The greatest and most followed sport in the entire world, football entertains sports fans in every corner of the globe. An estimated 3.5 billion people regularly tune in to watch their favourite teams play in a wide variety of leagues, club competitions and flagship tournaments such as the Euros and the World Cup.
This article will look at the top five most famous football teams in the world, offering a brief overview of their recent history and why they are so popular with football fans across the globe.
5. Liverpool FC
One of the most beloved football teams in the English Premier League, Liverpool’s history is awash with success, most extensively in European club competitions, where they retain the mantle as England’s most successful club in the European Cup. Liverpool FC’s history is extensive, but tragedy has also marred Liverpool’s legacy in the wake of the devastating Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
In recent years, Liverpool fans have seen their team improve on the pitch drastically under the management of Jurgen Klopp, under whom they won their first Premier League title in 2019 after a 30-year wait since their previous top-flight title. Sales for the Liverpool Football Club kits reached 2.45 million in the 21/22 Premier League season, second only to Manchester United.
4. Bayern Munich
The most popular team in the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich have dominated German football for decades and continues to be one of the best teams within the German top-flight. Bayern Munich has won 33 German Championship trophies, making it the most successful German club in history, and has also won six Champions Leagues.
3. Manchester United
The most famous and successful club in the history of English football, Manchester United dominated the English Premier League for over two decades under the watch of the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Manchester United’s history is rich and iconic, with some of the greatest players to ever play football playing for the club such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Bobby Charlton and George Best to name a few. Although trophies have been hard to come by since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013, Manchester United still remain the most popular English football team with fans all over the world.
2. Barcelona
Lionel Messi will live on in history as one of the greatest football icons of all time, and as a result of his incomparable talent, Barcelona has enjoyed decades of recognition as one of the greatest and most popular football teams in the world. Barcelona has had incredible success both domestically and in European Cup competitions, winning the La Liga championship 27 times and the Champions League five times in the club’s history.
1. Real Madrid
With more social media followers and fans globally than any other team in the world, Real Madrid holds the mantle as the most popular football team on the planet. Real Madrid has won more domestic trophies than any other Spanish club, including a record 35 in the Spanish top flight and 14 Champions League titles. Some of the most iconic players of all time have played for Real Madrid, including Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos and Cristino Ronaldo.
