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#3 Schalke (2 Bundesliga)
In 2018, Schalke finished second in the Bundesliga after reaching the Champions League quarter-finals the previous year. Now, they are fourth in the 2 Bundesliga, having been relegated from the German top flight at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
It's interesting to note that Schalke consistently made decent runs in Europe in the 2010s. They qualified for the Champions League knockout stage five times, including the 2011 semi-finals.
Schalke played in the Champions League as recently as 2019, losing to Manchester City in the Round of 16. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League twice during this period.
The German giants' dramatic collapse from Bundesliga runners-up to relegation in the space of three seasons has been nothing short of astonishing.
#2 Manchester United (Premier League)
Just over six months ago, it appeared English football's fallen giants were ready to launch an assault on the Premier League title. However, Manchester United's heartbreaking loss in the 2021 Europa League final to Villarreal saw Ole Solskjaer's reign unravel at a breakneck pace.
Since Ferran Torres' recent sale to Barcelona, Manchester United have overtaken City as the most expensive squad in the Premier League. Yet the Red Devils are currently in seventh place, and a staggering 22 points off leaders Manchester City. They have already been eliminated from the EFL Carabao Cup by West Ham United, and were quite unconvincing in the Champions League group stage, which they topped.
Manchester United are on a four-year trophyless run, their longest drought in the last 40 years.
Ahead of the 2021-22 season, there was optimism that the Red Devils had turned a corner after their second-place league finish last season. Instead, they're arguably back to square one, and the ongoing season already looks unsalvageable for the English giants.
#1 Juventus (Serie A)
Juventus' signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 was expected to be the final piece of the puzzle for the Old Lady. The Bianconeri fell short at the final hurdle in the Champions League in 2015 and 2017. By bringing in the Portuguese superstar, Juventus looked to win a first Champions League crown since 1996.
In hindsight, 2018 was the beginning of the end for Juventus' era of dominance. They have been eliminated at relatively early stages by supposedly inferior opposition in each of their last three Champions League campaigns. A quarter-final exit to Ajax and eliminations against Lyon and Porto in the Round of 16 were bitterly disappointing.
However, the most shocking blow was the manner in which Juventus relinquished their 2020-21 Serie A title to Inter. The Bianconeri endured a terrible campaign, finishing fourth, which saw their run of nine consecutive league titles draw to a close.
The departure of Ronaldo and manager Andrea Pirlo has only exacerbated matters. The Old Lady are currently fifth in Serie A, a whopping 22 points behind leaders Inter.
That's a shocking decline for a club that harboured aspirations of continental glory barely a year ago.
