The arguments rarely stop when it comes to trying to decide who are the best team in Europe. Fans have their varying opinions as to who should be considered as the number one at any moment in time, often shifting the weight of various tournaments depending on what their team has achieved in recent times.
To try to resolve the issue, The Sportsman is pleased to unveil the very first iteration of our European Football Power Rankings. Based on achievements over the past five seasons, with a sliding scale rewarding more recent successes most heavily, we’ve come up with an algorithm which identifies the very best teams across domestic leagues and European competition.
Here are the top 40 teams in the rankings at the end of the 2021-22 season:
38. Rangers, Trabzonspor, Apollon Limassol – 15.000
37. Real Sociedad – 15.250
36. Lyon – 16.422
35. FC Copenhagen – 16.875
34. Arsenal – 17.797
33. Lazio – 19.063
32. Atalanta – 19.375
31. Rennes – 20.500
30. Lille – 20.625
29. Celtic – 21.563
28. Tottenham Hotspur – 21.898
27. Eintracht Frankfurt – 21.969
26. Porto – 22.148
25. Bayer Leverkusen – 23.625
24. Monaco – 24.125
23. Napoli – 25.344
22. Villarreal – 27.125
20. Club Brugge, Ajax – 27.188
19. Sevilla – 27.297
18. Roma – 28.016
17. Zenit St Petersburg – 28.125
16. Marseille – 29.969
15. Manchester United – 30.023
14. Red Bull Salzburg – 31.172
13. Juventus – 32.922
12. RB Leipzig – 33.688
11. Borussia Dortmund – 35.578
10. Barcelona – 37.734
Barca would have been high on anybody’s list until recently, with three barren years in La Liga and an increasing fall away from the Champions League reckoning resulting in them only just making our first top 10.
9. AC Milan – 37.750
Milan’s return to the top of Serie A after 11 years brings them recognition in the top 10 of the Power Rankings. Having had nothing much going for them until finishing second to neighbours Inter in 2020-21, their efforts over the last 12 months have seen them placed back among the world’s big footballing powerhouses.
8. Inter – 41.000
Despite their near-miss in Serie A this term, Inter hold a slight advantage over the Rossoneri thanks to their record over previous seasons. Their 2021 Scudetto success was valuable in the algorithm, while a second-place finish in 2020 coupled with a trip to the Europa League final made for another batch of points.
7. Atletico Madrid – 41.422
They may have been well beaten to the title in Spain this season but Atletico Madrid continue to be a consistent power in European football. One La Liga success, two second-place finishes and two thirds have helped to bump up their tally, while they have been regulars in the latter stages of the Champions League and their 2018 Europa League win earns them a couple of extra points.
6. Chelsea – 47.711
Winners of the Champions League in 2021 and the Europa League two years previously, Chelsea might not have finished above third in the Premier League recently but their European performances have helped to set them apart. The new era under Todd Boehly could see them boost their ranking in 2022-23.
5. Paris Saint-Germain – 54.664
If only they could deliver in Europe, they’d be candidates for the No.1 spot. With four titles in the last five years in France, it’s PSG’s failure to reach more than a single Champions League final that sees them down in fifth. With Neymar, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and a host of other big names, they could make a break for the top next term.
4. Liverpool – 56.781
If they’d won the Champions League final, Liverpool would have been our inaugural number-one side, but their no-show in Paris means they’re missing from the top three. A Premier League win and European title still weigh in to their ranking at this point, but one of their two recent silver medals on the continent will fall out of the reckoning next season, meaning they will need another decent season to retain their top-four spot.
3. Bayern Munich – 62.266
Winning the Bundesliga 10 years in succession is always going to help your ranking in any collection like this one, but those last five domestic league titles account for only 48.438 of Bayern’s total. Their regular appearances in the latter stages on the continent push them into the top three, with that 2020 Champions League title being the standout achievement.
2. Manchester City – 63.328
Four league titles in five years are the basis for City’s ranking, with their inability to get over the line in the Champions League keeping them off top spot. If Pep Guardiola can finally get his hands on another European Cup in 2022-23, the Cityzens’ points tally will be tough to overturn.
1. Real Madrid – 79.391 (2021-22: 55pts, 2020-21: 12.75pts, 2019-20: 6.72pts, 2018-19: 2.11 pts, 2017-18: 2.81pts)
The new Spanish and European champions gain top marks for their 2021-22 campaign and sit atop the tree as a result. While their sketchier record before then makes them reachable in the season to come, Carlo Ancelotti’s men still benefit from their 2020 La Liga triumph and 2018 Champions League success in the current rankings.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
