Bleacher Report's European Club Rankings

“Looked good in the Champions League, and with Jose Mourinho in charge the only way is up!”  (Barney Corkhill)

“The Nerazzurri would be higher if they had gotten off to a better start in Serie A, but their quality showed in their 2-0 win against Panathinaikos.”  (Daniel Penza)

4. Real Madrid            La Liga                (7.73)

“If they had succeeded in the pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo it could have been No. 1. The only club who can rightly challenge Manchester United’s claim to “biggest” in the world—with two straight La Liga titles to boot.”  (Simon Williams)

“Not looking as strong as when they won the league last season, but still grinding out the results—a sign of a good side.”  (Gonzalo)

3. Manchester United   Premier League   (8.05)

“The kings of Europe, haven't had the best start to their season but they have a side that exudes quality and are fully capable of turning the tables on all fronts.”  (Salaar Shamsi)

“English league champions and European champions says it all really. This current United side is probably the best Sir Alex Ferguson has had since he started out some 20 years ago.”  (Salomon Gonzales)

2. Liverpool           Premier League          (8.23)

“A great start to the season, with great performances and victories against the likes of Manchester United. But will this good form last long enough for them to seriously challenge for the title?”  (Yoosof Farah)

“The Merseyside club aren't nearly as good in the Premier League as they are in Europe. This is because Rafael Benitez understands the European game better. Five Champions League titles show their true potential”  (Salaar Shamsi)

1. Chelsea             Premier League            (9.27)

“Chelsea have made an excellent start to the season under the guidance of Luiz Felipe Scolari. With him rallying his world-class troops, the Blues might be set to challenge on all fronts this year.”  (Zahi Sahli)

“Unlucky to lose out in Moscow last season. Performing better than anyone in England at the moment, and were the best team in the first round of the Champions League. Quite simply, Europe’s form side.”  (Barney Corkhill)

So, there you go. Chelsea are the clear selection as Europe’s best side, with England’s “Big Four” also inside Europe’s top six.

However, the lack of depth in the Premier League is demonstrated by the fact no other side makes the top 20, while the rival Spanish and Italian leagues have more representatives spread out throughout the list.

Does this strength in depth make La Liga and Serie A better than the supposedly dominant Premier League?

Equally, it appears that Europe currently has its very own “Big Ten”, as 11th place AC Milan were mathematically closer to the Sevilla in 20th than they were to Lyon—despite the French side being just one place above them in the rankings.

Finally, thank you to all the contributors who helped bring these rankings together. Comments and criticisms are more than welcome, and if you want to get involved with the process for the next rankings—the more people the better for the accuracy of the rankings—you can get in touch with me here.

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