Ranking the Top 10 Premier League Champions
On Saturday, it's the big one. Well, sort of.
Premier League champions Leicester City face Chelsea, the club they dethroned last season. It means we'll see the last two kings of England coming to blows at the King Power Stadium.
To add to the narrative, Chelsea are en route to prising the trophy away from Leicester's grasp, sitting at the top of the Premier League with a five-point cushion.
In a roundabout way, Saturday will give us the derby of champions.
With that in mind, it got us thinking about who are the best champions we've seen in Premier League history. They could have played the best football or won the title in the best style. Maybe they were the most dominant or exciting?
Well, Bleacher Report attempts to end the debate here with our countdown of the top 10 teams to have lifted the Premier League trophy. Enjoy.
10. Leicester City's 2015/16 Fairytale
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What a fairytale it was. The fact Leicester City are struggling this season, looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone, just reinforces that fact.
Claudio Ranieri's side's Premier League title triumph in 2015/16 will go down as one of the shocks of the century. Not only did the Foxes overcome all odds—odds of 5000/1, we might add—they did so in style, breaking a few records along the way.
For one season, they had the time of their lives. Jamie Vardy broke Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in successive Premier League matches, while players once deemed surplus and not quite up to the grade with other clubs became leaders.
As the big boys faltered—notably reigning champions Chelsea—Leicester excelled to become the talk of world football. Relegation contenders at the start of the season, they were champions by the end.
There hasn't been anything quite like it. We doubt there ever will be again.
9. Manchester City's Aguerooooo Moment of 2011/12
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If we were to go on drama alone, Manchester City's Premier League title success in 2011/12 would be ranked top of our list. There's no argument for it.
We know the narrative. City needed to beat Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season to win the title, but with seconds left on the clock, they were drawing 2-2 after Edin Dzeko's late equaliser.
Then Sergio Aguero struck. Or is that Sergio Aguerooooo?
The Argentinian's goal to win the title at the death completed a remarkable season of Premier League action. The lead at the top had switched constantly throughout, and for neutrals, it was one of the best title races in living memory.
But we're not talking about drama here; we're talking a team's value as champions. A City side with Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and Aguero in it deserves to make our top 10, but the fact they allowed their success to rest on one last kick of the season means they just about scrape in.
8. Blackburn's Solitary Success in 1995
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Manchester United were used to getting things their own way in the 1990s. They won five of seven Premier League titles, including the first two.
They were stopped in their tracks by Kenny Dalglish's Blackburn Rovers in 1994/95, however. Indeed, that season proved to be frustrating for the Red Devils, who also lost to Everton in the FA Cup final.
The one that would have really stung the pre-knighthood Alex Ferguson was losing to rival Dalglish in the title race. Not only was Ferguson a former Rangers man and Dalglish a Celtic legend, but the pair had also gone head-to-head when Dalglish was in charge of Liverpool.
Blackburn were the unlikeliest of sides to knock United off their perch. In a small town in Lancashire in comparison to Manchester's industrial prowess, Jack Walker's money propelled them to the top. Rovers were able to sign the likes of Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer to fire them to title.
It wasn't sustainable, though, and when Walker's money dried up, Blackburn began their slide down the table. They're now fighting against relegation from the Championship.
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7. Chelsea's Back-to-Back Heroes of 2005/06
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Winning the first is hard enough, but to do it twice in a row is even tougher. It's for that reason Manchester United were the only club in the Premier League to win back-to-back titles up to 2006. Then Jose Mourinho added Chelsea to the list.
When we look at the failures of Blackburn Rovers in 1995/96 and Arsenal in 1998/99, it shows how impressive Chelsea's titles were in 2004/05 and 2005/06. Blackburn couldn't sustain it, and neither could Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.
Ferguson was a big reason why. The Scot didn't take kindly to being knocked off the top, and United would react strongly to get themselves back into contention. They deposed Blackburn a year after losing the title to them, and the same happened in 1999 with Arsenal.
Try as they might in 2005/06, after Chelsea's success the previous season, United couldn't. Indeed, the Blues would win the title with two games to spare that year, and they did it by beating United at Stamford Bridge.
That record stands too. Only United and Chelsea have won back-to-back titles in the Premier League era, with Manchester City, Arsenal, Blackburn and now Leicester failing to defend their crowns.
6. Manchester United's 3 in a Row of 2000/01
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How many clubs have won three Premier League titles in a row? Just one: Manchester United.
Ferguson's side did it for the first time in 2000/01, making it three successive league crowns after glory in 1998/99 and 1999/2000. The Red Devils also matched the feat in 2009 after deposing Chelsea from their short spell of Premier League dominance.
Facing the Roman Abramovich juggernaut that was threatening to envelope the English game was as much a moral victory for the rest of the Premier League as it was a fine achievement. But to do it the first time, to become the first side to get across the finishing line in 2000/01, always deserves a bigger nod of appreciation.
Back then, it was a resurgent Arsenal who were challenging Sir Alex's men. They had stopped them in their tracks in 1997/98, yet it would be four years before they would get their hands back on the Premier League trophy.
United's response to Arsenal's first Premier League title triumph was to become more ruthless than ever. They won the treble in 1998/99 and followed that up with two more league successes.
To keep the trend of threes going, United won the title with three games to spare in 2000/01.
That era at Old Trafford produced one of the best teams English football has seen.
5. Chelsea's 100 Club of 2009/10
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Chelsea would win the title in spectacular fashion on the last day of the 2009/10 season. In terms of drama, it wasn't quite up there with that Aguero moment two years later, but an 8-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic ensured it was more emphatic.
The scoreline that day, against a hapless Wigan side isn't the point, though. The Blues were neck and neck with Manchester United, edging the race by a single point, so they knew all they had to do was match United's scoreline.
Home advantage was a big help, yet Wigan had already beaten Chelsea earlier that season. That loss was a big shock for Carlo Ancelotti, who saw his team lose for the first time in the Premier League. It also brought to an end a 10-game winning streak that stretched back to the previous season.
Chelsea would recover enough to get their own back on the Latics and, in the process, become the first Premier League side to smash the 100-goal mark, with a record 103 for the season.
It was the perfect way for them to be crowned as champions for a fourth time in their history.
4. Chelsea's Record-Breakers in 2004/05
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When Mourinho arrived in English football in 2004, he was tasked with breaking up the Manchester United-Arsenal duopoly that had seen either of the pair finish as champions for nine seasons running.
Regardless of the billions at his disposal, courtesy of Chelsea owner Abramovich, it was a considerable task for a manager with no experience of the English game to turn the tide.
Come the end of 2004/05, however, Mourinho had made mincemeat out of his opponents. Chelsea lost just one game all season as they stormed to the Premier League title, finishing the campaign with a 12-point cushion at the top.
That was only half the story when it came to points, though. Mourinho's Chelsea smashed the points record for Premier League champions, finishing up with a whopping 95.
Had it not been for that solitary loss to Manchester City way back in October and a draw with Newcastle United on the final day, Chelsea would've recorded triple figures in 2004/05.
3. Manchester United's Treble Winners of 1998/99
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After two games in the 1998/99 Premier League, Manchester United didn't look like title-winners. They drew against Leicester City and West Ham United.
But that season was all about threes for Alex Ferguson's men. It took them three league games to pick up three points, and by the end of the season, they had won a historic treble.
That's what makes their Premier League achievement so remarkable. Winning the FA Cup and Champions League together in one season is no mean feat, but to do it while also claiming a league title was unprecedented in English football.
For 38 games, in spite of the 16 matches United didn't win in the league—they lost three, drawing 13—they demonstrated the tenacity that is the hallmark of any championship-winning side. They were relentless in pipping Arsenal to the title.
Fergie's men remained undefeated from Boxing Day that season, picking up an incredible 48 points from a possible 60 on offer. And they did it all while successfully chasing FA Cup and Champions League glory.
To add to it all, United sealed the treble with a homegrown core of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville.
2. Arsenal's Invincibles of 2003/04
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Arsenal's reputation as title contenders has taken a severe beating in recent years. Just when Gunners fans dare to believe it is going to be their year, their team crumbles under the pressure and invariably finishes fourth.
There are exceptions to the rule, like last season, when Arsene Wenger's men finished as runners-up to Leicester City. By and large, though, securing a top-four finish is regarded as success these days.
What makes that harder to stomach for Gooners is that the last time they won the title, Wenger's side did it in such style that we were expecting them to dominate English football for the next generation. No team could touch them in 2003/04—they were invincible.
Going undefeated—the first and only side in Premier League history to achieve that feat—was incredible. It meant taking points from places such as Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge. It meant always being on form, never having an off day.
It says so much about Arsenal's achievement that no other club has come close to emulating them in the 13 seasons since. And judging by the level of competition in English football's top flight, it's hard to imagine another side doing it anytime soon, either.
Arsenal 2003/04 was a fine vintage—one of the Premier League's finest.
1. Chelsea 2014/15
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No team had ever topped the Premier League from the opening weekend through to the last. Then Jose Mourinho's 2014/15 Chelsea side arrived on the scene to break the mould.
So dominant were the Blues that season that no other side led the Premier League in the entire campaign. From their 3-1 opening-weekend victory against Burnley right through to a win by the same scoreline against Sunderland on the final day, Chelsea were always out in front.
As a spectacle, it meant the title race is probably one of the few that will not be fondly remembered by neutrals. If we're looking at the complete brilliance of a team, however, we can't look beyond Chelsea in 2014/15 as the Premier League's finest champions.
Arsenal had their season of invincibility in 2003/04, although there hasn't been another team that has ever been as dominant as Chelsea. From start to finish, they were the best side in the country. It wasn't even subjective if we consider the adage that the league table never lies.
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