Football Club Rankings 2023

The 2022-2023 season in football was special for a lot of different reasons. One of the biggest motives was the fact that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar took place in the middle of the season. This changed the way a lot of the Best Soccer Clubs in the World plan and prepare. Be that as it may, it also had a lot of interesting results for a wide variety of teams.

In that regard, here are the top ten Best Soccer Clubs in the World during the 2022-2023 season. This is based on their achievements, the performances of their players, and what that meant for the institution as a whole. So, without further ado, let’s begin.

Top 10 Football Clubs in the World

10. Manchester United

Premier League

It’s no secret that Manchester United have had it rough in the last ten years. Since legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired, the Red Devils have struggled to come back to the upper echelons of English and European football as a whole. Not winning the English Premier League for ten years, as of this writing, is a testament to the institution’s decline.

Having said that, the arrival of Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag generated a lot of optimism. The former Utrecht manager had a lot of success with Dutch giants Ajax, being the leader of the great side that made it to the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League semi finals while playing very good football. After an awful 2021/22 season, Ten Hag seemed like the right fit.

In general terms, it was a positive season for United. They finished in third place in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup. This placement ended six years without winning a trophy. They also lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City and lost in the Europa League quarter finals against eventual champions Sevilla because of a goalkeeper David De Gea disaster class. So, all things considered, Ten Hag’s first season was a success.

Players such as forward Marcus Rashford, defender Lisandro Martinez, and midfielder Casemiro were some of the best players in the squad that season.

9. Paris Saint Germain FC

Ligue 1

At #9 on the Top 10 Best Soccer Clubs in the World is Paris Saint Germain. They are featured here because of their performance in Ligue 1. Leaving that aside, PSG struggled to perform in the UEFA Champions League yet again, being eliminated by an inconsistent Bayern Munich side in the round of 16. That alone makes it difficult for the French giants to stand out but winning the league gives them a place on this list.

When it comes to individual performances, you always have to go to the usual suspects: Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. The French starlet continued to prove that he is arguably the best player in the world by constantly showing his quality while Messi continued to prove that he is arguably the best player of all time, so despite the latter has left the French capital, it was a pleasure to watch these two titans of the game, along with Neymar Jr., play together for at least two seasons.

8. Newcastle United

Premier League

Qualifying for the UEFA Champions League by finishing fourth in the English Premier League and losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United might not be enough to qualify as a good season or to be on this list for a lot of people, but when it comes to Newcastle United and those achievements, there is something worth taking into account: context.

Newcastle United now have Saudi Arabian ownership, which made the club the richest in the entire sport. Yes, even more than Manchester City. So, the new board has been investing heavily in the squad to boost the quality and also hired manager Eddie Howe, who was praised by fans and experts during his long tenure with Bournemouth in the Premier League.

This, along with shrewd signings in the market, boosted Newcastle and pushed them to the upper echelons of English football, thus allowing them to make their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League since 2002. And considering their financial resources and the allure of playing in Europe’s top club competition, there are a lot of valid reasons to suggest that the Magpies are set for greater success in the coming years.

7. Arsenal

Premier League

Manager Mike Arteta was hired by Arsenal in late 2019 and it was his first job in the role. A former player of the club, he was tasked with taking the Gunners back to the top after several years of underachievement. In that regard, it is very difficult to say that the manager has succeeded so far but the 2022/23 season proved to be a major step forward.

Yes, there is no denying that Arsenal dropped the ball when it came to the league title. They were in first place for the vast majority of the season, only to lose it in the final months to Manchester City. However, this showed that the Gunners, the youngest squad in the league, could compete at that level and keep up with a rival like City, who have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to their squad.

That second place alone meant that Arsenal were back in the UEFA Champions League after several years, which was a big deal for the institution as a whole. Players like Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and William Sabila were instrumental in the club’s success this season.

6. Bayern Munich FC

Bundesliga

The fact Bayern Munich were able to win the Bundesliga once again despite the internal issues they were having is a major testament to this club’s resilience and mental strength. Considering that winning a league is a major reason to feature on this list, doing so in that state of affairs deserves even more recognition.

It was a season with a lot of problems in Bavaria. The players were struggling with manager Julian Nagelsmann and the latter was sacked after the results were not the best. In comes manager Thomas Tuchel, known for his tenures in Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint Germain, and Chelsea FC, helping to stabilize the ship, even if it was just one bit.

The club would end up winning the Bundesliga for the tenth season in a row in the last fixture and with Jamal Musiala, the only player at the club with a good season, delivering the trophy. It was a very positive ending for what was a season filled with controversies, discussions, fights in the dressing room, and so on.

5. FC Barcelona

La Liga

When it comes to Barcelona, they rank high on the Best Soccer Clubs in the World list for one reason and one reason alone: they won La Liga after four years without doing so. In a league so dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, that is a major drought and the latter came back after so many years of bad decisions, poor spells of form, and several manager changes.

Club legend Xavi Hernandez took over as manager last season and started to revamp the squad, which proved to pay dividends this season as they cruise in La Liga. Sure, their performances in the UEFA Champions League (failing to make it past the group stage and losing against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League) and the Copa del Rey (getting eliminated by lifelong rivals Madrid) were quite disappointing but the success in La Liga has managed to eclipse that.

Some of their best players this season were top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, young midfield maestro Pedri, and Ronald Araujo in the defense, who was so important to cement that area of the squad.

4. Inter Milan

Serie A

Inter Milan started the season with some doubts but ended it quite strongly, with a massive performance against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League final despite losing 1-0. The Italian giants proved themselves as one of the Best Soccer Clubs in the World, in Europe and also the most consistent Italian club in recent years.

They finished in third place in Serie A, which was definitely disappointing as they wanted to challenge and win the league, but they managed to compensate by winning the Coppa Italia and reaching the aforementioned UEFA Champions League final. This also proved that Simone Inzaghi’s team was better suited for cup competitions, which is not very strange, considering their manager’s success in those kinds of tournaments with his former team, Lazio.

Strikers Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko, goalkeeper Andre Onana, and midfielders Marcelo Brozovic and Nicolo Barella were the most notorious performers in the team during the season.

3. Napoli

Serie A

Napoli won a historical 2022/23 Serie A title, which is the first in their history since the golden age of Diego Maradona in the late 80s. For that reason alone, they rank so high on this list.

Luciano Spaletti’s team not only won the Scudetto after so many years of falling short in key moments but they also did it with style: they were one of the most entertaining teams in Europe, playing amazing football, and also scoring a lot of goals per match for fun. They also made it to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, which was another important achievement for the club.

Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was one of Europe’s biggest surprises this season, Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen broke the Serie A goalscoring record, and South Korean center-back Kim Min-Jae was essential to supplement the backline with a lot of quality.

2. Real Madrid

La Liga

Madrid were the definition of competitive this season and that shows in the way they managed to compete on all fronts while having a very short and (sometimes) uneven squad. The “uneven” part is because of the age of some key players such as Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Karim Benzema, plus the loss of midfielder Casemiro that summer.

Therefore, with a mixture of experience and youth, Madrid competed in La Liga, won the Copa del Rey, won the FIFA Club World Cup, and reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals as defending champions. While it wasn’t the most successful of seasons for Madrid, it showed the club’s capacity to challenge on all fronts, and players such as Vinicius, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, and Eduardo Camavinga have become even more prominent in the current side.

1. Manchester City

Premier League

It was obvious that Manchester City were going to be in first place: they won the treble, which is a historical moment for the institution. After seven years of massive investment, manager Pep Guardiola has managed to bring the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy to the Etihad Stadium and did so while winning the Premier League and the FA Cup as well.

Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are the obvious standout performers, but others such as Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Kyle Walker, and many more deserve recognition as well. The biggest winner here was City’s squad depth, as they prove once again that they have the best and widest squad in the entire world.

How would you rank the Best Soccer Clubs in the World in 2022-2023? Rank below to be added in the FIFA Rankings

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