There’s nothing quite like the magic of football! It’s a sport that truly unites people from all walks of life. With an estimated four billion fans worldwide, it’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular sports on the planet. Europe is the heart of the football world, with almost every world-class footballer spending a large part of their career here in one of the top five leagues. It’s no surprise that incredible sums have been paid for these players, both in terms of transfers and salaries.
Football has long since become a lucrative business, with far more at stake each season than the trophies of various competitions. Top teams like Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are like businesses run by people who love the game. They’re also clubs with lots of fans who just want to see their team play well.
Here’s a quick look at the 18 clubs in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season.
Let’s start in the country where football was born.
When football first started in Europe, millions of pounds for transfers was unthinkable. Every fan knows that England is considered the motherland of football. In fact, British students at Cambridge University came up with the first football rules as early as 1848. In 1863, the first football association was founded in London and still exists today.
As a result, the FA also made sure to further elaborate the rules and promote football in England. This was not least about differentiating it from rugby. The first national competition, the FA Cup, was introduced as early as 1872. The first professional league, the English Football League (EFL), was founded in 1888, which today is to a certain extent the foundation of the highest division in England, the Premier League.
First clubs founded in Germany
Football was introduced to Germany by English industrialists based in the Rhineland. It took a while for club sport to gain acceptance, while gymnastics was the main form of physical exercise in this country. But don’t worry, the first clubs were founded in the 19th century, mainly at universities. Initially, however, the new sport remained a matter for the middle classes, both for reasons of available leisure time and the cost of equipment.
The German Football Association (DFB) was set up in 1900 and the first final for the German football championship was played in 1903. VfB Leipzig is still regarded as the first title winner today. FIFA, the global governing body that still exists today, was also founded in 1904. This led to further adjustments to the rules and a generally internationally applicable set of rules for football.
Professionalisation of club football
It was in Austria that football first became a proper profession. In 1924, they introduced a league for professional footballers, and in 1927, they held the first international club competition, the Mitropa Cup.
Unfortunately, the Second World War brought club sport to a standstill in almost all European countries for several years. But the clubs in Germany had to recover first. While the German national team achieved the legendary Miracle of Bern in 1954 and won the World Cup title, UEFA was also founded as a European football association in the same year.
As early as 1955, UEFA initiated the European Cup of Nations, which is regarded as the forerunner of today’s Champions League. A European Cup of Nations, or European Championship, has existed since 1960.
While transfer fees in the 5- or 6-digit range have been paid for player transfers since the 1940s, the first million-euro transfer finally took place in 1973. It was a big moment! Johan Cruyff moved from Ajax Amsterdam to FC Barcelona for the equivalent of around 2 million euros. Since then, such sums have become pretty commonplace, with further records being set right up to the 222 million euros for which the Brazilian Neymar was brought from Barcelona to Paris.
Fan culture around football and clubs
The latest developments in modern football are now the subject of constant debate. In particular, the ever-increasing amounts of money spent on transfers, hand bonuses and salaries are a source of much discussion. The decisions of the various associations also play a role here, as they tend to act more profitably than in the interests of spectators when marketing competitions, for example.
But despite this, the fascination with sport continues unabated. League, cup and European competition matches are regularly sold out, especially for the top clubs. Meanwhile, season ticket holders are among the most loyal fan groups. This also includes the so-called Ultras, who are known all over the world for their spectacular choreographies in stadiums.
Let’s talk about the most successful football clubs in Germany
When it comes to club competitions in Germany, there’s a bit of a difference. When counting championships, for example, the official side, i.e. the German Football League (DFL), only takes into account the Bundesliga from 1963 onwards. Before the league was founded, there were finals for the German championship almost every year. This meant that 1. FC Nürnberg was the record champion until 1963 with 8 titles.
It’s only fair to say that the champions of the GDR Oberliga from 1949 to 1991 are also not taken into account from the Bundesliga’s point of view.
There’s no doubt about it, the most successful German football club is the record champion and record cup winner FC Bayern Munich. It’s been a while since the 2012/2013 season, but there’s still no other German champion! Meanwhile, there have been a few surprises in the DFB Cup recently, although Bayern’s overall lead remains large.
Clubs with the most Bundesliga championships:
FC Bayern Munich | 32 Titel |
Borussia Dortmund | 5 Titel |
Borussia M’gladbach | 5 Titel |
Werder Bremen | 4 Titel |
Hamburger SV | 3 Titel |
VfB Stuttgart | 3 Titel |
Clubs with the most DFB Cup wins:
FC Bayern Munich | 20 (24 final participations) |
Werder Bremen | 6 (10) |
FC Schalke 04 | 5 (12) |
Borussia Dortmund | 5 (10) |
Eintracht Frankfurt | 5 (9) |
The most successful football clubs in Europe
Just as FC Bayern Munich is the measure of all things in German football, it is also one of the best teams in Europe. In general, the top clubs in the top 5 leagues fight it out among themselves every year to win the most important competition, the Champions League. Manchester City is currently considered one of the strongest clubs in the world, but won the Champions League title for the first time ever in 2023.
Clubs with the most Champions League titles or European Cups:
Real Madrid | 14 (bei 17 Finalteilnahmen) |
AC Mailand | 7 (11) |
FC Bayern München | 6 (11) |
FC Liverpool | 6 (10) |
FC Barcelona | 5 (8) |
The biggest clubs in football by members
When it comes to the sheer size of football clubs, reference is usually made to the number of members. FC Bayern Munich is also successful here and is considered the largest football club in the world with more than 300,000 members. It is followed by many other clubs with 6-digit membership figures:
Bayern Munich | over 300.000 Members |
Benfica Lissabon (Portugal) | 267.000 |
CA Boca Juniors (Argentinien) | 240.000 |
FC Barcelona (Spanien) | 170.000 |
Borussia Dortmund | 168.000 |
However, it’s worth mentioning that not all clubs are included in these membership figures. For instance, all professional clubs in the Premier League are organised as limited companies, which means they don’t have members in the traditional sense. Instead, it’s a great idea to take a final look at the ranking of football clubs according to their turnover. The auditing firm Deloitte listed the following for 2021:
Top 10 football clubs with the highest turnover in 2021
1. | Manchester City | 644,9 Millionen Euro |
2. | Real Madrid | 640,7 |
3. | FC Bayern Munich | 611,4 |
4. | FC Barcelona | 582,1 |
5. | Manchester United | 558,0 |
6. | Paris Saint-Germain | 556,2 |
7. | FC Liverpool | 550,4 |
8. | FC Chelsea | 493,1 |
9. | Juventus Turin | 433,5 |
10. | Tottenham Hotspur | 406,2 |