Spain strengthen European Cup dominance

Spain have continued their dominance of the European Cup, both in recent years and overall, after Real Madrid triumphed in Cardiff to claim the country's 17th title and fourth in a row.

Italy, on 12 wins, still occupy joint-second place but lost ground after Juventus were beaten by Madrid. For both nations, it was a 28th final appearance, with Italy having the unwanted record of 16 defeats. In terms of the UEFA Champions League only (beginning in 1992/93), Spain now have ten victories to Italy's five, with Real Madrid on a record six successes; the Liga also leads Serie A 15-13 in finalists over those 25 seasons.

Madrid's glory marks the fourth straight campaign that the trophy has been lifted by a Liga team, following the Merengues' 2014 and 2016 wins over Atlético which sandwiched Barcelona's triumph against Juve. While this run of four extends Spain's record UEFA Champions League winning streak, it is still two victories short of England's overall European Cup record of six on the spin – with Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa monopolising the trophy from 1977 to 1982.

European Cup wins by country
Spain 17 (11 runners-up)
Italy 12 (16 runners-up)
England 12 (7 runners-up)
Germany 7 (10 runners-up)
Netherlands 6 (2 runners-up)
Portugal 4 (5 runners-up)
France 1 (5 runners-up)
Scotland 1 (1 runners-up)
Romania 1 (1 runners-up)
Serbia 1 (1 runners-up)
Greece 0 (1 runners-up)
Belgium 0 (1 runners-up)
Sweden 0 (1 runners-up)

UEFA Champions League wins by country
Spain 10 (5 runners-up)
Italy 5 (8 runners-up)
England 4 (5 runners-up)
Germany 3 (5 runners-up)
Netherlands 1 (1 runners-up)
France 1 (1 runners-up)
Portugal 1 (0 runners-up)