liverpool | 6 | 3 |
| 5 | Barcelona | 5 | 3 |
*As of the 2019-20 season.
What other European titles have Real Madrid won?
While the European Cup / Champions League has been Real Madrid's favoured competition, they have also collected a few other European titles over the years.
Los Blancos have been crowned UEFA Cup (forerunner to the Europa League) champions on two occasions - in successive seasons in the mid-1980s.
They won the 1985 UEFA Cup final against Hungarian side Videoton with a 3-1 aggregate victory and then beat German outfit Koln in the 1986 final, emerging with a 5-3 aggregate win.
In addition to the UEFA Cup and Champions League, Real Madrid have also won the UEFA Super Cup - the meeting between Champions League and Europa League winners, founded in the 1970s - four times.
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