Your Top 5 European Teams of the 21st Century (so far)

I would like you to look back to all the European teams of the last 20 years and give me your best 5 of the bunch. BTW:

1. You can but you don't have to choose only from CL winners because, and if history has taught us anything, you don't have to be the best to win the CL. Plus, some teams were really, really good but unfortunately didn't win it, and it would be unfair not to give them any recognition.

2. Don't focus just on trophies and give more of your attention to other things as well ( impact, dominance, fear factor, football attractiveness, ...).

So with that out of the way, here's mine:


1. Guardiola's Barça: The equivalent of a nuclear warhead. An absolute monster of a team that aces all the criteria (dominant, feared, attractive,...). They are my number 1 pick as the strongest side of the last 20 years.

2. Heynckes' Bayern: A high-scoring, ruthless, relentless machine that presses the living hell out of you and destroys everything in its path. They go second in my top 5. Second only to the legendary Barça team.

3. Enrique's Treble-winning Barça of 2015: They might've had some issues at the back, but their front three were a thing of beauty. They go third.

4. Zidane's 2017 Real Madrid: I hesitated a lot between this side and Ancelotti's, but ended up going for this one because I think it was our best year and the most dominant one out of all the CL winning seasons under Zidane and Ancelotti.

5. Ferguson's 2008 Manchester United: Definitely the best team that year and one of the best of the 21st century. It's no surprise that Ferguson called it his best ever team.

Zidane's Real Madrid (the first stint) was more or less the same team all the way i'd put them as definite first place

2. Barcelona 2010-2011
3. Bayern 2012-2013
4. Barcelona 2014-2015
5. Arsenal invincibles

Fifth place is based only on reputation i have not seen them. Juve also went unbeaten but in a lesser era of Serie A, also we've had much better squads, before and after, during 21st century.

i can only name that 4, never really been impressed by Bayern all that much as a football watcher

1. Barcelona Pep era
2. Arsenal Invincibles
3. Real Madrid CL hat-trick
4. Chelsea Mourinho first two years

and lol at Manchester United 2008
Arsenal really could have won the PL in 2007/08, and Liverpool in 2008/09

all i saw in Machenster United under those latter Fergie years was a team that was heavily favoured by the FA referees. But i do admit their CL win that season was somewhat clutch in a Fergie type of way, even if it came down to luck at the end on penalties.

Treble is the sign of dominance, so you need a treble to be truly the best team. We have four in 21st century.

14-15 Barcelona, easily the best team ever, could win any game and had the prime Messi, most impressive cl run ever beating only champions.
08-09 Barcelona, had a huge tactical advantage at the time.
12-13 Bayern, dominant performance against Barcelona, although with injured Messi.
09-10 Inter, lucked with the volcano at the right time.
... Meh

Inter fans still not acknowledging the volcano.

Must have it

Vibe wrote:

Harmonica wrote:Inter fans still not acknowledging the volcano.

The only eruption that mattered that day was the jizz in my pants after the game

Celebrated more after it than final against Bayern . 22 May was like to collect the diploma

Vibe wrote:

Harmonica wrote:Inter fans still not acknowledging the volcano.

The only eruption that mattered that day was the jizz in my pants after the game

Did you watch the game with your uncle?

Good thread.

Maybe there's "recent memory" bias involved, but I do believe our team of the past couple of years deserves to be in the top-5. Back-to-back CL finals and cruising to a PL title is fantastic.

Guardiola's Barca would probably top my list. They were just extremely difficult to play against. Elite possession with work rate (pressing) without the ball.

Three CL titles in a row is mightily impressive, but I'm having trouble rating that Madrid team as a superb team. But I guess they have to be there for that CL achievement alone.

2015 Barcelona, okay. For whatever reason they're kinda faded from my memory.

I guess my last spot is a toss up between Heynckes Munich and United with Ronaldo. Although I'm having a little trouble rating that United team in the top-5, because domestically in this century both Chelsea and Arsenal have had more impressive teams, imo. But United made back-to-back CL finals and won one of them, so I dunno.

For the 2010's

MSN Barca
Guardiola's Barca
Zidane's Madrid
Heynckes's Bayern
Allegri's Juve

For the 2000's I remember less of the top of my head, without looking back into it these teams come to mind

Ancelotti's Milan
Lippi's Juve
Ronaldinho's Barca
Invincible's Arsenal
Ferguson's United with Ronaldo

Art Morte wrote:Three CL titles in a row is mightily impressive, but I'm having trouble rating that Madrid team as a superb team. But I guess they have to be there for that CL achievement alone.

they were more than that, but yes they deserve to be there just on that achievement alone. They were set up well and had they had prime Marcelo and Modric, and an unbelievably clutch Ronaldo.