It is sometimes said in sport that the hardest thing is not getting to the top, but staying there.
After winning a major trophy, many sides struggle to maintain the same level of hunger or consistency – especially with everyone else trying even harder to catch up.
But over the years, many clubs have won titles consecutively for three, four, five, six years or sometimes even longer.
Here, a look at some of the European teams that won three or more leagues in a row…
AC Milan (three Serie A titles in a row)
AC Milan enjoyed huge success in the late 1980s and early 1990s under Arrigo Sacchi and later with Fabio Capello in charge.
European Cup winners in 1989, 1990 and 1994, Milan also came out on top in Serie A for three consecutive campaigns between 1992 and 1994.
Liverpool (three First Division titles in a row)
One of five English clubs to win three top-flight titles in a row, Liverpool achieved the feat between 1982 and 1984, also adding the European Cup in the 1983/84 campaign.
Before the Reds, two English clubs had won three consecutive league titles: Huddersfield Town between 1924 and 1926; and Arsenal from 1931 to 1933.
Manchester United (three Premier League titles in a row)
Manchester United were dominant in the Premier League under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning 13 titles between 1993 and 2013.
The Red Devils took three in a row between 1999 and 2001, before repeating that feat with another triple triumph from 2007 to 2009.
Galatasaray (four Süper Lig titles in a row)
Turkey’s Süper Lig has been dominated by Istanbul’s big three clubs, with Galatasaray the most successful of the trio in recent years.
Between 1997 and 2000, Gala took the title four times in a row, with Fatih Terim’s side also beating Arsenal on penalties to claim the UEFA Cup in the last of those campaigns.
Benfica (four Primeira Liga titles in a row)
Benfica have won more Portuguese titles than any other club and the Lisbon giants’ best run in the competition is four consecutive championships.
Starting in 2013/14, the Eagles won their 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th titles before finishing seond to Porto in the 2017/18 season. Benfica’s city rivals Sporting CP also won four titles in a row back in the 1950s.
Ajax (four Eredivisie titles in a row)
Ajax have had some wonderful sides over the years and the Amsterdam club won the Eredivisie three times in a row in the 1960s and again in the 1990s.
But the club’s record run came between 2011 and 2014, with four consecutive titles, all of those secured with Frank de Boer as coach.
PSV (four Eredivisie titles in a row)
PSV are the Eredivisie’s second-most successful club after rivals Ajax and the Red and Whites have twice racked up four domestic titles in a row.
The first of those streaks was secured between 1986 and 1989, with the great Romário at the club for the last of those seasons. And PSV went on to dominate again in the 2000s, claiming four titles on the spin between 2005 and 2008.
Paris Saint-Germain (four Ligue 1 titles in a row)
Given the huge investment at Paris Saint-Germain since the Qatari takeover in 2011, the Parisians are now expected to win Ligue 1 every season.
Champions in all but two seasons between 2012/13 and 2023/24, PSG’s best run of consecutive titles in that time is four, matching Saint-Étienne in the late 1960s and Marseille between 1989 and 1992.
Barcelona (four La Liga titles in a row)
After watching fierce rivals Real Madrid win La Liga for five seasons in a row between 1986 and 1990, Barcelona claimed the title for the next four campaigns.
Johan Cruyff’s side won four in a row between 1991 and 1994, with a couple of those titles sealed on the final day of the season. Barça also won their first European Cup in 1992, reaching the final again in 1994.
Manchester City (four Premier League titles in a row)
Manchester City won the treble in 2022/23 and although the team’s next campaign was not quite so successful, it still yielded a fourth Premier League title in a row and a sixth in seven seasons under Pep Guardiola.
City went on an impressive run in the second half of the season to pip Arsenal to the title by two points, with Liverpool in third.
Porto (five Primeira Liga titles in a row)
Only five clubs have won the Portuguese Primeira Liga in the competition’s entire history, with Benfica, Sporting CP and Porto taking home all but two of those.
Benfica are the nation’s most successful side, but Porto hold the record for the longest run of titles, with five in a row between 1995 and 1999. The Dragons also won four consecutively from 2006 to 2009.
Inter (five Serie A titles in a row)
Inter won Serie A for five consecutive seasons between 2006 and 2010, with that streak culminating in the team’s treble triumph under José Mourinho in the last of those campaigns.
The Nerazzurri had finished second behind Juventus in the 2005/06 season, but took the title due to the Calciopoli scandal, which saw the Bianconeri disqualified and demoted to Serie B.
Real Madrid (five La Liga titles in a row)
Real Madrid have more La Liga titles than any other club and Los Blancos have twice put together runs of five championships in a row.
Madrid were champions each season between 1961 and 1965 and replicated that run with the famous Quinta del Buitre side, featuring Emilio Butragueño, Hugo Sánchez and more, from 1986 to 1990.
Olympiacos (seven Greek titles in a row)
Olympiacos have been a dominant force over the years in Greek football and the Piraeus club hold the record for the most titles won consecutively.
After winning seven in a row between 1997 and 2003, Olympiacos repeated the feat with another seven from 2011 to 2017. Previously, the club had won six on the bounce in the 1950s.
Lyon (seven Ligue 1 titles in a row)
Olympique Lyonnais dominated French football in the first decade of the 2000s, winning seven straight Ligue 1 titles between 2002 and 2008.
What is even more remarkable is that those are the only league titles Lyon have won in their entire history.
Rangers (nine Scottish titles in a row)
One of two Scottish clubs to have won nine consecutive league titles, Rangers achieved the feat between 1989 and 1997.
Going for a record 10th title in the 1997/98 Scottish Premier League season, the Gers finished two points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Celtic (nine Scottish titles in a row)
Winning nine domestic titles in a row is hugely impressive in any league. In Scotland, Celtic have done it twice.
Scottish Football League Division One champions for nine straight seasons between 1966 and 1974, the Hoops repeated that feat more recently, winning the Scottish Premiership nine times on the spin from 2012 to 2020.
Juventus (nine Serie A titles in a row)
Italy’s biggest and most successful club, Juventus won nine Serie A titles in a row between 2012 and 2020.
That incredible streak finally ended in 2020/21, with the Bianconeri coming in fourth behind Inter, AC Milan and Atalanta and only just edging out Napoli for the final Champions League place.
Bayern Munich (11 Bundesliga titles in a row)
Bayern Munich’s domestic dominance has reached new levels in recent years, with the Bavarians racking up 11 consecutive league titles between 2013 and 2023.
That run was finally ended by Bayer Leverkusen in the 2023/24 season, but the record is set to stand for a very long time.
