Top 6 Premier League sides with the most UEFA Champions League winners

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Manchester United and Chelsea have won the Champions League before and still contain players that won it

The UEFA Champions League is European football's single greatest cup prize and to win it is often the pinnacle of a player's career.

It's the stage where the best compete against the best: it's often the case that players at smaller teams in smaller leagues will aim to join a team within the Champions League places of their respective league to enable them to participate in it.

The Premier League is filled with international stars, league winners, even World Cup winners but there are, surprisingly, not as many to have won the Champions League as one might think.

The teams that do have players who have won it, however, are of course improved as these players know how to play on the biggest stage of all and can bring this experience to each Premier League game. This slideshow will take a look at the top 6 Premier League teams with the most Champions League winners in their squad, with some surprising inclusions:


#6 Everton

Rooney has returned to Goodison Park a Champions League winner
Rooney has returned to Goodison Park a Champions League winner

Everton are represented by 2 players who have won the competition, Everton's returning favourite, Wayne Rooney, was an immense component of Manchester United's success at Champions League level during his time at the club.

When they won it in 2008, Rooney was their top scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo, with a solid 4 goals in 11 appearances. He scored the second in a 2-0 win in the away leg of the quarter-final against Roma; he played 101 minutes of the final victory over Chelsea.

It was Rooney's overall play that was a great part of Manchester United's team in the Champions League that season: dovetailing with Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez incredibly, the 3 struck up one of the greatest partnerships in recent memory.

A slightly lesser part of his team winning the competition, Sandro Ramirez can still boast a winner's medal to his name, after scoring 1 goal in 3 appearances during the 2014/2015 edition of the competition. His goal came in a 3-1 group stage home win over Ajax.

While Ramirez hasn't quite been given a chance to show his true abilities since joining Everton this season, it cannot be overstated just how important Rooney and his experience at the highest level will help Everton as they aim to climb the table.

#5 Southampton

ertrand boasts one of the strangest Champions League stories ever
Ryan Bertrand boasts one of the strangest Champions League stories ever

Yes, Southampton are also represented by 2 Champions League winners. What's more surprising, perhaps, are the names of the 2 players - Ryan Bertrand and Oriel Romeu.

Bertrand famously started the 2012 UEFA Champions League final for Chelsea. He was only 21 at the time, and was just starting to make a name for himself during that season for his club. He was thrust into the side at on the left wing, despite being a left-back by trade.

Even more extraordinary, Bertrand became the first player to make his debut in the Champions League final; that he coped admirably on the night, not making any poor mistakes says a lot about his ability and temperament.

Oriel Romeu, on the other hand, made 2 more appearances in the competition that same season for Chelsea, including the full game against K.R.C. Genk in the group stage. Notably, he was an unused substitute in the final.

However, both players can be proud to have left Stamford Bridge as Champions League winners.

#4 Manchester United

Manchester United v Real Salt Lake
Carrick has been at Manchester United for over a decade now

Perhaps a surprising amount for a club of this size, but Manchester United can only boast of 2 Champions League winners in their current side. They were both, it must be said, vital parts of each success.

Michael Carrick was a starting midfielder for the Red Devils during the 2007/2008 campaign. He was the calm presence that allowed Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo to express themselves ahead of him.

Carrick played in all 12 games of the campaign, including the full 120 minutes of the final; he also scored his penalty in the decisive shootout win over Chelsea.

The other, is Juan Mata. While playing for league rivals Chelsea, Juan Mata was one of their most important players as they shocked European football to win in 2012. They were managed by rookie manager Roberto Di Matteo, and were struggling in the league and were without colossal Captain John Terry for the final.

Mata, however, stepped up to the plate, scoring 2 times in 12 appearances; it was from his corner kick that Didier Drogba scored the equalizer to take the final into extra time.

This season, Manchester United seem to be at their strongest in terms of their chances in the Champions League, as compared to the last few seasons, so Jose Mourinho will need Carrick and Mata to perform when called upon.

#3 Manchester City

Manchester City v Burnley - The Emirates FA Cup Third Round
Bravo is an experienced goalkeeper to have on the bench

Manager Guardiola is a 3-time winner of the UEFA Champions League himself as a player and a manager, so it's no surprise that he has looked to fill his squad with players who have experienced success in the competition, with a total of 3 Champions League winners within City's ranks

As soon as he arrived in Manchester, he brought in goalkeeper Claudio Bravo from Barcelona: although the Chilean has struggled greatly since joining, not adapting to English league football at all, he has a Champions League winner's medal despite not starting any games in the 2014/2015 campaign.

City legend Yaya Toure also won the Champions League with Barcelona, back in 2009. He was a vital part of the team's midfield during this season, the starting defensive midfielder behind Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

Lastly, new recruit Danilo helped Real Madrid to success in the competition in the last 2 campaigns. He played 7 times in the 2015/2016 edition, with a reduced role last season when he made only 3 appearances.

While these 3 aren't regular starters for Guardiola this season, it's worthwhile to have Champions League winners on the bench to provide experience if and when needed.

#2 Stoke City

Fletcher provides Stoke with a wealth of top-level experience
Darren Fletcher provides Stoke City with a wealth of top-level experience

The biggest surprise on this list, Stoke City has a remarkable total of 4 Champions League winners in their squad, despite spending most of their time in the bottom half of the league table.

It would have been even more if Bojan Krkic hadn't departed the club over the summer (a winner with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011). Of the players still at the club, all 4 were mostly peripheral figures in their respective teams' triumphs.

In England, Darren Fletcher played 6 times during Manchester United's successful 2007/2008 campaign. He was an unused substitute in the final but played his part from the bench when called upon bolstering the midfield defensively.

In Germany, Xherdan Shaqiri won a Champions League medal in his first season with Bayern Munich. While restricted to just 7 appearances, his did win the man of the match award for providing a goal and assists in the group stage against BATE Borisov in a 4-1 win.

Recent arrival Jese Rodriguez has a surprising 2 winners' medals from his time at Real Madrid (2014 and 2016), although he only contributed 1 goal in 14 appearances, due to his youth at the time.

At Real's arch-rivals Barcelona, Ibrahim Afellay played 6 times in the 2010/2011 season, appearing in both the quarter final and semi-final stages. Afellay struggled overall during his time at the Camp Nou, mostly due to injuries, but he can always say that he contributed his small part to that incredible season under Guardiola.

#1 Chelsea

Chelsea v Norwich City - The Emirates FA Cup Third Round Replay
The Brazilian is a popular figure at Stamford Bridge

Defending Premier League champions Chelsea also boast of 4 UEFA Champions League winners in their squad.

In fact, Chelsea won the Champions League as recently as in 2012, and 2 of the players that helped them then still remain at the club: David Luiz returned to Stamford Bridge after a brief spell at Paris Saint-Germain, while Gary Cahill has been an ever-present entity over the last 5 seasons.

The two partnered each other at centre-back in 2012 as Chelsea edged out Bayern Munich on penalties. They faced an amazing 35 shots from their German opposition but helped limit them to only 7 on target; the defensive pairing were a massive part in Chelsea's success.

The club's 2 other Champions League winners come from Spain, on opposite sides of the 'big 2'. Pedro won the title with Barcelona an incredible 3 times: mainly a substitute in 2009 and 2015, he was an integral part of their triumph in 2011, contributing an impressive 5 goals in 12 appearances.

He even scored in Barcelona's classic 3-1 win over Manchester United in that year's final.

With Real Madrid, current Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata won the Champions League twice, similar to Pedro in that he was a small participant in 1 win, but Morata was a crucial player in another. In last season's success, Morata scored 3 goals in 9 appearances, a solid return considering that he wasn't the starting forward.

After a year's absence from the competition, Antonio Conte will be hoping that these players' combined experience will help the club as they navigate through the Champions League knockout stages from February.

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Edited by Aakanksh Sanketh