Before the 2022 Chinese Super League and men's football leagues at all levels began, as many as four football clubs have already retreated, namely Qingdao Huanghai in the Chinese Super League, Guizhou Hengfeng in the Chinese First Division, and Sichuan Minzu and Xiamen Ludao in the Chinese Second Division. The successive withdrawals of these soccer teams have also hit Chinese football dreams of developing professional leagues. The slogan of building a century-old club, under the leadership of public welfare football, is already a dream of Huang Liang!
On the contrary, European football has a history of more than 100 years, and in a long period of historical development, countless centenary clubs have emerged, which although there are few champions, have been brilliant in a short period of time. Today we are going to take stock of clubs who have more intercontinental championship honors than league champions or even domestic champions.
1. Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C. is a football club based in the East Midlands, England, currently playing in the English Football Champions League (Second Division). In 1978, under the leadership of Nigel Kraft, the team won the top league for the first and only time and qualified for the 1979 European Champions Cup, resulting in the team's first participation in the Champions League, and it was a black end, defeating Swedish team Malmö in the final to win the 1979 European Champions Cup. The following year as the defending champion, in the final of the 1980 European Champions Cup, he defeated the German team Hamburg, successfully defended the title, and in 1980 defeated Spain's Barcelona FC to win the European Super Cup. Currently in the club's honours, it has also become one of the few clubs in Europe to have more intercontinental champions than league champions.
2. Brazil International
Sport Club Internacional, a Brazilian club based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, was founded on 4 April 1909. As a non-Brazilian traditional top five football club (flamenco, Santos, São Paulo, Palmeiras, Corinthians), it is even more difficult to win the domestic championship. The team has only won three domestic league titles in the centenary history of the 100-year-old Bajia League. But in the South American arena, it can be described as a spring breeze. In 2006 and 2010, he defeated São Paulo in his own country and Guadalajara in Mexico to win the Copa Libertadores, and in 2008, he defeated: Ucéto de la Plata in Argentina to win the South American Cup. In addition, the team won the 2006 Club World Cup and the 2007 South American Cup Winners' Cup. At present, the number of intercontinental championships of the team is equal to the number of league titles, which is also an alternative team in South American football!
3. Villarreal
Villarreal Club de Fútbol S.A.D. is a professional football club in the Valencia region of Spain. The club played in the lower Spanish leagues as a regional team for many years from its founding in 1923 until 1998, at the end of the last century, when the team was promoted to the first division for the first time in its history. The team's current best result in the Spanish Football League is runner-up, with a cup result of 8. But the european team has left a deep mark on the world. As a team from a small town of less than 50,000 people, it won the continental championship honor for the first time in the 2020-2021 Europa League final against the Premier League giants Manchester United. In addition, the team has also reached the top four of the Champions League twice, and has reached the top four of the Champions League this season, and looks forward to continuing to break through in this year's Champions League final!
4. Chapecones
Chapecones F.C. was founded in 1973 and has played in the lower divisions for a long time. Chapecuerns has won the state championship a total of 5 times, but has never won a national championship. On 29 November 2016, Chapecones suffered an 11.29 Columbia airport crash in which 22 first-team players were on board the chapecense club, and only three players survived. On December 1, 2016, in order to comfort the world, THE CONFEDA announced that it would award the South American Cup to Chapecense with the consent of The National Athletic of Colombia, the final opponent of the South American Cup.
5. Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C., AIM: TTNM is one of the teams in the English Premier League. Founded in 1882, its home stadium is at White Hart Lane in Tottenham, North London. The club has won the league twice in its history, which is a humble honour in The history of England. However, in Europe, the team performed well, beating Atletico Madrid in Spain in 1963 to win the European Cup Winners' Cup, the first team in the United Kingdom to win the European championship. He defeated his own team Wolfhampton Anderlecht in 1971-72 and 1983-84 respectively to win the UEFA Cup and three intercontinental titles. On 2 June 2019, Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-0 to Liverpool and missed the 18-19 Champions League.
6. Chelsea
It is hard to imagine that Chelsea, who have won three major European cups, are also among the intercontinental champions who are greater than or equal to the league champions. Founded on 14 March 1905, the club's home stadium is located at Stamford Bridge near the River Thames in London's Hammersmith Fulham district. Chelsea have won six english top-flight titles (1 in the old League One and 5 in the Premier League), while in Europe they beat Bayern Munich and Manchester City in 2011-2012 and 2020-2021 to win the Champions League; in 1970–1971 and 1997–1998 they won the European Cup Winners' Cup; 2012–2013. In the 2018-2019 season, he defeated Portuguese giants Benfica and London rivals Arsenal to win the Europa League and win the European Championship six times, making it the only football club in European football to achieve three cup double-round Grand Slams! The team also won the European Super Cup and club world cup three times. (To be continued!) ）
At present, there are tens of thousands of football clubs in the world, and while spreading sports culture, they also pass on the competitive spirit of football to everyone. These four clubs, although the current situation is different, have left a brilliant name in history!