Paris Saint-Germain winning the UEFA Champions League for the first time in its history puts an end to one of the longest searches for European glory. Established in 1970, the French side were yet to taste European success prior to the final at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. Luis Enrique and his men made easy work of Simone Inzaghi's Inter as they steamrolled the Italians 5-0 in the final. While PSG's victory tops off an exhilarating Champions League season, it wasn't just the Parisiens that put an end to their trophy drought.
The 2024/25 season will be remembered as the year many teams across Europe put an end to their quest for silverware. With PSG being the latest addition to the list, teams like Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane have all added trophies to their cabinets. Here's a closer look at how this year proved to be pivotal in the quest for silverware for several teams.
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Led by Ange Postecoglou from the dugout, Tottenham Hotspur were in the quest for a trophy to put an end to their excruciating 17-year search for silverware. Spurs, often mocked for their inability to claim trophies, further stacked the odds against their favour, when Postecoglou claimed that he 'usually wins trophies in his second season'.
With an emphatic win over Premier League rivals Manchester United in the final, Spurs finally put an end to their search for a trophy. Brennan Johnson scored the winner in a narrow 1-0 win.
Crystal Palace - FA Cup
The Eagles clinched a trophy for the first time in 120 years after a major upset in the FA Cup final. After losing twice in the final of the same competition, in 1990 and 2016, Palace beat Manchester City in the 2025 final 1-0 thanks to a goal from Eberechi Eze. The result meant that City went trophyless for the first time since 2016 and Palace claimed their first-ever FA Cup.
Newcastle United - EFL Cup
Newcastle United claimed a major domestic trophy for the first time since 1955 as they beat Premier League champions Liverpool 2-1 in the final. Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak ensured that the side managed by Eddie Howe put an end to the 70-year wait. The title triumph was Newcastle's first since the 1955 FA Cup win.
Harry Kane - Bundesliga champion
In the same year Tottenham Hotspur won the UEFA Europa League, former club captain and current Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane also ended his search for a maiden career trophy. Despite joining the Bavarians last season, the Englishman ended his debut season in Germany without any trophy to show for it.
However, after a dominant Bundesliga campaign in which he topped the goal scoring charts with 26 strikes, Bayern claimed back the German league title from Bayer Leverkusen, who ended Bayern's streak of 11 successive Bundesliga titles last season.
Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League
Ever since the French side was taken over by the sovereign-wealth fund of Qatar in 2011, PSG has kept it a priority to get their hands on the UCL trophy. However, despite heavy spending and bringing in top talent from across Europe, the Parisiens kept falling short of the ultimate prize.
Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and even Kylian Mbappe failed to bring European glory to the club. However, Luis Enrique's side, led by Ousmane Dembele in attack finally clinched the biggest club competition with a 5-0 win over Inter.
Go Ahead Eagles - Dutch Cup (KNVB Cup)
The Go Ahead Eagles are a club in the Netherlands that play in the Eredivisie. Despite gaining promotion to the top division in the 2020–21 season, the club were yet to win a trophy for over nine decades.
Several trophy droughts across Europe ended in 2025
However, the near century-long wait came to an end in April as they triumphed in the Dutch Cup over AZ Alkmaar 4-2 on penalties. The side staged a historic run to the final as they beat heavyweights PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente en route the final. The win put an end to a trophy drought that lasted a whopping 92 years.
Bologna FC - Coppa Italia
The Serie A side broke their trophy curse that lasted a little over half a century as they clinched the Coppa Italia over Italian giant AC Milan. Playing in red and blue, the side led by Lewis Ferguson claimed their first major cup since 1974.
With the win, head coach Vincenzo Italiano and Dan Ndoye - the goal scorer in the final, have been immortalized in club history.
Royale Union St. Gilloise - Belgian Pro League
After a 90-year window where league success did not come by, Royale Union St. Gilloise clinched the Belgian Pro League after beating the likes of Club Brugge and Racing Genk in the Champions Playoffs.
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise wth the trophy (Image via X)
After claiming 11 league titles between 1904 and 1935, the side had to wait until 2025 to add the 12th to their cabinet. Notably, Union SG was only promoted to the top division in 2021 after dropping down to it in 1972.
VFB Stuttgart - DFB Pokal
The German side clinched their first trophy since the 2006/07 campaign with a 4-2 win over Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB Pokal final.
VfB Stuttgart players lift the DFB Pokal (Image via X)
Under the managerial control of Sebastian Hoeness, the Bundesliga side claimed their fourth DFB Pokal in club history, but first in over 26 years. Their trophy drought lasted a total of 18 years.
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