1 Brazil 1970
2 Hungary 1953
3 Holland 1970
4 Milan 1989-90
5 Brazil 1958
6 Real Madrid 1956-60
7 Brazil 1982
8 Barcelona 1991-94
9 Italy 1934-38
10 France 1998- 2000
11 River Plate late 1940s
12 Ajax 1971-73
13 Bayern Munich 1974-76
14 Celtic 1967
15 France 1984
16 Denmark 1986
17 Real Madrid 1998
18 Totttenham 1961
19 Liverpool 1977
20 Manchester United 1999
Few complaints though I thought Bayern in the late 90s/early 00s and Ajax just before then were excellent.
I know nothing about River Plate of the 1940s and precious little about Tottenham in 1961 - the only European club side there not to have won the European Cup?
The United team of 99 went from before Christmas in 1998 till September 1999 unbeaten winning three competitions. I challenge any team now to go through 3 compeitions unbeaten in the same timeframe. Then you have to look at the team. The United midfield 4 of Keane Scholes Beckham and Giggs was the best in europe at the time.
Sounds like a challenge for our astro team. Let’s take it on.
On United themselves - they did have the best midfield in Europe at that time although Effenberg, Basler and Jeremies were well on top in the final against a weakened United 4. But they were the best midfield that season but failed to have any huge influence outside that one season. Bayern Munich were consistently better over the same timeframe.
Well United easily won the league in 2000 and 2001 and only really lost momentum when Fergie decided Veron was a better player than Paul Scholes and that was when the quartet was no longer number one but did recover in Beckhams last season at United to win the league. I think the place in the list is well justified.
I actually don’t know anything about that River Plate team of the late 1940s at all either. Can’t recall World Cup winning sequences but that Italy 1934-38 side must have won 1 or both tournaments.
Interesting to see that Brazil side from 1982 get in the top 10 - they didn’t make the final but people eulogise about their side.
Surprised to see that Barca team in the top ten - I think that’s the side that Romario played in and I would have said they underachieved, only winning 1 European Cup.
I don’t think that Spurs team won a European Cup so you’d have to question their inclusion.
Quite surprised to see Manchester United in there given how thoroughly lucky their final victory was - they were hardly better than any of the other ‘one time’ winners of that era not included there and were a good bit worse than the Real Madrid side that won two European Cups around that time and gave ManU a very harsh lesson in a tie in 2000. They dominated in England but underachieved quite a lot in Europe.
Denmark’s inclusion surprises me though they had some excellent players in that side.
I thought that Celtic side would have been higher.
I was waiting for someone to mention England 66. Considering it was “World Soccer” magazine and not “English football is the best there is was and ever will be” magazine it makes sense.
i agree they were a very good team & they did dominate the EPL but wouldnt rate them higher than the Madrid & Munich teams of that era - wouldnt consider them as good as the juve team from a few years earlier
im saying that manchester were very good domestically but were not overly special compared to other teams in europe - Nottingham won 2 European cups in a row which is a bigger achievement than Manchesters 1 european cup
I think the Real Madrid team that won 5 European Cups in a row are harshly done by. I’d have them as number one - Puskas, Di Stefano, Gento et al.
It’s difficult to compare them with international teams obviously because to win 5 world cups in a row you’d have a team spanning generations. That said they were probably the most awesome and dominant force ever in Europe and they maintained that over a longer period than anyone else.
