Looking at some football clubs that are currently playing in the second or even third most powerful division of their country, it is hard to imagine that they once became champions of the main championship and fought for victory in European competitions.
Let's remember 10 half-forgotten teams that have not only a rich history, but also have solid trophies in the club museum.
10. Leeds United
Leeds Football Club from the small town of the same name was founded in 1919 and is currently one of the most famous in England. Even the fact that the team has not played in the Premier League for more than 10 years, hanging out in the Championship does not interfere.
Now Leeds is in the top three, which is a significant breakthrough for them, because they finished the previous seasons in the second half of the table.
But in 1968 they won the UEFA Cup and the English League Cup, in 1972 they took the FA Cup, and in 1975 they reached the final of the Champions League. In addition, they have 3 championship titles in the top division.
9. Nottingham Forest
Another English club (most of them today) has been hanging around in the second half of the Championship standings for several years already, and its fans sadly recall the times when it was at its peak.
For two years in a row, in 1979 and 1980, Nottingham won the Champions Cup, won the 1979 European Super Cup and became the country's champion in 1978.
In addition, the team has won two victories in the FA Cup and four in the FA Cup.
8. Kaiserslautern
The German club was founded in 1900 and in the first 3 years of its existence, it was formed from 5 different clubs by merger.
In the 50s and 90s, the Kaiserslautern was one of the leaders of the Bundesliga, taking gold medals from Bavaria itself, and not everyone could do it.
The club became the champion 4 times: 1951, 1953, 1991 and 1998. In 1990 and 1996, he took the German Cup, and in 1991 he also obeyed the country's Super Cup.
In 1982 and 2001, Kaiser reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, and in 1999 reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
As for the current state of affairs of the team, they are sad: the middle of the table in the third Bundesliga, in which it will hold at least another next season.
7. Blackburn Rovers
This club is one of the teams that founded the Football League of England and until 1936 he was one of the grandees, having won the championship twice.
This was followed by a strong recession, dragging on for more than half a century, until in the 90s investors came to Blackburn, who invited Kenny Dalglish to the post of coach. He, as well as the then shining Alan Shearer and David Betty, managed to raise the club from the bottom and again make him the champion of the Premier League in 1995.
Thus, the “vagrants” asset has 3 victories in the main championship, 6 FA Cups, and one Super Cup and one League Cup each. And now they are in the second half of the Championship table, long without appearing in the Premier League.
6. Sheffield Wensday
At the beginning of the 20th century, “owls” were one of the main forces of English football along with “Blackburn”, four times becoming champions of the country, three times raising the FA Cup over their heads and once winning the Super Cup.
At the same time, they performed well in the international arena, although they could not win a single trophy. After the war, “Sheffield” began to have a lot of fever, so it became the norm for them to fall not even into the second, but into the third English division.
Their last trophy dates from the 1990/91 season: then they were able to win the League Cup. In addition to all of the above, the club is the champion of the 1899/90 Season Football Alliance that has long sunk into oblivion.
5. Bolton Wanderers
“Trotters” is another club among the founders of the Football League of England, and one of the oldest: it was founded in 1874 (then it was called “Christ Church”, as it was created by parishioners of the local church).
Over its history, Bolton has managed to achieve good results in the domestic arena: 3 championship titles in the First League, 4 victories in the Cup of the country, one in the Super Cup, and another whole scattering of silver and bronze awards.
Now the “wanderers” are the middle class of the Championship and have not seriously claimed for a long time even access to the Premier League, not to mention some significant trophies.
4. Ipswich Town
If you are not interested in English football, then you might not even have heard of such a team. This is a really modest club from a small town with a small stadium for only 30,000 people, but with a rather rich past.
In the middle of the last century, “tractor drivers” performed in European competitions, beating such giants as Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona. In the end, Ipswich still managed to win in the final, having won the UEFA Cup in 1981.
Three years earlier, they also took the FA Cup, and in the 1961/62 season they won the First Division. Now the club is in last place in the Championship and the next season is guaranteed to start a division below.
3. Sunderland
But the guys from Sunderland are already where Ipswich will fly, preserving the chances of returning to the Championship.
“Black Cats” for a long time kept a record for the number of seasons in the top division without departures: the club did not leave the elite for 68 seasons, from 1890 to 1958.
At the moment, they have as many as 6 champion titles, but they were all won before the war, some even before the First World War.
For the first time they became the winners of the tournament in 1892, defended the title in 1893, and then again won it in 1895, 1902, 1913 and 1936.
2. Deportivo La A Coruña
This Spanish club, founded in 1906, is now in the top ten Segunda (the second most powerful league in Spain), showing very weak results in recent years.
The loyal fans still have fresh memories of the 1999/00 season, when the blue and white managed to wrest the first and so far the only championship (5 times they were vice champions, a little short of the first line). Also on their account are 2 Cups and 3 Spanish Super Cups.
1. Wolves
We will finish the team that, although it is spending the current season in the Premier League, but she returned there recently and no one will be surprised when the “wolves” fly out again.
Founded in 1877, the club received its current name only in 1923, having managed to acquire two cups of England by that time.
In the 1950s, Wolverhampton became the champion of the country three times, and among other awards there are 4 Cups and a Super Cup, as well as 2 League Cups.