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England has pride of place in being the country where football was invented. It is also home to the oldest club and cup competition in the world as well as by far the most followed and marketable league on the planet.
However, while the Premier League might be more lucrative and appealing, the FA Cup is actually the older of the two, with the first-ever edition taking place way back in 1871.
The financial rewards and marketing of the Premier League, as well as higher incentives such as qualification for the UEFA Champions League means that fans and managers more often than not take the Premier League more seriously, with the FA Cup being seen as an unnecessary distraction, thereby using it as mostly a platform to try out untested players or give squad players a run in.
However, despite its reduction in appeal, the FA Cup is still a magical competition, which gives the lesser teams from lower leagues a shot at competing and sometimes shocking the bigger teams, while also serving us some of the most memorable moments in the history of the game such as Ryan Giggs spectacular solo goal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final victory over Arsenal or Steven Gerrard's Liverpool inspired triumph in 2006.
In celebration of the oldest cup competition in the world, this piece would be taking a look at the six most successful clubs (by the number of trophies won) in the history of the FA Cup.
#6 Aston Villa
Seven FA Cup wins (1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957)
Once among the most dominant teams in England, Aston Villa have fallen a long way off their previous heights and currently find themselves playing in the Championship, having been relegated from the Premier League some seasons ago.
Though newer generations of football fans might be more familiar with seeing the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal battle it out for the top honours in England, it has not always been so, as once upon a time, Aston Villa were firmly in the upper echelons of England.
The club is one of the most decorated in English football history and are one of only five clubs from the land of the Queen to have won the European Cup, doing so in 1982, while their seven FA Cup wins is only bettered by four clubs.
Though fans of Villa might be used to a different reality now, they only need look at the club's trophy cabinet as a reminder of what used to be.
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#5 Liverpool
Seven FA Cup wins (1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006)
For so long, Liverpool was unarguably the most successful club in England, having won the league title more times than anyone. However, the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson has changed all that, as the Scotsman made good on his promise to knock The Reds off their perch.
The club can, however, still point to their European Cup haul which is still more than anyone else as a sign of their superiority, while they also boast a healthy record of seven FA Cup wins, the last of which came in 2006 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, in what is widely referred to as the Steven Gerrard final.
Having suffered major blips in recent years and becoming a laughing stock among rival fans, Liverpool are once more firmly established among the big guns in England and have been on an upward trajectory ever since the appointment of Jurgen Klopp.
#4 Tottenham
Eight FA Cup wins (1901, 1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1982, 1991)
The biggest small team or the smallest big team? football fans have had a hard time classifying Tottenham over the years due to their penchant for going all the way but not quite crossing the finish line when it matters most.
The club have always been in and around the big boys but undoubtedly had their most glorious spell in the 1960s, when the club's Golden Generation of players won a plethora of titles including the double in 1961 and three FA Cups in that decade.
Since then, the club's trophy cabinet has been sparsely added to, with their last triumph in the FA Cup coming way back in 1991, while they have not won any league title since the aforementioned double.
As a matter of fact, the last trophy of any kind which the club won was the League Cup victory in 2008, while there have been multiple near misses since then in both the EPL and Cup competitions.
Tottenham have been steadily progressing in recent years, led by the management of Mauricio Pochettino and inspired by young players such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son among others.
And it only remains for a trophy to be won to serve as validation for their efforts and with the FA Cup representing the best opportunity for silverware, there is a high possibility that they could add to their eight triumphs in the nearest future.
#3 Chelsea
Eight FA Cup wins (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018)
Arguably the most successful English club of the last 15 years, Chelsea saw a massive upturn in their fortunes following their 2003 takeover by billionaire Roman Abramovich, with the Russian going on a spending spree which saw him mold the club into not just English but also European superpowers.
A common jibe among rival fans is that The Blues had no history before the arrival of Abramovich and this much is evident in the manner of their FA Cup wins, as a cursory glance at the years of their triumphs shows that five of their eight victories came after Abramovich took over the club, which is the same story with their triumphs in other competitions.
With the London club still having some of the best players in the world within its ranks, such as Eden Hazard, as well as the clout to attract even more world-class players, fans of Chelsea can be confident that the club's dominance would still continue for some time yet.
#2 Manchester United
12 FA Cup wins (1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2016)
The 1990 FA Cup win would always be significant for Manchester United fans, as beyond being the club's first trophy in almost a decade, it also reportedly helped Sir Alex Ferguson keep his job, as things had not always been rosy in the Old Trafford dugout for the legendary manager, with him being given an ultimatum with the 1990 FA Cup.
As it happened, Lee Martin's goal helped the club win the rematch 1-0 as well as keeping Ferguson his job and the rest, as they say, is history.
In addition to that dramatic 1990 triumph, United have also won the FA Cup on 11 other occasions (including the 1999 edition that was part of the unique treble won by the club), which is more than all but one other club have managed to do, while also being the most successful side in terms of league trophies won.
#1 Arsenal
13 FA Cup wins (1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017)
Though Arsenal might be faltering in the league, having not won an EPL title for almost 15 years, in the FA Cup it is an entirely different ballgame.
The Gunners have triumphed in the Cup a total of 13 times (a national record), seven of which came under legendary former manager Arsene Wenger (which is also a national record for a manager).
The Emirates side ended an eight-year wait for a major trophy with their 2014 triumph over Hull City and that was the start of their recent dominance in the FA Cup, going on to win two of the next three editions.
The strength of their rivals in the EPL means that the Premier League might be a step too high for them to reach and as such just like their North London neighbours, the FA Cup might be their only realistic chance they have at domestic silverware hence do not be surprised to see them further extend their record-breaking number of triumphs in the FA Cup.
