The 2024-25 campaign delivered a rare spectacle as several clubs completed shocking underdog stories to win silverware in their respective domestic competitions.

This isn't just a roll call of winners, but a chronicle of belief, and the power of one season to change a club’s destiny. These victories weren’t handed out but fought for, earned, and celebrated by fanbases that had been waiting far too long.

From Newcastle United’s 70-year wait ending against the mighty Reds in Wembley to Go Ahead Eagles lifting their first trophy in 93 years, each story carried its drama and against-the-odds defiance. Here are the seven who went all the way.

Six Clubs Who Ended a Prolonged Trophy Drought in 2025

Newcastle United: 70 years

Newcastle United set the tune for the underdog season following their 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, sealing their first major silverware since winning the FA Cup 70 years ago in 1955.

They faced tough tests on their way to the final, coming up against three of the teams that finished in the top seven in the league (Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, and Arsenal twice) before facing the league champions in the final, making it a total of four.

Eddie Howe's charges had lost in the final of the same competition two years earlier, when first-half goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford condemned them to a 2-0 defeat to winners Manchester United at Wembley.

This time, it was The Magpies who scored the important first goal — and at a very crucial time in the game — as Dan Burn headed home from Kieran Trippier's corner on the stroke of half-time.

Alexander Isak added a second seven minutes after the restart, with Federico Chiesa's goal in added time serving as a mere consolation for the Premier League winners.

Bologna: 51 years

Bologna went all the way in the Coppa Italia, beating Monza, Atalanta, Empoli, and finally Milan in the final to secure the title, ending a 51-year wait for silverware since their conquest of the Serie A in 1963-64.

For 14 years, the trophy had been circulating amongst only four different clubs, with Juventus dominant, while the trio of Inter, Napoli, and Lazio each won a couple or more.

Against the odds, Vincenzo Italiano led his side to victory against Monza in the round of 16. Although it was a fixture they were much favoured to win, they did so convincingly as Santiago Castro's hat-trick of assists and a goal inspired a 4-0 win.

Atalanta away from home in the quarter-final was a tough test, but Castro, again — off the bench this time — scored the lone winner 10 minutes from time to edge out the hosts on the night in Bergamo.

They enjoyed a 5-1 aggregate win over Empoli in the semi-finals to reach their first final since 1974, where they defeated Milan courtesy of Dan Ndoye's goal seven minutes before the hour mark, sealing a first silverware not only in the 21st century but in over five decades.

Go Ahead Eagles: 93 years

Go Ahead Eagles ended a wait of almost a century for major silverware after defying the odds to complete their fairytale run in the KNVB Cup in 2024-25, when they defeated AZ Alkmaar on penalties.

Since winning the Eredivisie in 1933, the Deventer club had experienced multiple relegations before finally getting a foothold in the top flight after their return in 2021.

Their Cup campaign began in Round 2, where they beat Sparta Rotterdam on penalties after a 1-1 draw in open play, before three second-half goals helped them to a shock 3-1 home win in the round of 16.

Fortune smiled on them in the quarter-final as they not only drew third-division side Noordwijk but also benefited from two own goals by their opponents to secure a 3-1 win.

They pulled a massive upset in their semi-final clash with PSV Eindhoven, winning 2-1 thanks to two first-half goals to end a run of 30 winless games — 29 defeats — in the fixture since their last win in November 1983.

Paul Simonis' charges defeated AZ Alkmaar 4-2 on penalties in the final after Mats Deijl's last-gasp penalty in normal time cancelled out Troy Parrott's earlier spot-kick, sealing a wonderful journey.

Remo Stars: 15 years

Remo Stars became the first Southwest club to win the Nigerian Premier League title in 24 years following their triumphant campaign in 2024-25, when they secured what was their first major silverware.

It was a tough season, but Daniel Ogunmodede's charges maintained consistency from start to finish, ensuring they protected every advantage presented and always got the job done when playing at home.

Despite the efforts of Rivers United, the Ikenne outfit saw out first place in the league, amassing seven more points than their closest rival.

A total of 71 points fell just six short of the 77 recorded by the Pride of Rivers in 2021-22, which remains the record for most points by any club in a single season in the Nigerian top-flight league.

Crystal Palace: 51 years

Crystal Palace sealed a remarkable run in the Emirates FA Cup by beating Manchester City in the final, in a fixture they had not won in seven attempts, but Eberechi Eze's early goal gave them the lead, ending in the Wembley final.

The Eagles were heading for the same old story towards the end of the campaign following a poor league run before the turn of the year, but enjoyed a remarkable turnaround afterwards — climbing up the league table and, more importantly, winning their Cup games.

They had favourable fixtures until the quarter-finals, where they first came up against a top-flight club in the competition. Goals from Eze, Sarr, and Nketiah gave them a comfortable 3-0 win at Craven Cottage, waking up the belief that they could at least reach the final.

And as luck would have it, they walloped Aston Villa against the odds in the semi-final, as an Ismaïla Sarr brace and Eberechi Eze's opener sealed a comfortable 3-0 win at Wembley.

Eze was also the hero in the final as they secured a historic triumph thanks to his lone goal against Manchester City, ending a 51-year wait for major silverware since their foundation.

VfB Stuttgart: 18 years

Stuttgart defeated Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 in the DFB Pokal final to win their first major silverware since 2007, ending an 18-year trophy drought.

Stuttgart, who had not lifted a trophy since their conquest of the Bundesliga in 2006-07, endured a tough period and even suffered relegation from the top flight twice in the last decade.

They had a fairly easy run of fixtures on their way to winning the Pokal, where they faced third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld in the final. They met second-division sides Preussen Münster, Kaiserslautern, and Jahn Regensburg in their first three games of the competition.

They finally had battles with top-flight teams in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, facing Augsburg and Leipzig respectively, before setting up a meeting with Arminia Bielefeld in the final.

The final win marked their fourth DFB Pokal trophy, after previously winning in 1953-54, 1957-58, and 1996-97 — the most recent of which had also come against a third-division team, Energie Cottbus.

Tottenham Hotspur: 17 years

Tottenham Hotspur ended a 17-year wait for a trophy after beating fellow English club Manchester United in the Europa League final in May.

The North Londoners, who had not won a silverware since beating Chelsea in the final of the League Cup in 2008, took full advantage of the renewed competition, where no team from the Champions League is dropped to the Europa.

After progressing from the group stage, Ange Postecoglou's charge defeated AZ Alkmaar, Frankfurt, and Bodo Glimt on their way to setting up a final meeting with Manchester United, whom they defeated 1-0 thanks to Brennan Johnson's strike before halftime.