The 50 Greatest World Football Club Teams of All Time

Taken from here. I don't completely agree with the list, and they could have written it better. But I'm not gonna argue with #1!

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Every season there are great teams in world football. It's just a fact of life in the modern game; someone is always doing something big, with a superb level of talent.

But, every once in a while, a team comes along who is truly special. Their play is something to behold, their accomplishments and trophies become the stuff of legends, their names will undoubtedly be etched in the annals of history.

These are the teams we're interested in. The sides that are still spoken of in reverent tones, those whose talent has placed them on hallowed ground as one of the 50 greatest club teams in world football history.

We're focusing solely on club teams and on specific years whenever possible, breaking down the greatest teams the football world has ever seen.

So, lace up your cleats, grab your Lisbon Lions scarf and Man U treble memorial kit and let's get started, shall we?


48. Manchester United, 1993-94

While this Man U installment pales in comparison to some of the others on this list, it's here for the history it managed to achieve and the sheer talent in the club.

The 1993-94 Red Devils scored their first league title since 1967 and netted the first double in club history, winning the Premiership and the FA Cup.

United was close to the domestic treble, but they were defeated by Aston Villa in the League Cup Final.

With midfielders Ryan Giggs, Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelski and Lee Sharpe, forwards Eric Cantona and Mark Hughes, defensive midfielder Roy Keane and golkeeper Peter Schmiel, the nucleus of this Man U squad might have been one of the most successful in history.

Because they got their start in this magical run, the '93-94 United squad makes the list.

32. Manchester United, 1968

In 1958, a British Airways plane carrying a promising young Manchester United squad from Yugoslavia to Munich-Riem airport crashed on a slushy runway, killing eight players and decimating the squad's hopes for the foreseeable future.

In 1968, led by flight survivors Bobby Charlton and manager Matt Busby, the Red Devils finally reached their potential, winning the European Cup 4-1 over Benfica.

Led by superstar forward George Best, and a slew of talented forwards, the team is viewed as one of the best in Old Trafford's lengthy history, although they failed to win the Football League title, finishing second to Manchester City.

Even so, the poignancy of becoming the first English side to win the European title, so soon after the devastating crash, put United on the list.

This should have been *way* higher!

17. Manchester United, 1957-58

Few teams on Earth had as much potential for glory as the 1957-58 Manchester United squad, known affectionately as "Busby's Babes".

Manager Matt Busby had used the Red Devils' youth program to full extent, and with a dominant club, the results were going to come to fruition soon. From promising strikers Bobby Charlton and Dennis Viollet, to goalkeepers Ray Wood and Harry Gregg, this young team looked to dominate Europe for years to come.

But that all changed one fateful night in February 1958, when the plane they were in crashed on a Munich runway covered in slush. Eight players were killed, while most of the rest of the team suffered serious injuries. Busby himself had last rites read to him twice during the ensuing days, while several young players, including Johnny Berry and Jackie Blanchflower either never played again, or were never the same again.

While Busby's Babes never reached their potential, this talented team more than merits a spot on this list.

11. Manchester United, 2007-08

In 2007-08, the Premiership race came down to two teams: Manchester United and Chelsea. The Red Devils, led by an unprecedented offensive force featuring Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, Manchester United snagged the EPL title on the last day of the season.

They finished second in both the FA and League Cups, but helped ease that pain with a thrilling victory over Chelsea in the Champions League final, to give Old Trafford another European crown.

They went on to snag world champion distinctions in the Club World Cup, and would ultimately be seen as one of the greatest, deepest United teams in history.




1. Manchester United, 1998-99

This is the team. The one who won it all, who did the unthinkable, who got Sir Alex Ferguson knighted.

The 1998-1999 Red Devils were favored to win the Premiership that season, but few expected the kind of dominance we all got.

From goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, to a back line featuring Gary and Phil Neville, Jaap Stam and Dennis Irwin, through one of the greatest midfields of all time, featuring Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, and some guy named David Beckham, all the way up to forwards Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Teddy Sheringham, it was hard to find many flaws at Old Trafford.

When the dust settled, United had reached unprecedented territory: the treble, picking up the FA Cup, Premiership title and Champions League title.

Let's break down why this was impressive; in order to win the Premiership, United needed 35 wins out of 38 games. On top of that, they had to play eight games in the FA Cup to win it, thanks to a pair of replays in the quarter and semifinals, all against the best league in the world. Finally, there was the Champions League, a grueling 13-game slog against the best teams Europe has to offer. That's 59 games over the course of a season. Typically, English clubs drop one of the three titles as a throwaway, to avoid playing such a brutal schedule, but not United.

The next season, United grabbed an Intercontinental Cup win, and while they crashed out of FIFA's inaugural Club World Cup, that was more a product of fatigue and Ferguson not caring much about the event.

For their unprecedented accomplishment, United are our greatest team in football history.