The UK parliament congratulated Ibrox side Rangers on their 150th birthday last February this year. It made it to the headlines when Scottish minister Sandesh Gulhane and Tory leader Murdo Fraser called the Gers as “most successful club in world football.”

It created an uproar in public, especially those who didn’t know the real context and unreasonable fans of the Gers rivals. But, now that we’re here, it always pays to make things clear. But, does this motion really hold true?

Scotland’s Most Dominant Team

For the past campaigns, and even now, the Gers have been recognized as the most dominant club by many people across Scotland. In fact, the Ibrox team hasn’t experienced defeat in more than 30 league games; they just dropped points in four matches last season.

What’s more, the Rangers’ 55th title last 2021/22 season had finally ended rivals Celtic’s nine years of dominance. It was unforgettable with an unassailable 20-point lead and with six games left to play. On the other hand, Celtic had four losses and eight ties, denying them a chance to claim their 10th successive Scottish Premier League (SPL) title.

Guinness World Record Holders

After claiming their 55th title, the Gers were recognized as Guinness World Record holders last March 29, 2021. Rangers’ 55 titles from 1891 to 2021 in the Scottish Division 1 and Scottish Premier League were the most top-flight domestic league titles in the whole wide world.

“Second Most” Decorated Club

After their last season’s title win, the Rangers were reported as the “second most” decorated club in the world. According to Daily Star, the Ibrox side Rangers are only “two trophies behind the topmost Egyptian side Al Ahly,” who had accumulated 118 trophies to their name.

This report was speculated to be the origin of Scottish Conservatives’ controversial public statement. It stated that Rangers “is the second most successful club in world football” and that this title, according to them, is “in terms of trophies won.”

World’s Most Successful Club (Unofficially)

Thanks to the Scottish Conservatives’ statement, many people dug into the past and revealed the untold truth. The issue about Rangers being the “second most” decorated club is that it didn’t track all the trophies during the entire and unbridled history of the Gers’ securing silverware.

Rabid Europeans and foreign fans, especially those who tend to bet on soccer games from afar, knew that the Rangers’ official trophy list was lacking. They paid a lot of attention to football, so it’s no wonder they ended up knowing each club’s achievements.

Officially, the Rangers had 116 major trophies recorded throughout their famously illustrious history. That includes 55 trophies in the league championships, 33 trophies in the Scottish Cups, 27 trophies in League Cups, and one trophy in the European Cup Winners’ Cup as of 2021.

Unofficially, the Rangers had seven trophies from domestic championships during the war between 1939-1946. Rangers’ supporters find it unfair why this announcement wasn’t counted in the official trophy list, even though their rivals Celtic include their first world war league championships from 1914 to 1917.

In addition to that, Rangers had 83 other regional trophies, including four trophies in the Southern League Cup, 44 trophies in the Glasgow Cup, and 32 trophies in the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup. Although they’re not on a national scale, they had greater prominence in Scotland’s history.

In brief, the Rangers had 116 major official trophies. If we include war titles, it will be 123 trophies. If we add up everything, including official, war, and the 83 regional titles, the Ger will have 206 trophies.

Egyptian’s Al Ahly

Is Al Ahly better than Rangers? They’re currently ranked first as the most successful and the best across the African continent over the years. In the table put together by the Daily Star, the African football’s Club of the Century Al Ahly is the global leader with 118 titles.

They amassed a staggering 99 major trophies, 90 are domestic, and nine are in the CAF champions league with a back-to-back in 2012 and 2013. Their 90 domestic trophies include 42 trophies in the Egyptian Premier Leagues, 37 trophies in the Egypt Cup, and 11 trophies in the Super Cup.

They also had 24 minor and regional trophies. That includes seven trophies in the Sultan Hussein Cup, 16 trophies in the Cairo League, one trophy in the Egyptian Confederation Cup, and 1 United Arab Republic (Egyptian-Syrian) Championship. So, adding up all their titles, including all trophies regional or otherwise, Al Ahly packs around 139 trophies.

Final Thoughts

Put Ibrox side Rangers’ 206 trophies to Egyptian side Al Ahly’s 139 trophies side by side. You’ll come to realize that Ibrox side Rangers had never been “two trophies behind Al-Ahly” nor the “second most successful club in world football in terms of trophies won.”

TheFootballForum