9 Best Club Teams in Football History (Ranked)

Clubs around the world are always dreaming of winning the hardest competitions. For the owners, it brings exposure and financial wealth, whilst – for the players – it cements their place in history. A footballer can only be considered one of the greatest players of all time if they win the best trophies.

Thankfully for some, a handful of clubs have dominated football over the years. From winning every trophy possible in their country to conquering Europe, they went through blood, sweat and tears to complete their goals, but it was all worth it for the delight at the end of the campaign.

Football has never been so competitive, yet some clubs are still capable of walking over everyone else. The best club sides of all time all won the Champions League, formerly named the European Cup, and they all tasted glory domestically. “Champions again” became a common chant for these legendary vintages.

Ranking Factors

• Trophies won – Only sides who won major honours have been included.
• Quality of players – Whether the players they had are now seen as legendary.
• Style of play – Whether they were exciting to watch with free-flowing football.

9 Benfica

1960/1961

Going back through the decades, Benfica conquered Europe with a run of phenomenal performances. They won the league title with 46 points, four ahead of rivals Porto, and they left their best talent for the European Cup. In just its sixth iteration, Benfica dominated the competition, dispatching Hearts, Ujpest FC, Aarhus Gymnastikforening and SK Rapid Wien on their way to the final.

In one of the biggest matches in football, they beat Barcelona 3-2, with an early goal from Jose Aguas setting the tempo. The striker was the club’s top scorer that campaign with 43 goals; they would not have succeeded without him.

8 Liverpool

1976/1977

A decade and a half after Benfica dominated Europe, Liverpool did the same. It came after they continued to showcase their strength in English football, winning the First Division for the second successive season. They finished just one point ahead of Manchester City, whilst they then lost to bitter rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final.

The defeat stopped them from becoming the first English club to win three major trophies in the same season, yet no one really cared when they flexed their strength and won the European Cup for the first time. By beating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 in Rome, they cemented their place among greatness, as Kevin Keegan secured a British record move to Hamburg in the following summer.

7 Inter Milan

1964/1965

Inter Milan are one of the most successful clubs of all time — and, in the 1964/1965 season, they showcased their strength once again. With a squad full of Italian legends, they won Serie A with 54 points, three ahead of bitter rivals AC Milan. Although they lost the Coppa Italia final, it was forgotten about when they sealed the European Cup once again.

Exactly a year on from their previous win, they retained the continental title by beating Benfica at San Siro, as Jair scored in a 1-0 win. Helenio Herrera’s dogmatic and defensively robust ‘catenaccio’ style wasn’t entirely attractive compared to others, but it delivered results.

6 Manchester City

2022/2023

Manchester City always used to be called the ‘noisy neighbours’. Despised by Manchester United, they always spoke loudly but rarely tasted success. That was before Middle Eastern investment came along, though, and – in 2023 – they completed football.

The Citizens won the Premier League after a titanic battle with Arsenal all campaign, beat bitter rivals United in the FA Cup final thanks to one stunning strike from Ilkay Gundogan and then won the Champions League by beating Inter Milan 1-0. They replicated the treble from the Red Devils in 1999, as Erling Haaland showed why he is always one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or.

5 Manchester United

1998/1999

At least one vintage of Manchester United was always going to feature on this list. Ruled over by one of the greatest managers of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, United narrowly won the title by one point ahead of rivals Arsenal, whilst they followed up that triumph by beating Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup final.

However, the Champions League was always the pinnacle, and two stoppage-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Bayern Munich saw them complete one of the greatest comebacks ever to win 2-1. Although Dwight Yorke was the top goalscorer, David Beckham was just as key. He was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for the 1998-99 season and was runner-up to Rivaldo for 1999’s Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

4 Real Madrid

2016/2017

Real Madrid need no introduction to world football. Nicknamed the ‘Galacticos’ for good reason, they have always been at the forefront — and that came to fruition once again in the 2016/17 season. Using one of the best attacking trios ever with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, they dominated football.

Zinedine Zidane’s side finished three points ahead of Barcelona in La Liga, won the Club World Cup and Super Cup — which they qualified for due to winning the previous Champions League — and then won UEFA’s greatest competition by beating Juventus 4-1 in the final. Legendary during an incredible era.

3 Real Madrid

1956/1957

Achievements are always most memorable when they are done for the first time. In 1957, Real Madrid won the La Liga title and European Cup together for the first time. They had won both competitions before, but they had never completed the double. As they finished five points ahead of Sevilla in the league, they had Alfredo Di Stefano, one of the best strikers of all time, to thank.

In the European Cup final, Di Stefano scored the only goal of the match as they beat Benfica 1-0, cementing his legendary status. Remarkably, they completed the exact same feat a year later during a run which saw them win five European Cups in a row.

2 Ajax

1971/1972

“Total football” is now one of the most famous tactical ideas in the sport — and it was created by Ajax in the 1970s. It was an attacking style of play in which every outfield player was able to play in any position as required during the course of a game. Ajax perfected it, comfortably winning the league title whilst also beating ADO Den Haag in the KNVB Cup.

In the European Cup final, they beat Inter 2-0, thanks to two goals from one of the best Dutch players ever, Johan Cruyff. Symbolising the effectiveness of the system, which Cruyff helped concoct, it was their second European Cup in a row — and they won it again a season later.

1 Barcelona

2008/2009

Barcelona’s team in the 2008/2009 season has been ranked as the greatest club side of all time. During an era with Pep Guardiola as manager, they dominated football, winning the Champions League again in 2011. Their ‘tiki-taka’ style was pleasing to the eye, whilst the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta — now all considered some of the greatest Barcelona players of all time — felt like a cheat code.

Their 2-0 win in the Champions League final against Man United showcased their dominance as they completed a stunning treble. Elegant. World-class. In a league of their own. There are not enough words to describe the beauty of that team.

Stats via Transfermarkt.