5 Greatest football clubs of all time

Real Madrid are the most dominant and successful club of all time
Real Madrid are the most dominant and successful club of all time

Football clubs are stomping grounds for players. They also nurture them and engage them throughout the year. Players also earn a major part of their livelihood from their contracts with clubs. Also, football clubs become major institutions and enjoy massive fan support throughout the world. In terms of revenue, engagement of personnel and global clout, they are not less than any major corporate house.

Football also happens to be the most popular game in the world and therefore, the big clubs enjoy enormous popularity. However, their popularity is not always directly proportional to their success and the brand image of a club also plays a part in deciding their fanbase.

A club’s success is mainly measured by the amount of silverware won by them. Their consistency and the overall greatness of their players are also to be considered while determining their stature. We would now take a look at the 5 greatest football clubs of all time:

5. Manchester United:

Manchester United
Manchester United

Founded in 1878, Manchester United is the greatest English club of all time. The supporters of arch-rivals Liverpool would claim otherwise, but United’s superior consistency puts them ahead of Liverpool. United have won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League 3 times and finished runners-up on 2 more occasions. They have also won the English League title 20 times, the FA cup 12 times and the Intercontinental cup once/

United became a dominant football club in the 1950s under the tutelage of Matt Busby. They lost some players in the Munich air tragedy in 1958, but came back strongly from that disaster to become the leading club in England and Europe. They've had some superb players like Bobby Charlton, George Best, Denis Law and Nobby Styles and won the English league a few times before winning the European Cup in 1968.

United again became dominant in the late 1980s as newly appointed manager Alex Ferguson embarked on an unforgettable journey with the club. Ferguson was the helm of United for 27 years and won 13 Premier League titles and 2 Champions Leagues with them. They also won the FA cup 5 times under Ferguson.

United defeated Bayern 2-1 at the Camp Nou after scoring 2 goals in injury time in the 1999 Champions League final. They again defeated Chelsea to win the Champions League in 2008. United were virtually unstoppable in England throughout the major part of 1990s and 2000s with outstanding players like Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.

4. Bayern Munich:

Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich, founded in 1900, are the greatest German club of all time. They also happen to be one of the European giants. They have won the Bundesliga title 28 times, the German Cup 18 times and the European Cup 5 times. They have also won the intercontinental cup on 2 occasions. The Bavarians, as Bayern are popularly known as, also enjoy avid fan following all over the world.

Bayern dominated German and European football in the 1970s as they won 3 consecutive European cups. Led by the incomparable Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern went to the summit of the world with players like Gerd Muller, Paul Breitner and Sepp Maier. They also won the Bundesliga 4 times in the 1970s. They again became a major force in world football during the late 1990s as Ottmar Hitzfeld became their manager and led them to European glory in 2001.

They also missed out on the trophy in 1999, conceding a couple of goals against Manchester United in the final in 1999. Lothar Matthaus, Stefan Effenberg, Oliver Kahn, Bixente Lizarazu and Giovane Elber formed the nucleus of that mighty Bayern side. They had a fierce rivalry with Real Madrid during the 2000s in the Champions League.

Bayern have won the Bundesliga 12 times since 2000 and reached consecutive UEFA Champions League finals in 2012 and 2013. They won the title in 2013 under Jupp Heynckes and boasted of players like Phillip Lahm, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Thomas Muller. Bayern still remain among the strongest clubs in world football.

3. AC Milan:

AC Milan
AC Milan

AC Milan are the most successful Italian club of all time. Juventus have won more domestic titles than them, but Milan’s success in Europe makes them the pick of the Italian clubs. The Rossoneri, as they are famously known as, have dominated European football in multiple phases and are one of the elite clubs in the world, undoubtedly.

They have won the European Cup 7 times, the Serie A title 18 times and the Italian cup 5 times. They have also won the Intercontinental cup 3 times.

Milan had some legends like Sandro Mazzolla and Gianni Rivera playing for them in the 1960s, but their real dominance started in the late 1980s, when Arigo Sacchi became their manager. Sacchi signed some new players and made Milan the mightiest club in the world. They won the European Cup 3 times between 1989 and 1994 and also won 3 Serie A titles under Sacchi’s tutelage.

Milan again reached the Champions League final in 1995, but lost to Ajax Amsterdam. They had brilliant players like Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten in their side. Milan manged to win 5 Serie A titles in the 1990s with that fantastic team.

Milan again became dominant in the early 2000s with players Like Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, Andriy Shevchenko, Kaka and Clarence Seedorf. They won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007 and finished runners-up in 2005. Milan have experienced a slump in their form in the past decade or so, but it should not take them long to recover and experience glory again.

2. FC Barcelona:

FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona or Blaugurana, as they are popularly known as because of their red & blue jersey, are among the most successful and passionately supported clubs in the world. They stand for the pride of Catalunya, which comes under Spain. The Catalan giants have won the European Cup on 5 occasions and the La Liga 25 times. They have also won the Spanish Cup 30 times and the Fifa Club World Cup 3 times.

FC Barcelona had some legendary players like Kubala and Luiz Suarez Miramontes in the 1950s, but usually played second fiddle to the mighty Real Madrid side. They were revamped and rejuvenated by their ex-player Johann Cruyff in the late 1980s and started following the “total football” model popularized by Rinus Michels.

Cruyff incorporated the passing game in Barcelona’s senior team as well as their football academy, La Masia. The results were immediate as the “dream team” of Barcelona won the European Cup in 1992. They made it to the Champions League final again in 1994, but lost to Fabio Capello’s Milan 0-4 in the final. Barca also won the La Liga 6 times during the 1990s. Romario, Hristo Stoichkov, Pep Guardiola and Ronald Koeman formed the core of the Barca team under Cruyff.

After Cruyff’s departure as a manager, Barcelona again started to be dominated by Real Madrid, who had a brilliant side in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, Frank Rijkaard’s appointment as manager turned the tide again and Barcelona went on to win the Champions League in 2006. Pep Guardiola continued the good work and won the Champions League twice in 3 years from 2009 to 2011.

Barcelona again won the Champions League in 2015. Players like Lionel Messi, Xavi Fernandez, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Ronaldinho, Luiz Suarez and Neymar have made Barca the most delightful team to watch in the past decade. They have won the La Liga 9 times since 2000.

1. Real Madrid:

Real Madrid
Real Madrid

Real Madrid are known as the “king of the clubs” and no other club in the world can match their success and clout. Also known as the “Los Blancos” because of their white jersey, Real have won the European Cup 13 times, La Liga 33 times, the Spanish Cup 19 times and the Intercontinental Cup on 3 occasions. It remains the ultimate dream of any footballer to wear the famous whites of Real Madrid.

Real’s glory days began in the 1950s, when they won 5 consecutive European cups from 1956 to 1960. Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Jose Santamaria and Raymond Kopa combined to make Real Madrid the greatest club side in the world. They also won the La Liga 7times in 9 years from 1960 to 1968.

Real digressed a bit in the 1970s and 1980s, but came back strongly in the late 1990s to win the Champions League thrice in 5 years from 1998 to 2002. They were known as ‘Los Galacticos” and had assembled the finest group of players ever seen in a club side. Raul, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Claude Makelele made Real the greatest force in world football.

They again had to wait till 2014 to get the elusive 10th Champions League crown under Carlo Ancelotti. However, they again won 3 consecutive UEFA Champions League titles from 2016 to 2018 to take their tally to 13. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric made Real an unstoppable force in European football again. Real continue to be the benchmark for excellence and dominance in club football.

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Edited by Emeka Monyei