2016 has been one hell of a year. Some would say it has been the year of the underdog. Starting off with Leicester City’s title win and ending with RB Leipzig’s incredible rise to the top of the Bundesliga, there have been some wonderful fairy tale stories that have warmed out hearts.
We rank the 10 best teams of 2016 at Sportskeeda based on various factors. Of course, we have also taken into consideration your votes as well before coming to a final conclusion.
There have been several outstanding individual performances which have helped propel teams to the top. Some teams have solely depended on the strength of their unit. This is how all of you voted for the best team this year.
Scoring system
Each team gets a total score that is the sum of scores they receive from the fans and Sportskeeda. A team with the highest rank receives 10 points and it goes on from there.
(For Eg: If readers rank a team as number 1 and Sportskeeda ranks team as number 2, then the team’s score will be a total of 10 + 9 =19)
All Ties are broken by the Sportskeeda score
So without further ado let us begin the countdown
#10 Juventus (Reader’s rank: 10 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 9 | Total Score: 3)
Juventus continued their impressive dominance in Serie A by winning the Scudetto for the fifth time in a row. They were always favourites to begin with, but Napoli did give them a good run for their money in 2015/16.
But the Old Lady had a disappointing European campaign after finishing runners-up in the year before. The were knocked out in the round of 16 after an exciting 6-4 loss on aggregate to Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich.
They did manage to snatch Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli and also made a huge profit with the sale of Paul Pogba to Manchester United. But after losing to AC Milan in the Italian Supercopa, Juve will be wary of the chasing pack as they attempt to defend their crown for a 6th time in a row.
#9 Sevilla (Reader’s Rank: 9 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 8 | Total Score: 5)
Winning three consecutive Europa League titles takes some doing. Sevilla are the first and only club to do so and they did it with a ‘come from behind victory’ against Liverpool in the final of the competition this year.
Unai Emery has become a specialist when it comes to the Europa league and his ability to manage tournaments has to be admired. After news broke out that he would be joining Paris Saint-Germain, many thought that it could mean their decline.
But Jorge Sampaoli seems to have taken their game to the next level. Sevilla have taken up Atletico Madrid’s mantle in many ways, to become the third contender this season for the La Liga title.
They currently lie 3rd in the standings a point off Barcelona and 7 behind Real Madrid. They are a team on the up and could put up a good fight until the end of the season.
#8 Chapecoense (Reader’s Rank: 4 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 10 | Total Score 8)
The achievements of this little Brazilian team came to light this year after a tragic plane crash which killed almost everyone on board. Chapecoense’s flight was heading to Colombia to play in the final of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana Finals when it crashed.
Chapecoense's story was one mirroring that of famous football fairy tales. For most of the club’s history, they participated in the lower rungs of Brazilian football. Their recent rise to the top tier of Brazilian football was a phenomenal one and they capped off their domestic season with a place in the final of Copa Sudamericana, the second biggest tournament in the continent.
They also achieved their highest ever finish in Brazil’s top flight this year managing to take 11th spot which was an achievement in itself for a team that had only achieved top flight status a couple years ago.
Nobody expected the minnows to make it to the final of the Copa Sudamericana let alone make the quarterfinals. But their story took a nightmarish turn just days before the final in Colombia.
The plane carrying the players, staff and coaches crashed into a landmass at Medellin, an area of Colombia. As a mark of respect, their opponents Atletico Nacional asked for the trophy to be awarded to Chapecoense with the CONMEBOL accepting their request.
Our prayers are with this wonderful team and the families who lost their loved ones in the disaster.
#7 Bayern Munich (Reader’s Rank: 7 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 7 | Total Score 8)
The first representative from Germany this year, Bayern Munich once again coasted to yet another Bundesliga title. It was their 4th consecutive title win and they once again pipped rivals Dortmund by a comfortable margin.
This was also the last year for Pep Guardiola at the club but many were disappointed that he could not lead them to a Champions League crown. He did manage to win the DFB Pokal as well which turned out to be his last game with the club.
Bayern reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the 3rd year running but fell to Spanish opponents, this time in the form of Atletico Madrid. Robert Lewandowski also finishes the year as top scorer in the Bundesliga in terms of goals scored in a calendar year.
With Carlo Ancelotti taking over as manager in the summer they are now expected to try and regain that elusive Champions League crown with the league once again looking like theirs for the taking.
#6 Chile (Reader’s Rank: 8 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 6 | Total Score 8)
Chile have become a phenomenal force not only in South American football but in world football, too. Under coach Jorge Sampaoli they rose to prominence in 2014. They ran Brazil ragged in an intense round of 16 match and were unlucky to come out second best.
They got their just rewards for their brilliant and high-intensity style of play in 2015 when they defeated the almighty Argentina in the final of the Copa America to lift the trophy. Messi and co. wanted revenge in the Centenario edition of the tournament as they faced Chile once again in the final.
But lady luck was with Sanchez and Co. and once again they triumphed in the penalty shootout as the Argentinians went home empty-handed for the second year running.
Despite a slow start to their world cup qualifying campaign, Chile have steered themselves back into automatic qualifying spots, once again leapfrogging Argentina in the leaderboard thanks to consecutive wins in the last international break of the year.
#5 RB Leipzig (Reader’s Rank: 6 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 5 | Total Score 11)
RB Leipzig are currently the most hated team in Germany. But the rest of the world have been very impressed with the Red Bull-backed team and their ascendance to the Bundesliga.
Under Ralph Hassenhuttl they have managed to give Bayern Munich tough competition so far in the league. They managed to claim the top spot for a couple of game weeks before being brought crashing down to earth thanks to a 3-0 hammering by current leaders Bayern.
But their achievement cannot be understated. This is the highest ever finish a team has managed in the Bundesliga of any previously promoted teams in their first season in the top flight. With big money backers as well, expect Leipzig to continue their incredible rise into the new year.
#4 Portugal (Reader’s Rank: 5 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 2 | Total Score 15)
Portugal were the underdogs coming into Euro 2016. They lived up to that billing as well during the initial stages of the tournament. They barely qualified from their group after a thrilling 2-2 draw in their very last group game which gave them the point they needed to go through
Ronaldo had not been at his best during the tournament but popped up with vital goals at different stages of the campaign. After the group stages, the team went on to squeeze out results in the round of 16 and the quarters
They needed extra time and penalties during those two stages to get over the line.
In the semi-finals of Euro 2016, they managed to defeat Wales 2-0 thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. It was the first time in the tournament that Portugal had won a game in 90 minutes and it proved to be the only time as well.
The A Seleção were battered by hosts France for 110 or so minutes before Eder got the winner for his side. It was a story of grit and determination and despite not playing the most attractive football they got the job done which is why they make our 2nd ranked team in this list.
#3 Barcelona (Reader’s Rank: 2 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 4 | Total Score 16)
Before the start of every season, FC Barcelona are named as the favourites for almost every trophy they compete in. The Catalans had a fantastic 2016 but they maybe fell slightly short of the incredible standards they set each season.
Lionel Messi was once again at the peak of his powers, topping the assist charts last season and also leads the way in goals this season. After a slightly shaky start to the 2016/17 campaign, the Catalans are starting to slowly claw back Real Madrid's lead.
In terms of trophies, they were expected to win the La Liga and the Copa Del Rey after the start they had to the 2015/16 season. But Barca ended up making hard work of their La Liga win after letting Real Madrid and Atletico back in the race with only a few games to go.
They were also given a good run for their money in the Copa Del Rey final but ended up outlasting Sevilla winning 2-0 after extra time. They defeated the same team in the Spanish Supercopa with an aggregate of 5-0.
It has been a good 2016 for Barcelona but maybe the disappointment of not making the semi-finals of the Champions League has somewhat dented their year but when you have Messi no year can ever be dull.
#2 Real Madrid (Reader’s Rank: 1 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 3 | Total Score 18)
Real Madrid have met the expectations of their very demanding Bernabeu Faithful in 2016 after a trophy-laden year which ended with them winning the Club World Cup. The year did not start so well with Los Blancos lagging behind in the title race.
Rafa Benitez was sacked right at the start of the year with Zidane being appointed the very next day. Many publicly criticised the club fort their unceremonious sacking of the former Liverpool manager.
There were also question marks over Zidane’s capability as a manager at the highest level, with this being his very first full-time job. The way things have turned out I’d say those critics will be ruing their words.
The Frenchman has managed to win the same number of trophies as Mourinho managed during his entire reign. Real Madrid were not in the title race at the start of the year and by the end of the 2015/16 season, they managed to lose the race by only a point.
Los Blancos have only lost 2 games all year which is an incredible feat for any manager let alone one that has not been in charge for 12 months yet. Now Zidane hopes to help his team lift their first LaLiga title in 4 years and to put an end to Barcelona’s dominance in Spain.
#1 Leicester City (Reader’s Rank: 3 | Sportskeeda’s Rank 1 | Total Score 18)
If there is any team that exceeded all expectations in 2016 it is no doubt Leicester City. The fairytale story of the Foxes is something that happens once in a lifetime. Against the odds, Claudio Ranieri’s team lifted the Premier League title.
They were given odds of 5000/1 to win the title, statistically speaking the greatest against the odds win in the history of sports. The Foxes only gained promotion to the Premier League in 2014. They would have gone down the very same season if not for a miraculous recovery towards the end of the 2014/15 campaign.
Not many expected the Foxes to even finish in the top half of the table. They had a roaring start to the campaign as well coming from behind on several occasions to win games. Pundits felt the run would not last and they would eventually lose steam.
But the Foxes kept going, winning game after game in a season when the big teams were faltering. Arsenal and Tottenham were the only competitors for the title with the Gunners folding earlier than expected.
Spurs gave Leicester a good old fight until the end but Chelsea ensured that their London rivals would end the season trophyless and allowed Leicester to win an unprecedented first Premier League title.
Their fairy tale has continued into the 2016/17 season as well with the Foxes topping their Champions League group. They will surely not win this competition as well, will they?
