'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Champions League has never been an easy tournament, even for the best of clubs. With Europe's top teams fighting for the trophy, it has always been an interesting affair.
Last season, Chelsea surprised many by winning the tournament under new manager Thomas Tuchel. As always, the competition is full of surprises and disappointments.
The Champions League has its own charm
One of the main reasons why the Champions League is so popular is how it encourages underdogs to step up. The likes of Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Sevilla and many other underrated clubs have shown their true strengths in the tournament.
Such teams are responsible for the losses of some of the top teams in the history of the tournament. Well-known clubs have registered a good number of defeats and here, we take a look at those teams.
#5 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have had the pleasure of winning the Champions League six times. The Bavarian club have had a strong influence on the tournament over the years.
So far, Bayern have qualified for the competition 34 times in their history, playing 368 matches in the process so far. More often than not, the German club have been pretty dominant in their fixtures but sometimes things haven't gone their way.
Despite having the second-most number of wins (220) in the tournament, Bayern Munich have lost nine times in the round of 16. With an incredible team at their disposal this season, it will surely be difficult to make this count to 10 as they take on Red Bull Salzburg.
#4 FC Porto
Being the second-most decorated club in Portugal, it sure adds a lot of responsibility on FC Porto to perform well in the other leagues. Luckily, they have done quite well in Europe over the years.
Porto remain the most decorated Portuguese team in international competitions. They have won the Champions League twice, the Europa League twice, and the UEFA Super Cup once. They have participated in the Champions League 29 times, one more than Manchester United.
In this great European tournament, they have managed to play 261 matches so far. The Dragons have gone on to lose 10 times in the round of 16 and will be hoping to work on it whenever they get the chance. They were knocked out of the group stages this season and will be looking to improve next time around.
#3 Chelsea
The 2020-21 Champions League winners have had a fantastic time ever since Roman Abramovich took over club's ownership in 2003. Chelsea have enjoyed tremendous success under the ownership of the Russian and are not stopping any time soon.
The London club have so far played 187 matches in the Champions League yet have managed to win it twice. Chelsea may have found qualifying for the tournament difficult earlier on, but once they did, they made it count.
Amazingly, the Blues have scored 322 goals so far in the league. Chelsea have lost 10 times in the round of 16 despite playing much lesser games than any other team on this list. This speaks volumes of how good the club has been in getting beyond the knockout stages.
#2 Arsenal
If there was one thing that Arsenal fans would have very much longed for, it would be the Champions League trophy. The Gunners came agonizingly close to winning when they qualified for the finals of the 2005-06 season and lost 2-1 to FC Barcelona.
Since then, it has been a massive struggle for Arsenal to even qualify for the competition. The North London club have failed to play in the tournament ever since the 2016-17 season.
To date, the Gunners have participated in the Champions League 17 times and lost 13 times in the round of 16. Somehow, they have failed to capitalize in the knockout stages. It seems very uncertain as to when Arsenal will finally be able to win the tournament.
#1 Real Madrid
No other team has won the Champions League more times than Real Madrid. Los Blancos have been super dominant in the history of the tournament, having won it a record 13 times.
They have won it four times in the last decade and five times in the 21st century. With their star-studded squad, Real Madrid are always one of the strongest contenders to win it. The Spanish giants have so far played 458 matches, the most ever by any club in the competition.
With more games come more goals as has been the case with Real Madrid. Los Blancos have scored 1003 goals so far in the tournament yet have lost 13 times in the round of 16. They have managed to bounce back from a loss in a single leg and that is why they are the most successful in this competition.
