Idle Debate – Who Are The Top 6 Clubs In World Football?
He’s got an idea, what’s yours?
Pre-season is also up and running, which fills the gap to some extent, but really there is not too much going on certainly in European football right now that isn’t complete hot air.
So let’s add just a little bit to that giant floating balloon shall we?
Recently, during the brief spatial vortex between the whole world knowing Luis Antonio Valencia was going to Manchester United and Luis Antonio Valencia actually going to Manchester United, I was interested to read Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan’s thoughts on the subject:
“We are not in a hurry to sell him certainly, but when a lad has the ability to play for one of the six top clubs in the world we would never stand in his way.”
This got me thinking. Now, the desire – nay, need for human beings to rank one another in some form or other, in any given field and about any particular attribute, is legendary. It is a fundamental aspect of the human psyche. We crave it. How else do we explain away a world in which there is an entire, established competition based on throwing a 3.5kg lump of cheese down a steep hill, getting people to chase it and then celebrating whoever catches it quickest?!
This applies equally to football. We apply rank and order to everything from goalscorers to players to blades of grass covered.
So, in a bout of timewasting of the highest order, we pose the question that Dave Whelan clearly already has the answer to: Who are the top 6 clubs in world football?
There are many things to consider when coming to a conclusion on this one. Fanbase, budget, history, success, bank balance, who has the biggest floodlights.
We’d like to open up the floor to you the reader and ask you to join us in idle pondering. Have your say on the matter. The beauty of it is that because we are asking for 6 clubs, even if you pick your favourite team in a chest-thumpingly proud showing of partisanship there are still 5 others to consider.
Does fanbase count more than location? Does television coverage shine too favourably on obvious candidates and leave out others whose claim should be considered equally as strong? Does the way in which a club is run matter, and if so is there a ‘correct’ model that pre-determines what is a top club?
I’m not naming any candidates just yet, but we will be asking around and may even draw up some sort of final shortlist and poll depending on response.
Let us know what you think. I’d love to hear Dave Whelan’s top 6.
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About Jonathan F
The boss of this here... Creator and Editor of Just-Football.com and world football analyst, watcher, freelancer and all-round enthusiast. Write for FourFourTwo, have also written for ITV, When Saturday Comes and others. Open to offers.
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Just Football presents…
liverpool
barcelona
real madrid
ac milan
bayern munich
ajax
Real Madrid
AC Milan
Tottenham Hotspur (of course)
Barcelona
Southend United (on their day)
Manchester City (if they played on paper, rather than grass)
in that order
Right now (which is what he meant)
Barca
United
Chelsea
Liverpool
Arsenal
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Celtic
Manchester United
Liverpool
Boca Juniors
Hmmm interesting so far.
I'd be quite keen to hear people's explanations for their choices if you would like to go into them.
For example, Flamengo have a fanbase reported to be around 40 million in Brazil alone. Should that not bump them up around there somewhere? Do Chelsea, mentioned by Anonymous #2 outrank them?
@ Anonymous #3 – Boca is an interesting one. They have a definite pedigree in South America as one of the top clubs. Their byline 'la mitad mas uno' means 'half plus one' i.e. – 50% of the continent support us plus one.
I'd be interested to hear from others why Chelsea would deserve to be in there ahead of them…
It depends on whether your going on fanbase or success. The latter can lead to an influx in the former so the same clubs may appear twice. Or you could do it by how much money they have.
Success:
Liverpool
Real Madrid
A.C Milan
Manchester United
Everton
Barcelona
Fanbase:
Manchester United
Boca Juniors
Flamengo
Juventus
Sao Paulo
Liverpool
Money:
Real Madrid
Manchester City
Manchester United
Chelsea
Arsenal
Liverpool
A thought does winning the Copa Libertadores mean nothing? I'd have half a dozen South American teams ahead of Manchester City…
My tuppence worth:
1 Barcelona
2 Man U
3 Real Madrid
4 Juventus
5 Liverpool
6 Boca Juniors
-estudiantes (they are going to give barcelona a run for their money in dubai this year)
-barca
-manchester united
i'll stick with these 3, because i personally think that the rest of the teams out there are not THE best but amoungst the best and there are a lot more than 3: chelsea, liverpool, inter, bayern, villareal, lyon, juve, milan, columbus crew (just kidding), gremio…
Estudiantes are an interesting and indeed good shout nate. Libertadores champions and Sudamericana finalists, which shows their obvious calibre certainly ahead of the likes of River Plate and arguably Boca too, who have struggled both in the league and on the domestic stage of late.
But that assumes we are taking into account success and trophies as of paramount importance (as opposed to fanbase for example, where Boca/River are clearly #1 in Argentina).
So if we are using trophies and success as chief indicators let me throw in 2 more names: what of the mighty Al-Ahly in Egypt, African Champions League winners and Independiente, the Real Madrid of Libertadores triumphs?
Personally I don't think Chelsea can ever have laid claim to being one of the top 6 clubs in world football, no matter their cash and relative recent successes.
In terms of history, fanbase, overall impact on football, etc:
-Man Utd
-Liverpool
-Barca
-Real Madrid
-AC Milan
-Bayern Munich
-Ajax
Those are in no particular order.
And yes, I know that I picked seven.
Anonymous #5 – that looks to me like a pretty well balanced list.
Personally:
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Manchester United
AC Milan
Liverpool
Bayern Munich
Which is all very predictable, granted. Top three with a bit of distance over the bottom three for me, where a few other clubs could come into the mix. I just don't see how the top three can be disputed in any possible way of determining the 'top clubs' around.
It's tricky, this.
You can talk about South America, and I have heard of these clubs and have a vague notion of their relative success, but are they popular beyond their own continent? No, or at least certainly not to the degree that European clubs, and specifically English, Spanish and Italian sides, are.
So…
Barcelona (can't be doing with them myself, but they are probably the biggest. How many clubs have Popes on their season ticket list?)
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Liverpool (despite their curiously under-sized stadium)
Arsenal (though their position here is precarious)
And take your pick from Juventus, Internazionale and AC Milan.
If anyone is pushing to get onto this list, it is probably Chelsea. Twenty years ago, Ajax would almost certanly have been on the list, but no more. If the Old Firm ever break into the EPL (and I hope not), then Celtic probably would have potenial too, if they spent their TV revenue wisely (Rangers would still be a Big Club, but in the same way as Everton, Villa, Sunderland etc.)