Winning trophies is the end goal, right?

Some teams have been accustomed to winning their domestic leagues multiple times on the bounce, while some enjoyed their glory years in a time when some readers may not have been alive and kicking.

But still, there is a knack to becoming perennial winners and there are just certain teams that have that knack.

Granted, there are teams that instantly spring to mind thanks to their exploits on both a domestic and European stage – but there are some in the upper echelons purely because, well, they are the top dogs in their respective countries.

Collecting silverware is a measure of footballing success in its simplest form, though we do understand there is more to 'The Beautiful Game' than just hoarding trophies year-on-year.

With that being said, we’ve taken a look at the top 10 teams in Europe – purely in the 21st century – that have won the most trophies. Read on to see whether your favourite team has made the cut.

10 Liverpool – 18 trophies

The Merseysiders have been the most dominant English force in the Champions League since the start of time and have continued this into the 21st century, picking up the most prestigious honour on two occasions.

Liverpool were an English force to be reckoned with before the Premier League’s inception as they became the champions of the country 18 times, but have only won one Premier League since its inception which came in 2019/20.

Undeniably, their unforeseen triumph on the biggest stage of all in the 2005 Champions League final is one that will stand the test of time and be regarded as one of the greatest finals for as long as the competition lives.

9 Inter Milan – 20 trophies

Inter Milan have got one up on their city rivals AC Milan in terms of their post-2000 trophy haul.

With six trophies for the Serie A, Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup also won, Inter Milan have established themselves as worthy members of this all-exclusive list.

The Milan-based outfit came whiskers away from succeeding in the Champions League again last term but were beaten at the last hurdle by Manchester City who – in turn – top them on this list by one trophy. Fine margins, eh?

8 Manchester City – 21 trophies

This story would paint an entirely different picture had it focused on Manchester City’s success pre-2000 but since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008, the rise of the football club has been a spectacle to behold as the little-known club have become a household name.

Thanks to their recent UEFA Super Cup win, they have now won 21 trophies in the new millennium, with 13 of them made up of seven Premier League trophies and six Carabao Cups.

Pep Guardiola has almost matched their cross-city rivals Manchester United’s Premier League tally and will look to do so this season and could even set a fresh record of winning four English top-flight titles on the trot.

7 Juventus – 23 trophies

Since 2000, the Old Lady have seen success in a whopping 11 Serie A seasons, but that comes as little surprise, despite their last win coming in 2019/20.

They are notoriously known in the Italian football sphere to be imperious at winning the title with 36 behind them since the league’s inception in 1929/30.

It is, however, their lack of success on the European stage that let them down considering they failed to taste Champions League silverware in recent times, though their glittering success in the Italian Cup (five wins) and the Italian Super Cup (seven wins) make them the most decorated team from Italy.

6 Chelsea – 23 trophies

Having won one trophy for every year since the beginning of the 21st century, Chelsea sit in sixth spot just two successes behind fellow Premier League side Manchester United.

Five Premier League trophies, six FA Cup wins and three wins apiece in the Community Shield and the Carabao Cup are the major contributors towards their success, but it’ll take some doing to fend off Manchester City from nicking their spot as Guardiola has shown no signs of slowing down.

They also have two Champions Leagues added to their post-2000 CV, too, with their latest coming being their unforeseen triumph in 2020/21.

5 Manchester United – 25 trophies

Manchester United have become one of the most prominent English figures in world football, but their time in Europe has been less than fruitful since 2000 with only one Champions League triumph to their name.

Meanwhile – for now at least – their eight Premier League wins, alongside seven Community Shields, two FA Cups and five Carabao Cup wins make them the most dominant team from English shores.

Fans of the Old Trafford faithful will be concerned by the success of their neighbours and may feel as if their spot as England’s most imperious winners since 2000 is under threat.

4 Paris Saint-Germain – 34 trophies

Buoyed by their domestic dominance, the Paris-based outfit have plundered 34 trophies in the 21st century. Similarly to Juventus, there is one final trophy left to bless their trophy cabinet and that is the Champions League, commonly known as the ‘holy grail’ in club football.

PSG do have many French-based trophies to their name: nine Ligue 1’s, nine French Cups, seven French League Cups and another nine French Supercups.

Being known as the dominant force for their country is all well and good but the Parc de Princes club will have their eyes on Champions League glory while Kylian Mbappé still dons the club’s colours.

3 Real Madrid – 36 trophies

Their impressive trophy tally consists of many trophies from all sorts of different avenues and, therefore, earn them a rightful spot in the top 3, although they are just one short of matching Barcelona’s respective bundle.

Considering its fair share of success, Madrid are a club worthy of a spot on this list and have their 36 trophy haul – but more importantly their plethora of talent at their disposal - to thank.

They have been the most imperious side in world football in the Champions League during this period and have fared well in Spain, too, by picking up eight La Liga titles. Oh, and not forgetting, their Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup wins, in which they have 10 between them.

No club in the list has more FIFA World Cup trophies to their name either with Barcelona and Bayern Munich in close second with three apiece.

2 FC Barcelona – 37 trophies

Just one trophy in front are Barcelona, who are widely known as one of the most successful teams in the wonderful world of football, and their success during the 21st century paints a similar story. Especially considering they have four Champions Leagues and 11 La Liga trophies under their belt!

Only their El Clasico rivals Real Madrid have had more success in Europe than them, but they outscore their Madrid counterparts in terms of La Liga success with three more titles in the bank since 2000.

Meanwhile, they have also bettered their Madrid-based rivals in Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup wins which, in turn, help them to become the most decorated side from Spain in the last 23 years.

1 Bayern Munich – 48 trophies

Winning 48 trophies since the turn of the millennium is some achievement, albeit 18 of those being Bundesliga. To put that feat into perspective, the Bavarian club have only missed out on domestic glory five times since 2000 and have a plethora of trophies to go alongside that, too.

Three Champions League triumphs have swung their way since then as well while the German giants have been imperious in cup competitions, winning the DFB-Pokal 11 times.

It should come as little surprise that Bayern top the list and their figures may only continue to rise with former Tottenham Hotspur marksman Harry Kane now leading their line.

You can view the full graphic below, which outlines which teams have won what trophies since 2000.