The Guardian website http://Article have written an interesting article about the most successful footballing towns. They take a look at tradition and large towns, as well as world famous places that have links to football clubs.

With regards to smaller countries in Europe, one thing that can be learned is that in Ireland, Dundalk is one of the best, with the small club having 11 league titles and 9 cup successes to its name. There are also mentions for leagues in Malta, Scotland and Luxemburg. We are more interested in those clubs that enjoyed European success rather than league titles.

The article includes two examples, the first is French side Lens, which has a population of just 30,000, but their team has won the French league and played in the the UEFA cup semi-final. They have also twice made it to the Champions League main table. The other example is Hungarian club Videoton FC. The 90,000 population of Szekesfehervar (according the Guardian), but the actual figure is nearer 98,000. Vidi have twice won the Hungarian league title, and the small town secured a place on the footballing map when they played in the 1985 UEFA Cup final. That has proved to be one of the biggest successes in Hungarian football.