Skysports.com here trawls back through the ages to pick out, in no particular order, ten of the best.
Barcelona - 2010/11
Let us start with the team of the moment and the remarkable feature of Barcelona's game is the style in which they play. Guardiola has at his disposal some of the most gifted passing technicians ever to have taken the field, most notably Xavi and Andres Iniesta, who allow Barca to control possession to an extent that has never been seen before. They are almost faultless with the ball and then when they do lose the ball they are relentless in their pressing, while up front there is the prolific David Villa and the majestic Lionel Messi, already one of the greatest players ever.
Manchester United - 1998/99
Of course the best way to measure greatness is to look at how many trophies a team has won come the end of the season. It is all well and good playing beautiful football and then missing out on the silverware, as Barcelona did in last season's Champions League after losing to Inter Milan. The Manchester United of the late 20th century managed to combine an attractive approach with the never-say day attitude required to pick up the biggest prizes. Having already claimed the Premier League and FA Cup in 1999, United claimed an unprecedented Treble by memorably snatching two late goals in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
AC Milan - 1989/90
Eyebrows were raised in 1987 when the inexperienced Arrigo Sacchi was appointed Milan manager, but within three years they had won the European Cup not once but twice. Sacchi assembled a phenomenal side capable of taking apart just about anyone, with defensive steel allied to attacking flair. Throughout his first-choice starting XI there were world-class stars, including Dutch trio Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, as well as the likes of Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. A stunning 5-0 victory over Real Madrid is still regarded as one of the most amazing performances of all time.
Real Madrid - 1956-60
It is difficult to imagine any team winning five successive European Cups in the modern era, even the great Barcelona, but that is precisely what Spanish giants Real achieved in the late 1950s. Nobody else on the continent could compete as legends such as Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas helped Real sweep aside everyone in their path.
River Plate - 1940s
Perhaps a surprise entry to younger readers, but the River Plate team of the 1940s is widely considered one of the greatest ever. It was not always the case that South American superstars would journey to Europe to ply their trade and the Argentine league was particularly strong during this period. River Plate were still able to dominate with four titles in a decade as the likes of Adolfo Pedernera and a young Di Stefano shone, while some old timers say they were the first exponents of total football, 30 years before the Dutch.
Liverpool 1977/78
Venturing back into slightly more recent territory, and the late 1970s were glory years for Liverpool as they retained the European Cup. Phil Thompson, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish have shown in more recent times they possess sharp football minds and back in their playing days they proved far too good on the pitch for most of their rivals. An honourable mention must also go to the Nottingham Forest team of the same era, who claimed back-to back European titles the following two years under the great Brian Clough.
Celtic -1966/67
Celtic's class of 1967 would later become known as the 'Lisbon Lions' after claiming European glory in the Portuguese capital courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan. It was the first time a British team had won the competition and a fantastic achievement for Scottish football, with every member of the team born within 30 miles of Glasgow. Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers grabbed the goals against Inter as Jock Stein's side, playing an extremely positive brand of football, won every competition they entered that season.
Ajax - 1994/5
Ajax have had two great teams in their history, one in the early 1970s and another in the mid 90s. The Dutchmen lifted the Champions League trophy in 1995 after going through the competition without losing a single game and, having produced a host of exciting young talents such as Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Marc Overmars and the De Boer brothers, a sustained spell at the top of the game looked to be in the offing. However, the Bosman ruling hit them hard and led to the squad being broken up dramatically over the next couple of years.
Real Madrid - 2001/2
A second appearance in our list for Real Madrid, who made it their project to bring in one of the best players on the planet each year during the 'Galacticos' era. They never quite succeeded in world domination but were just about unbeatable at their best, with the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and Raul in their ranks. It all came together in 2002 as Zidane's magnificent volley sealed Champions League success against Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal 2003/4
Unlike the other examples in our countdown, this Arsenal side did not come out on top in European competition. However, their domestic achievements still make them worthy of a place after going through the entire Premier League season unbeaten, to become known as the 'Invincibles'. Playing with a perfect balance between style and steel that they have never been quite able to replicate, the Gunners cantered to the title as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and co sparkled in attack and the likes of Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and Ashley Cole kept things tight at the back.
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Maybe accuse me of being biast but the Arsenal 03-04 team gets my vote as they went the season unbeaten :wub: and had one of the best teams in the world at that point with the BPITW in Thierry Henry
Barcelona - 2010/11
Let us start with the team of the moment and the remarkable feature of Barcelona's game is the style in which they play. Guardiola has at his disposal some of the most gifted passing technicians ever to have taken the field, most notably Xavi and Andres Iniesta, who allow Barca to control possession to an extent that has never been seen before. They are almost faultless with the ball and then when they do lose the ball they are relentless in their pressing, while up front there is the prolific David Villa and the majestic Lionel Messi, already one of the greatest players ever.
Manchester United - 1998/99
Of course the best way to measure greatness is to look at how many trophies a team has won come the end of the season. It is all well and good playing beautiful football and then missing out on the silverware, as Barcelona did in last season's Champions League after losing to Inter Milan. The Manchester United of the late 20th century managed to combine an attractive approach with the never-say day attitude required to pick up the biggest prizes. Having already claimed the Premier League and FA Cup in 1999, United claimed an unprecedented Treble by memorably snatching two late goals in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
AC Milan - 1989/90
Eyebrows were raised in 1987 when the inexperienced Arrigo Sacchi was appointed Milan manager, but within three years they had won the European Cup not once but twice. Sacchi assembled a phenomenal side capable of taking apart just about anyone, with defensive steel allied to attacking flair. Throughout his first-choice starting XI there were world-class stars, including Dutch trio Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, as well as the likes of Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. A stunning 5-0 victory over Real Madrid is still regarded as one of the most amazing performances of all time.
Real Madrid - 1956-60
It is difficult to imagine any team winning five successive European Cups in the modern era, even the great Barcelona, but that is precisely what Spanish giants Real achieved in the late 1950s. Nobody else on the continent could compete as legends such as Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas helped Real sweep aside everyone in their path.
River Plate - 1940s
Perhaps a surprise entry to younger readers, but the River Plate team of the 1940s is widely considered one of the greatest ever. It was not always the case that South American superstars would journey to Europe to ply their trade and the Argentine league was particularly strong during this period. River Plate were still able to dominate with four titles in a decade as the likes of Adolfo Pedernera and a young Di Stefano shone, while some old timers say they were the first exponents of total football, 30 years before the Dutch.
Liverpool 1977/78
Venturing back into slightly more recent territory, and the late 1970s were glory years for Liverpool as they retained the European Cup. Phil Thompson, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish have shown in more recent times they possess sharp football minds and back in their playing days they proved far too good on the pitch for most of their rivals. An honourable mention must also go to the Nottingham Forest team of the same era, who claimed back-to back European titles the following two years under the great Brian Clough.
Celtic -1966/67
Celtic's class of 1967 would later become known as the 'Lisbon Lions' after claiming European glory in the Portuguese capital courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan. It was the first time a British team had won the competition and a fantastic achievement for Scottish football, with every member of the team born within 30 miles of Glasgow. Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers grabbed the goals against Inter as Jock Stein's side, playing an extremely positive brand of football, won every competition they entered that season.
Ajax - 1994/5
Ajax have had two great teams in their history, one in the early 1970s and another in the mid 90s. The Dutchmen lifted the Champions League trophy in 1995 after going through the competition without losing a single game and, having produced a host of exciting young talents such as Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Marc Overmars and the De Boer brothers, a sustained spell at the top of the game looked to be in the offing. However, the Bosman ruling hit them hard and led to the squad being broken up dramatically over the next couple of years.
Real Madrid - 2001/2
A second appearance in our list for Real Madrid, who made it their project to bring in one of the best players on the planet each year during the 'Galacticos' era. They never quite succeeded in world domination but were just about unbeatable at their best, with the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and Raul in their ranks. It all came together in 2002 as Zidane's magnificent volley sealed Champions League success against Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal 2003/4
Unlike the other examples in our countdown, this Arsenal side did not come out on top in European competition. However, their domestic achievements still make them worthy of a place after going through the entire Premier League season unbeaten, to become known as the 'Invincibles'. Playing with a perfect balance between style and steel that they have never been quite able to replicate, the Gunners cantered to the title as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and co sparkled in attack and the likes of Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and Ashley Cole kept things tight at the back.
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Maybe accuse me of being biast but the Arsenal 03-04 team gets my vote as they went the season unbeaten :wub: and had one of the best teams in the world at that point with the BPITW in Thierry Henry
