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In association football, the Big Five are the markets of England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. As of 2026[update], they are the five European leaders in size and popularity of the main domestic football leagues – the Premier League, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A, and La Liga respectively in men's football, and the Women's Super League, Première Ligue, Frauen-Bundesliga, Serie A, and Liga F respectively in women's football.
The Premier League in England is the most financially lucrative league; it generates billions in revenue annually and holds the largest worldwide audience.[1] The Premier League is also known for being home to the "Big Six" teams.[2] The Bundesliga in Germany is celebrated for its high attendance rates and fan engagement.[3][4][5] La Liga in Spain is the home to the clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the largest clubs in the world with a combined 20 Champions Leagues between them.[1][6] Italy's Serie A is known for its tactical sophistication.[7] France's Ligue 1 is considered the smallest of the "Big Five",[8] holding the smallest audience and financial standing of the five. It is most known for producing and enriching young talent, as well as its largest club, Paris Saint-Germain.[9]
In women's football, these leagues have been pivotal in increasing the sport's visibility and professional standards. The Women's Super League in England and Frauen-Bundesliga in Germany are among the top destinations for elite female footballers, contributing significantly to the growth of the sport.[10] Spain's Liga F, Italy's Serie A, and France's Division 1 Feminine have made substantial strides in professionalizing women's football and drawing in larger audiences and sponsorships.[11]
Summary
[edit]Men's competitions
[edit]| Leagues | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | League | Champions | |||||||
| Most titles | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | 2023–24 | 2022–23 | 2021–22 | ||||
 England |
Premier League | Manchester United (20) Liverpool (20) |
Arsenal | Liverpool | Manchester City | ||||
 France |
Ligue 1 | Paris Saint-Germain (14) | Paris Saint-Germain | ||||||
 Germany |
Bundesliga | Bayern Munich (35) | Bayern Munich | Bayer Leverkusen | Bayern Munich | ||||
 Italy |
Serie A | Juventus (36) | Inter Milan | Napoli | Inter Milan | Napoli | Milan | ||
 Spain |
La Liga | Real Madrid (36) | Barcelona | Real Madrid | Barcelona | Real Madrid | |||
| Cups | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Cup | Winners | |||||||
| Most titles | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | 2023–24 | 2022–23 | 2021–22 | ||||
| England |
FA Cup | Arsenal (14) | Manchester City | Crystal Palace | Manchester United | Manchester City | Liverpool | ||
| France |
Coupe de France | Paris Saint-Germain (16) | Lens | Paris Saint-Germain | Toulouse | Nantes | |||
| Germany |
DFB-Pokal | Bayern Munich (21) | Bayern Munich | VfB Stuttgart | Bayer Leverkusen | RB Leipzig | |||
| Italy |
Coppa Italia | Juventus (15) | Inter Milan | Bologna | Juventus | Inter Milan | |||
| Spain |
Copa del Rey | Barcelona (32) | Real Sociedad | Barcelona | Athletic Bilbao | Real Madrid | Real Betis | ||
| League cups | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Cup | Champions | |||||||
| Most titles | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | 2023–24 | 2022–23 | 2021–22 | ||||
| England |
EFL Cup | Liverpool (10) | Manchester City | Newcastle United | Liverpool | Manchester United | Liverpool | ||
Women's competitions
[edit]| Leagues | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | League | Champions | |||||||
| Most titles | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | 2023–24 | 2022–23 | 2021–22 | ||||
| England |
Women's Super League | Arsenal (15) | Manchester City | Chelsea | |||||
| France |
Première Ligue | Lyon (19) | Lyon | ||||||
| Germany |
Frauen-Bundesliga | Bayern Munich (7) Eintracht Frankfurt (7) VfL Wolfsburg (7) |
Bayern Munich | VfL Wolfsburg | Bayern Munich | ||||
| Italy |
Serie A Femminile | Torres (7) | Roma | Juventus | Roma | Juventus | |||
| Spain |
Liga F | Barcelona (11) | Barcelona | ||||||
| Cups | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Cup | Champions | |||||
| Most titles | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | 2023–24 | 2022–23 | 2021–22 | ||
| England |
Women's FA Cup | Arsenal (14) | Manchester City | Chelsea | Manchester United | Chelsea | |
| France |
Coupe de France Féminine | Lyon (11) | Lyon | Paris FC | Paris Saint-Germain | Lyon | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Germany |
DFB-Pokal Frauen | VfL Wolfsburg (11) | Bayern Munich | VfL Wolfsburg | |||
| Italy |
Coppa Italia Femminile | Torres (8) | Roma | Juventus | Roma | Juventus | |
| Spain |
Copa de la Reina | Barcelona (12) | Barcelona | Atlético Madrid | Barcelona | ||
| League cups | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Cup | Champions | |||||||
| Most titles | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | 2023–24 | 2022–23 | 2021–22 | ||||
| England |
Women's League Cup | Arsenal (7) | Chelsea | Arsenal | Manchester City | ||||
| France |
Coupe LFFP | Lyon (1) | Lyon | N/a | |||||
Market
[edit]| No. | Market Leaders | Revenues (€ billion) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Five top-leagues | 22.4 | 49% |
| 2 | All non-Big Five leagues | 10.9 | 23.9% |
| 3 | FIFA, UEFA, and national associations | 7.3 | 16% |
| 4 | Big Five countries’ other leagues | 5.1 | 11.2% |
| Revenue from the top national leagues in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain Revenue from all professional leagues (except top division) in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain Revenue from all national leagues in all other 50 UEFA associations outside the Big Five Total cumulative European revenues of FIFA, UEFA and national associations | |||
 |
Driven by the boost from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, revenue in the European football market grew by 16% in the 2022–23 season, reaching €35.3 billion. The Big Five domestic leagues continued to dominate, generating €19.6 billion—or 56%—of the total market.[13][14] According to Deloitte, their combined revenue is projected to rise to €22.4 billion for the 2026–27 season, accounting for 49% of the market.[12]
In the Big Five leagues, broadcast revenue has traditionally been the primary source of income for clubs; however, its sluggish growth in the early 2020s has led many clubs to pursue greater control over both their earnings and how they expand them. The 2022–23 season saw record-breaking matchday (€2.8bn) and commercial (€7.6bn) revenues.[15] Within the Big Five, England's Premier League is considerably larger than the other four in terms of both popularity and wealth, with both factors influencing the other; league wealth is mostly derived from selling broadcasting rights to global markets based on the league's popularity worldwide, with competing bids. The German Bundesliga enjoys the highest average match attendance, while brand value is strongest in the main teams of Spain's La Liga, namely Real Madrid and Barcelona.[13]
The UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations significantly enhanced the financial performance of European football. These regulations eradicated overdue payables and converted an aggregate net loss of EUR 1.7 billion in 2010–11 into a net profit of EUR 579 million in 2016–17. Additionally, net equity positions, reflecting the balance sheet solvency or financial health of European first division clubs, have markedly improved over the past decade, as in the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of net equity for the Big Five leagues, which has ranged from 7.5% in England to 17.9% in France.[1]
In December 2012, Bleacher Report noted that the Big Five all benefit from having "developed their own 'brand' of how football should be played."[16] The website suggested that the Netherlands' top league Eredivisie was considered similarly to the Big Five in footballing terms, but did not reach the same popularity or funding levels because it is overlooked by international fans in favour of the Five.[16]
Quality
[edit]The Big Five are seen as the collective leagues where the best players in the world go to develop and shine,[16] and it is accepted that the Big Five "represent the pinnacle of European football". Football fans, particularly in different regions, often debate the quality of each league compared to the others.[17] As of 2024[update], the Big Five lead the UEFA coefficient for both men's and women's domestic leagues in Europe.[18][19]
The coefficient ranks on performance of domestic teams in European competitions; football analytics website Breaking the Lines suggested that the continued dominance of the Big Five in the coefficient for men's football relies on teams from other nations – which may be as good or better than Big Five teams when fielding their best XI – thinking there is more security in aiming for domestic titles rather than European ones, and Big Five teams having the resources available to perform in both.[17] The dominance of recent times is particularly evident in the most prestigious club competition in European football in the UEFA Champions League, in which only teams from the Big Five have participated in the finals since the 2004 final, where Porto has been the last club outside the Big Five competing in a final.[20] In terms of national teams, they are also the only five European nations that have won the FIFA World Cup.[21]
Women's football has been less consistently centralised and, in Europe, has also been strong in Scandinavia;[22][23] as it became more popular, the largest (men's) football markets invested more, leading to a shift towards teams from the Big Five.[24] Sweden held a spot in the UEFA coefficient instead of Italy through 2022.[19] In 2021, several men's teams from the Big Five leagues in England, Italy, and Spain attempted to create a European Super League, but received pushback.[13] Teams from Germany and France were reportedly invited to join the project, but declined. Top performing football players (with high playing potential) outside the Big Five leagues, are usually signed by clubs within the Big Five leagues, as the clubs in the Big Five leagues are the most competitive in terms of performance, earn more (due to larger fan bases, higher ticket sales, television broadcast rights revenue and merchandise sales) and furthermore are able to provide attractive salaries. However, due to the higher salaries offered by Saudi Pro League clubs (in association with the Public Investment Fund), numerous high-profile players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Sadio Mané had moved away from the Big Five leagues, heading to Saudi Arabia.
Records and statistics
[edit]Clubs
[edit]Performance in current UEFA top-tier competitions
[edit]- As of 30 May 2026
| Competition | Spain |
England |
Italy |
Germany |
France |
Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Cup / Champions League |
Winners | 20 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 58 of 71 European Cup / UEFA Champions League seasons (82%) has been won by a club from the Big Five |
| Finalists | 31 | 27 | 30 | 19 | 9 | 116 of 142 European Cup / UEFA Champions League finalists (82%) has been clubs from the Big Five | |
| UEFA Cup / Europa League |
Winners | 14 | 11 | 10 | 7 | – | 42 of 55 UEFA Cup / Europa League seasons (76%) has been won by a club from the Big Five |
| Finalists | 19 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 79 of 110 UEFA Cup / Europa League finalists (72%) has been clubs from the Big Five | |
| UEFA Conference League | Winners | – | 3 | 1 | – | – | 4 of 5 UEFA Conference League seasons (80%) has been won by a club from the Big Five |
| Finalists | 2 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 8 of 10 UEFA Conference League finalists (80%) has been clubs from the Big Five | |
| Grand total | Winners | 34 | 29 | 23 | 15 | 3 | 104 of 131 current UEFA top-tier competitions (79%) has been won by a club from the Big Five |
| Finalists | 52 | 50 | 51 | 36 | 14 | 203 of 262 current UEFA top-tier competition finalists (77%) has been clubs from the Big Five | |
| Competition | Germany |
France |
Spain |
England |
Italy |
Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Women's Champions League | Winners | 9 | 8 | 4 | 2 | – | 23 of 25 UEFA Women's Champions League seasons (92%) has been won by a club from the Big Five |
| Finalists | 17 | 14 | 7 | 3 | – | 41 of 50 UEFA Women's Champions League finalists (82%) has been clubs from the Big Five | |
Performance in defunct UEFA top-tier competitions
[edit]In contrast to the current UEFA competitions, the Cup Winners' Cup also showed a dominance of the Big Five, but this was significantly lower in terms of title success (over 69%) and final participation (over 62%). This should be explained by the fact that only one participant from the respective leagues could take part in this tournament as a national cup winner or national cup finalist, if the cup winner qualified for the European Cup / UEFA Champions League. Therefore only one participant from the respective leagues (unless the defending champions did not qualify for any other UEFA competition, then it were two) took part in this competition.
| Competition | England |
Spain |
Italy |
Germany† |
France |
Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (defunct) | Winners | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 27 of 39 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup seasons (69%) were won by a club from the Big Five |
| Finalists | 13 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 49 of 78 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finalists (63%) were clubs from the Big Five | |
† excluding clubs from East Germany
List of Champions in the Big Five
[edit]The table below shows the winning teams in all men's Big Five leagues by season.
- Single-year seasons (mostly referring to the championship tournaments in early years) have been converted into currently-used season format.
Sources: English football champions,[25] German football champions,[26] Spanish football champions,[27] Italian football champions,[28] French football champions[29]
Record champions in the Big Five
[edit]| England |
Germany |
Spain |
Italy |
France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Players
[edit]| Football League First Division / Premier League (1888–1992 / 1992–) | |
| USFSA Championship / Ligue 1 (1896–1932 / 1932–) | |
| German Champions / Bundesliga (1903–1963 / 1963–) | |
| Serie A (1898–) | |
| La Liga (1929–) |
- Bold indicates player is still active at in the Big Five Leagues. Players in italics are still active outside the Big Five Leagues.
List of top scorers in the Big Five Leagues
[edit]- Does not include goals scored in the lower divisions.[30]
- As of 23 May 2026
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Goals | Itemized Goals | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi |  Argentina | 496 |
(474) ESP (22) FRA |
2004–2023 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo |  Portugal | 495 |
(103) ENG (311) ESP (81) ITA |
2003–2022 |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski |  Poland | 395 |
(312) GER (83) ESP |
2010–2026 |
| 4 | Jimmy Greaves | England | 366 |
(357) ENG (9) ITA |
1957–1971 |
| 5 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 365 |
(365) GER |
1965–1979 |
| 6 | Steve Bloomer | England | 315 |
(315) ENG |
1892–1914 |
| 7 | Harry Kane | England | 311 |
(213) ENG (98) GER |
2012– |
| 8 | Dixie Dean | England | 310 |
(310) ENG |
1924–1938 |
| 9 | Zlatan Ibrahimović |  Sweden | 302 |
(156) ITA (16) ESP (113) FRA (17) ENG |
2004–2023 |
| 10 | Delio Onnis | Argentina | 299 |
(299) FRA |
1971–1986 |
| 11 | Gordon Hodgson | England | 288 |
(288) ENG |
1925–1939 |
| 12 | Alan Shearer | England | 283 |
(283) ENG |
1988–2006 |
| 13 | Karim Benzema | France | 281 |
(43) FRA (238) ESP |
2004–2023 |
| 14 | Silvio Piola | Italy | 274 |
(274) ITA |
1929–1954 |
| 15 | Klaus Fischer | West Germany | 268 |
(268) GER |
1968–1988 |
| 16 | Edinson Cavani |  Uruguay | 267 |
(112) ITA (138) FRA (12) ENG (5) ESP |
2007–2023 |
| 17 | Sergio Agüero | Argentina | 259 |
(184) ENG (75) ESP |
2006–2022 |
| 18 | Charlie Buchan | England | 258 |
(258) ENG |
1912–1928 |
| 19 | David Jack | England | 257 |
(257) ENG |
1920–1938 |
| 20 | Raúl | Spain | 256 |
(228) ESP (28) GER |
1994–2012 |
| 21 | Nat Lofthouse | England | 255 |
(255) ENG |
1946–1960 |
| Bernard Lacombe | France | 255 |
(255) FRA |
1969–1987 | |
| 23 | Telmo Zarra | Spain | 251 |
(251) ESP |
1940–1955 |
| 24 | Francesco Totti | Italy | 250 |
(250) ITA |
1992–2017 |
List of players with the most 'League Top Scorer' awards
[edit]| Rank | Player | Nationality | Awards | Itemized Awards | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 |
(8) ESP |
2004–2023 |
| Robert Lewandowski | Poland | 8 |
(7) GER (1) ESP |
2010–2026 | |
| Kylian Mbappé | France | 8 |
(6) FRA (2) ESP |
2015– | |
| 4 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 7 |
(7) GER |
1965–1979 |
| 5 | Telmo Zarra | Spain | 6 |
(6) ESP |
1939–1957 |
| Jimmy Greaves | England | 6 |
(6) ENG |
1957–1980 | |
| Harry Kane | England | 6 |
(3) ENG (3) GER |
2012– | |
| 8 | Stephen Bloomer | England | 5 |
(5) ENG |
1891–1914 |
| Gunnar Nordahl | Sweden | 5 |
(5) ITA |
1949–1958 | |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano | Argentina/ Spain | 5 |
(5) ESP |
1953–1966 | |
| Quini | Spain | 5 |
(5) ESP |
1967–1987 | |
| Delio Onnis | Argentina/ Italy | 5 |
(5) FRA |
1971–1986 | |
| Carlos Bianchi | Argentina | 5 |
(5) FRA |
1973–1985 | |
| Jean-Pierre Papin | France | 5 |
(5) FRA |
1981–2004 | |
| Hugo Sánchez |  Mexico | 5 |
(5) ESP |
1981–1997 | |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 5 |
(1) ENG (3) ESP (1) ITA |
2003–2022 | |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | 5 |
(2) ITA (3) FRA |
2004–2023 |
Sources: English football first tier top scorers by season,[31] Bundesliga top scorers by season,[32] La Liga top scorers by season,[33] Serie A top scorers by season,[34] Ligue 1 top scorers by season[35]
List of players with the most games played
[edit]- Does not include games played in the lower divisions.
- As of 24 May 2026
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Games | Itemized Games | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Shilton | England | 848 |
(848) ENG |
1966–1997 |
| 2 | John Hollins | England | 714 |
(714) ENG |
1963–1984 |
| 3 | Ray Clemence | England | 710 |
(710) ENG |
1965–1988 |
| 4 | Pat Jennings |  Northern Ireland | 709 |
(709) ENG |
1963–1986 |
| 5 | Martin Peters | England | 688 |
(688) ENG |
1961–1980 |
| 6 | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | 674 |
(657) ITA (17) FRA |
1995–2021 |
| 7 | Ryan Giggs |  Wales | 672 |
(672) ENG |
1990–2014 |
| 8 | Joaquín | Spain | 671 |
(622) ESP (49) ITA |
2001–2023 |
| 9 | Pepe Reina | Spain | 665 |
(297) ENG (202) ITA (163) ESP (3) GER |
2000–2025 |
| 10 | Mick Mills | England | 658 |
(658) ENG |
1968–1985 |
| James Milner | England | 658 |
(658) ENG |
2002–2026 | |
| 12 | Gareth Barry | England | 653 |
(653) ENG |
1997–2018 |
List of players with the most league titles
[edit]- Does not include titles that the player transferred from the winning club at the beginning or middle of the season.[36]
- The player must played at least one league game for a title to be listed.
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Titles | Itemized Titles | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Giggs | Wales | 13 |
(13) ENG |
1990–2014 |
| Thomas Müller | Germany | 13 |
(13) GER |
2008–2025 | |
| Manuel Neuer | Germany | 13 |
(13) GER |
2006– | |
| Robert Lewandowski | Poland | 13 |
(10) GER (3) ESP |
2010–2026 | |
| 5 | Paco Gento | Spain | 12 |
(12) ESP |
1952–1971 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 12 |
(10) ESP (2) FRA |
2004–2023 | |
| David Alaba |  Austria | 12 |
(10) GER (2) ESP |
2010– | |
| Kingsley Coman | France | 12 |
(2) FRA (1) ITA (9) GER |
2012–2025 | |
| 9 | Paul Scholes | England | 11 |
(11) ENG |
1994–2013 |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | 11 |
(10) ITA (1) FRA |
1995–2021 | |
| Arjen Robben |  Netherlands | 11 |
(2) ENG (1) ESP (8) GER |
2004–2019 | |
| Thiago | Spain | 11 |
(4) ESP (7) GER |
2008–2024 | |
| Marquinhos |  Brazil | 11 |
(11) FRA |
2012– | |
| 14 | Pirri | Spain | 10 |
(10) ESP |
1964–1980 |
| Gary Neville | England | 10 |
(10) ENG |
1992–2011 | |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | 10 |
(5) ITA (1) ESP (4) FRA |
2004–2023 | |
| Joshua Kimmich | Germany | 10 |
(10) GER |
2015– |
List of players with the most different Big Five league titles
[edit]- Does not include titles that the player transferred from the winning club at the beginning or middle of the season.
- The player must have played at least one league game for a title to be listed.
| R | Player | Nationality | DL | |
|
|
|
|
Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | João Cancelo | Portugal |
4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 2013– |
| 2 | Jens Lehmann | Germany |
3 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | 1987–2011 |
| Claude Makélélé | France |
3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 1991–2011 | |
| Thierry Henry | France |
3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 1994–2012 | |
| Arjen Robben | Netherlands |
3 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | 2000–2021 | |
| Gabriel Heinze | Argentina |
3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 1996–2014 | |
| Mark van Bommel | Netherlands |
3 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 1992–2013 | |
| David Beckham | England |
3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 1992–2013 | |
| Maxwell | Brazil |
3 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 2000–2017 | |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden |
3 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 1999–2023 | |
| Thiago Motta | Italy |
3 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 1999–2018 | |
| Tiago Mendes | Portugal |
3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 1999–2017 | |
| Sami Khedira | Germany |
3 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 2006–2021 | |
| Kingsley Coman | France |
3 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2013– | |
| Dani Alves | Brazil |
3 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 2001–2023 | |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 2002– | |
| Lassana Diarra | France |
3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 2004–2019 | |
| Arturo Vidal |  Chile |
3 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 2005– | |
| Eden Hazard |  Belgium |
3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | 2007–2023 | |
| Danilo | Brazil |
3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 2009– | |
| Brahim Díaz |  Morocco |
3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 2016– |
João Cancelo is the first and only player to have won league titles in four of Big Five leagues.[37]
List of players to have played the Big Five Leagues
[edit]The table below show the players who have played in all Big Five Leagues.[38]
| Player | England |
France |
Germany |
Italy |
Spain |
Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Florin Răducioiu | West Ham United | Monaco | VfB Stuttgart | Bari | Espanyol | Yes |
| Brescia | ||||||
| Hellas Verona | ||||||
| Milan | ||||||
 Christian Poulsen | Liverpool | Evian | Schalke 04 | Juventus | Sevilla | No |
 Stevan Jovetić | Manchester City | Monaco | Hertha BSC | Inter Milan | Sevilla | Yes |
| Fiorentina | ||||||
| Justin Kluivert | Bournemouth | Nice | RB Leipzig | Roma | Valencia | Yes |
Managers
[edit]List of managers to have coached the Big Five Leagues
[edit]The table below show the managers who have coached in all Big Five Leagues.[39]
| Manager | England |
France |
Germany |
Italy |
Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlo Ancelotti | Chelsea | Paris Saint-Germain | Bayern Munich | Parma | Real Madrid |
| Juventus | |||||
| Everton | |||||
| Milan | |||||
| Napoli |
Carlo Ancelotti is the only manager to have won league titles in all Big Five leagues.[40]
See also
[edit]- Atlantic League (football) – a proposed competitor for the Big Five
- Big Five (Eurovision) – the same five European nations as financial powers in another context
- European Super League – a discontinued proposal, originally to include clubs from all the Big Five countries
Notes
[edit]- 1 2 Real Madrid were known as Madrid FC from 1931 until 1941.
- 1 2 Atlético Madrid were known as Atlético Aviación from 1939 until 1947.
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Football Clubs' Valuation: The European Elite 2023" (PDF). footballbenchmark.com. Football Benchmark. 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ Ogden, Mark (3 November 2023). "Grading the Premier League 'Big Six': Arsenal an A; Liverpool a D". ESPN. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "Average attendance of the Big Five soccer leagues in Europe from 2013/14 to 2022/23, by league". statista.com. Statista. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ "How the Bundesliga got the best fans in the world in its 60 years". bundesliga.com. Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL). 6 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ "German fan culture: The secrets behind Bundesliga's famously passionate support". Goal.com. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ "The World's Most Valuable Soccer Teams 2024". Forbes. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ "Serie A: How Does It Compare to the Rest of Europe?". getfootballnewsitaly.com. Get Football Group. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ Young, Laura (1 November 2025). "Why is Ligue 1 not a top 5 league?". The Institute for Environmental Research and Education. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "Why France's Ligue 1 Has Dropped Out Of UEFA's Top Five Leagues". Forbes. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ "How much are Women's Super League teams worth? - The Athletic". The New York Times. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ "How much are Women's Super League teams worth?". twocircles.com. Two Circles. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- 1 2 "Football Clubs' Valuation: The European Elite 2026" (PDF). deloitte.com. Deloitte. July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Topic: Big Five". Statista. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
- ↑ "Annual Review of Football Finance 2026". deloitte.com. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ "Football Clubs' Valuation: The European Elite 2024" (PDF). deloitte.com. Deloitte. June 2024. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
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- ↑ "Europeans & the World Cup" (PDF). Football Research in an Enlarged Europe. 27 May 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2014.
- ↑ lawson_sv (9 August 2019). "The history of Scandinavia's World Cup successes". All For XI. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ Skogvang, Bente Ovedie (3 April 2019). "Scandinavian women's football: the importance of male and female pioneers in the development of the sport". Sport in History. 39 (2): 207–228. doi:10.1080/17460263.2019.1618389. ISSN 1746-0263. S2CID 181902600.
- ↑ Burhan, Asif. "2022: The Year That Changed Women's Soccer In Europe". Forbes. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
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- 1 2 "Bundesliga » Champions". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- 1 2 "Primera División » Champions". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- 1 2 "Serie A » Champions". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
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- ↑ "Messi: new all-time best scorer in big 5 European leagues". IFFHS. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ↑ "Premier League » Top Scorer". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ↑ "Bundesliga » Top Scorer". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ↑ "Primera División » Top Scorer". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ↑ "Serie A » Top Scorer". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ↑ "Ligue 1 » Top Scorer". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ↑ "Ranking for most titled players in European Big-5". IFFHS. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ↑ "Barcelona's João Cancelo determined to achieve four-nation feat". ESPN. 8 May 2026. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Justin Kluivert, third player to score in all leagues from European top 5". IFFHS. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ↑ "Ancelotti – the first coach to win all 5 major European leagues!". IFFHS. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ↑ Caygill, Graham (30 April 2022). "Carlo Ancelotti's famous five: How Real Madrid La Liga title success completes historic quintet in Europe's major leagues". The Sporting News. Retrieved 30 April 2022.