Kings of Football: The Best Football Clubs in the World
The World's Best Football Clubs as measured by the number of trophies won, club fanbase and extraordinary achievements
When it comes to the biggest and best clubs in the footballing world, names such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Manchester United are the usual suspects.
With 29 UEFA Champions League titles and hundreds of millions of die-hard fans between them, it is clear to see why these teams boast their accolades above so many others.
However, there are many clubs that are often forgotten and overlooked due to their current stature, league positions or how long it has been since their last trophy.
This includes teams such as Nottingham Forest, Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord.
In this article, The Sporting Blog will explore the aspects of football that dictate what helps a club make the list of “The Best Club in World Football”, looking at trophy count, fanbase and incredible facts and figures.
Honourable mentions: Barcelona, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Paris Saint Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting CP and Bayern Munich…
The Best Clubs in the World by Number of Trophies Won
Real Madrid
Real Madrid holds the record for the most Champions League victories, possessing 14 trophies, which is 7 more than second-place AC Milan – an incredible feat in the footballing world.
In addition to this, Los Blanco’s shine brighter than the rest, boasting 35 La Liga titles, 19 Copa del Rey’s, 5 Super Cup victories and 4 Club World Cups.
With incredible players throughout the club’s history, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Raul, Sergio Ramos, Alfredo De Stephano and Ferenc Puskas, the club have had a plethora of irreplaceable, incredible, match-winners.
A loaded trophy cabinet is hardly surprising!
Madrid’s history and success goes much further back than just the players mentioned, though.
Founded in 1902, the Madridistas have witnessed 120 years of glory and success, mixed with the occasional heartbreak and 122 trophy lifts.
The love the fans have for the club has made it possible for Madrid to reach massive heights.
The team has become one of the most widely-supported teams internationally, and it is said to be worth a whopping $5.1 billion, which makes it the most valuable football team in the world.
Is there anyone out there who can argue that Real Madrid is not the best football club, based solely on silverware?
The Madrid fanbase could also be an indicator of why the Spanish giants are one of the best clubs in world football, but the abundance of trophies is a better reason for Real Madrid’s inclusion on this list.
FC Porto
Porto are mostly spoken about for their 2003/04 Champions League victory.
Jose Mourinho led the Dragons to wins over Olympique Marseille and Partizan Belgrade in the group stage, before knocking out Manchester United, Lyon and Deportivo La Coruna, and finally smashing AS Monaco 3-0 in the final.
However, the club is bigger than just that one season and much bigger than just one manager.
As of Summer this year, Porto have claimed 82 major trophies in senior football, and they are the most decorated Portuguese team in international competitions.
They boast 2 Champions League titles, 2 Europa League trophies, a single Super Cup and 2 Intercontinental Cups.
They are also the only club from its country to have won any 3 of the competitions previously named.
Manchester City
Manchester City will always be a controversial choice among the football community when it comes to the best football clubs in the world.
There will always be the on-going joke that the current Premier League champions were only formed in 2008, when the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover was finalised.
However, that is far from fact!
Originally formed in 1880 as St Mark’s of West Gorton, Manchester City Football Club was actually founded in 1894.
A European Cup Winners’ Cup (their second only European campaign at the time), and FA Cup victories in the 1903/04, 1933/34, 1955/56 and 1968/69 seasons, alongside squads full of Bert Trautmann, Colin Bell, Francis Lee, Mike Summerbee, Trevor Francis, Frank Swift and Neil Young, prove the successful history of Man City.
However, there is no secret that compared to the olden days, Man City are more decorated than ever before.
Since 2008, the Cityzens have claimed 6 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups and 6 League titles, filling their trophy cabinet to the brim.
The Champions League. The holy grail. The only trophy that Pep Guardiola is yet to lift during his tenure in England. Without that accolade, Manchester City will never be taken as seriously as other teams.
However, that could soon change, with the Spaniard extending his stay at the Etihad for another 2 years.
It would be a dream come true for City fans if their manager was finally able to bring home the 1 trophy that their abundant trophy cabinet is missing.
The Best Clubs in the World by FanBase
Boca Juniors
Some Boca Juniors supporters may claim that they have the best fans in the world. It’s an outrageous claim, but it might just be true.
From humble beginnings for struggling Italian migrants from Genoa, to becoming a global super-club, there are claims that over half of Argentina support the team in blue and yellow- and Boca Juniors currently have fans all over the world.
The fans want to preserve their club, protect it with their lives, and so they have one of the most unrivalled set of supporters, in terms of both dedication and passion!
With an acceptance of the struggles that the early migrants went through, and why the club was formed to bring a community together, the Boca Juniors fans give everything when protecting their club, especially against fierce rivals in River Plate.
There is another part of Boca Juniors that fans can come together to celebrate and even worship – the memory of Diego Maradona.
Despite just a single season spent at the club, winning the league title in Buenos Aires, there is a beautiful bond between the supporters and the late King of La Bombonera.
There is just a special feeling surrounding the club due to its set of supporters.
Despite the recklessness that can sometimes be associated with the club, especially when it comes to derby matches, Boca Juniors have a certain respect for themselves and the art of football.
The passion, the support, the adoration, the love they feel for the club. It’s real and it’s truly beautiful.
Because when the whistle blows for kick-off, nothing else matters for the next 90 minutes.
Manchester United
The Red Devils boast over 350 million fans worldwide, with supporters’ clubs in almost every corner of the globe.
There are over 200 officially recognised branches of the Manchester United Supporters Club, in at least 24 countries.
With its rich history and number of world-class players, it is no surprise as to why Manchester United are one of the world’s most followed and supported clubs in football, or in any sport.
Even when the team went through a rough patch with performances on the pitch and problems with hierarchy within the club, they still managed to conquer their enemies.
With 20 league titles, 12 FA Cups, a record 21 Community Shields, 3 Champions League trophies, and a single Europa League victory, the club’s name has reached almost every country in the world.
The team continues to have a massive impact in African and Asian countries, despite playing most of its football in England.
Third only to Real Madrid and Barcelona, United have one of the highest social media followings in the world for all sports, with over 75 million Facebook followers and 34 million followers on Twitter.
Borussia Dortmund
The ‘Yellow Wall’, not to be mistaken for Wales’ Red Wall, is one of the greatest sights in the world of football.
As 75,347 fans fill the Signal Iduna Park Stadium, there is just a buzz created by Dortmund’s die-hard fanbase, before fans switch their gaze over to the Südtribüne to witness one of the most beautiful pre-game shows.
Current Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper, Roman Weidenfeller, paid his respect to one of football’s most powerful, impressive, awe-inspiring sights, saying:
“If you are the enemy, it crushes you. But if you have her at your back as a goalkeeper, it’s a fantastic feeling.”
Globally, there are 950 officially registered BVB fan clubs, representing over 60,000 supporters of the German giants.
Due to Bayern Munich’s dominance in the Bundesliga, many fans elsewhere in the world prefer to choose the Dortmund underdog story to support.
This is why there are so many loyal and passionate supporters all across the globe.
If there could be one more addition to the Seven Wonders of the World, Dortmund’s ‘Yellow Wall’ would be the number 1 contender.
It’s one of those bucket list items for any devoted football fan. That is the main reason for Borussia Dortmund’s inclusion on this list.
The Best Football Clubs in the World by Extraordinary Achievements!
Nottingham Forest
Following a 23-year absence from the Premier League, Nottingham Forest are experiencing their first campaign back in England’s top division, following their promotion from the Championship play-off final.
Due to so many seasons away from the limelight, Forest are often cast aside in the discussion about the best clubs in world football.
However, their trophy cabinet filled with a First Division title, 2 FA Cup wins and 2 European trophies will happily argue the case that the Tricky Trees should be involved in conversations surrounding this topic.
Founded in 1865, Forest are one of the oldest football clubs in the world, just 8 years younger than Sheffield FC, who claim to be THE oldest club in the sport.
Forest’s fame comes from their golden years, from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s with none other than Brian Clough and Peter Taylor.
Beforehand, Forest were not seen as a threat, with just a single FA Cup trophy to their name.
However, Clough and Taylor’s reign saw a promotion from the First Division, followed quickly by winning the double by claiming the league title and pipping Liverpool to the League Cup trophy.
Forest would then win the European Cup twice in 2 seasons.
Forest’s list of former players speaks for itself, boasting names such as Peter Shilton, Des Walker, Martin O’Neill, Roy Keane, Trevor Francis, Stuart Pearce- the list goes on!
From this group of names to the current squad consisting of the likes of Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates, Scott Mckenna and Dean Henderson, Forest fans will hope the club can create history all over again.
That, along with a dedicated fanbase who have followed their team through thick and thin, earns Nottingham Forest a space on this list of the best football clubs in the world.
Ajax
Ajax are a club known for their production of incredible young prospects.
Most recently, they have developed the likes of Matthjis de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch, who would go on to be sold for a combined total of €190 million.
Even if the bigger clubs across Europe do see the Dutch club as a production line for young stars, they are very much a big club in their own right.
After forming in 1900, Ajax have been relegated from the Netherlands’ topflight just once in their history, in 1914, 42 years before the formation of the Eredivisie.
The current Dutch champions join the list of teams never to be demoted from the Eredivisie, alongside PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and FC Utrecht.
In that time, Ajax have claimed the league title a record 36 times, which led to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics naming them as the 7-most successful European club of the 20th century.
The playing style known as “total football” was also born at Ajax Football Club, with Johan Cruyff at the forefront of it.
With their famous attacking style, allowing the forwards to drift into each other’s positions, Ajax would become the first Dutch team to reach the final of the European Cup in 1969.
After this, they won the accolade 3 times in a row between 1971 and 1973, also winning the Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup in that time.
Although in recent years, Ajax have only been capped to winning domestic competitions, their presence on the European stage has not been muted, with a famous journey to the Champions League semi-finals just 3 years ago.
After creating a buzz with victories over Real Madrid and Juventus, Ajax were unable to surpass Tottenham Hotspur due to a Lucas Moura hat-trick.
This flipped the tie in Spurs’ favour, losing via the away goals rule.
Read more posts on our football blog!
