The best British club sides ever
We run through the finest teams ever to have come out of Britain
British clubs include some of the most prestigious in world football – and they've produced some of the greatest specific teams the game has ever seen.
From terrific treble triumphs to uplifting underdog stories, some remarkable sides have emerged from Britain over the years.
Here are the 32 best (in FourFourTwo's humble opinion)...
32. Wrexham 2022/23
From the moment they were bought out by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020, the expectation was that Wrexham would return to the EFL sooner rather than later.
And in the 2022/23 season, the Red Dragons did just that, edging out Notts County in a thrilling National League title race – they topped the division with a record 111 points from 46 games – and ending their (and North Wales') 15-year exile from England's top four tiers.
Achievements: National League champions
Highlight: The title-clinching 3-1 win over Boreham Wood, which was sealed by a stunning brace from 38-goal top scorer Paul Mullin
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31. Reading 2005/06
Founded in 1871, Reading had never played top-flight football – until that all changed in 2006, thanks to their dominant 2005/06 romp to the Championship title.
Managed by former Manchester United and England star Steve Coppell, the Royals amassed a whopping 106 points across 46 matches – a record for the English second tier – finishing 14 points clear of second-placed Sheffield United, and a further 11 ahead of Watford in third.
Achievements: Championship champions
Highlight: Thumping Derby County 5-0 at home to secure the league title – having made sure of promotion in their previous outing
30. Newport County 1980/81
The 1980/81 season was Newport County's first back in the third tier of English football after relegation from the Second Division – but that didn't stop them making their mark on the continental stage.
As Welsh Cup holders, Newport qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup – and, under manager Len Ashurst, they only went and reached the quarter-finals (where they lost to East Germany's Carl Zeiss Jena) in what must go down as one of the great underdog performances by a British team in Europe.
Achievements: 12th in Third Division, Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finalists
Highlight: The 6-0 home rout of Norwegian outfit SK Haugar to reach the last eight of the Cup Winners' Cup
29. West Ham 1964/65
Captained by Bobby Moore and featuring other all-time legends such as Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, the West Ham side of 1964/65 delivered the East London club's greatest moment: victory in the Cup Winners' Cup.
Outside right Alan Sealey bagged both goals as Ron Greenwood's men beat TSV Munich 2-0 at Wembley in the final, nicely bookending a season in which they also won the Charity Shield.
Achievements: Cup Winners' Cup winners, 9th in First Division
Highlight: Tasting glory at Wembley – which proved to be a warm-up act for Moore, Peters and Hurst, all of whom would be crowned world champions with England a year later
28. Newcastle 1995-1997
For two successive seasons, Kevin Keegan and his Newcastle Entertainers lit up the Premier League – finishing as runners-up in 1995/96 and 1996/97, the club's best top-flight placings since winning the title some 70 years earlier.
They have been runners-up behind Manchester United on both occasions, but this was one of the greatest sides in the Magpies' history – spearheaded first by the prolific Les Ferdinand, then returning hero Alan Shearer.
Achievements: 2nd in Premier League, 1995/96 & 1996/97, UEFA Cup quarter-finalists 1996/97
Highlight: Not from a Newcastle point of view but from the neutral's: Keegan's (in)famous 'I would love it...' rant
27. Rangers 2020/21
Nine years after the lowest of low points – demotion to the fourth tier after the club re-formed – Rangers became champions of Scotland once again, and they did it in some style.
Under Steven Gerrard, the Gers achieved an unbeaten Scottish Premiership campaign to finish 25 points clear of their perennial title rivals, Glasgow foes Celtic, racking up a total of 102 points from a possible 114 (although they didn't get beyond the last eight of either domestic cup competition).
Achievements: Scottish Premiership champions
Highlight: Beating Celtic 2-0 away from home in the first Old Firm derby of the season, amid a 15-game league winning streak
26. Celtic 2016/17
Four years before their arch-nemeses repeated the trick, Celtic went through a Scottish Premiership season unbeaten themselves – and did a domestic treble, also clinching the Scottish Cup and League Cup.
Powered by the goals of Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele, Brendan Rodgers' side took an incredible 106 points out of 114 on offer, beating Rangers three times along the way – as well as in the semi-finals of both cups.
Achievements: Scottish Premiership champions, Scottish Cup winners, Scottish League Cup winners
Highlight: Thrashing Rangers 5-1 away from home in April, in what was their biggest ever Old Firm victory at Ibrox
25. Tottenham 2016/17
Several sides 'should have won' the title during the Premier League era, and Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham team of 2016/17 fall firmly into that bracket.
Spurs ought to have done better the previous season, when they finished third as underdogs Leicester City were extraordinarily crowned champions of England, and they had to settle for second place behind London rivals Chelsea this time around – despite shining through stars like Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dele Alli.
Achievements: Premier League runners-up, FA Cup semi-finalists
Highlight: April's 2-0 win over Arsenal in the final North London Derby at White Hart Lane – a result which ensured Spurs would finish above their arch-rivals for the first time in 22 years
24. Liverpool 2000/01
Liverpool didn't do the treble in 2000/01 – but they did do a treble, doing the domestic cup double of FA Cup and League Cup, and tasting European success as they lifted the UEFA Cup.
Gerard Houllier's Reds – a mix of prodigious talent such as Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard, and experience from the likes of Gary McAllister and Jari Litmanen – weren't exactly a million miles off doing a quadruple, either: they finished third in the Premier League, 11 points behind champions and arch-rivals Manchester United.
Achievements: UEFA Cup winners, FA Cup winners, League Cup winners
Highlight: The dramatic 5-4 victory over Deportivo Alaves in perhaps the greatest UEFA Cup final of all time – decided by Delfi Geli's golden (own) goal
23. Ipswich Town 1980/81
Somewhat isolated geographically, Ipswich Town well and truly put themselves on the map in 1980/81 as they memorable lifted the UEFA Cup under Bobby Robson.
Champions of England some 19 years earlier, Ipswich almost managed it again this time around – finishing four points behind First Division winners Aston Villa – but European glory more than made up for that.
Achievements: UEFA Cup winners, 2nd in First Division, FA Cup semi-finalists
Highlight: The 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the UEFA Cup final, a result which teed up a 5-4 aggregate victory
22. Leeds United 1973-1975
Champions of England for the second time in 1973/74 and European Cup runners-up the following season, the mid 70s were heady days indeed for Leeds United.
First Division title-winning manager left in the summer of 1974 to take up the England job and, for a while, the Whites were in disarray, with Brian Clough infamously lasting just 44 days at the helm – but they recovered to reach the 1975 European Cup final under Jimmy Armfield (and lost to Bayern Munich amid some highly controversial refereeing decisions).
Achievements: First Division champions 1973/74, European Cup runners-up 1974/75
Highlight: Winning the 1973/74 First Division title ahead of reigning champions Liverpool
21. Liverpool 2021/22
Few English teams have ever come as close to completing an unprecedented quadruple as Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in 2021/22 – a season in which the Reds' German manager completed the set of trophies by winning his first League Cup.
Liverpool defeated Chelsea on penalties at Wembley in that final – then went and repeated the trip to lift the FA Cup; Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and co. were also narrowly beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League final, and pipped to the Premier League title by a single point by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
Achievements: FA Cup winners, League Cup winners, Premier League runners-up, Champions League runners-up
Highlights: Ending the club's 16 year wait for an FA Cup win, lifting the famous trophy for the eighth time
20. Preston North End 1888/89
Way back in 1888/89, the inaugural Football League season, the top flight was the only flight – and Preston North End were its first champions, cruising to the title ahead of Aston Villa.
The Lancashire side won 18 and drew four of their 22 matches, recording what would be the only unbeaten league campaign in English football for the next 115 years – as well as winning their first FA Cup.
Achievements: Football League champions, FA Cup winners
Highlight: Beating Notts County 4-1 at home in January to secure the title with three games to spare
19. Aston Villa 1981/82
Aston Villa's finest hour came on 26 May, 1982 as they beat Bayern Munich in Rotterdam to become champions of Europe – a year after having been crowned champions of England.
Led by manager Tony Barton, Villa beat Valur of Iceland, Dynamo Berlin and Dynamo Kyiv en route to the final – where Peter Withe ensured club-legend status by scoring the only goal of the game.
Achievements: European Cup winners, 11th in First Division
Highlight: The heroic performance of reserve goalkeeper Nigel Spink in the European Cup final, after number one Jimmy Rimmer was forced off just nine minutes in
18. Blackburn Rovers 1994/95
Manchester United had a near-monopoly on the Premier League in the 90s – but Blackburn Rovers were one of the teams to prevent them from dominating it even more than they did.
Backed by the millions of local businessman Jack Walker, Kenny Dalglish's Rovers were fired to the title by the legendary SAS partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton – finishing a single point ahead of reigning champions United.
Achievements: Premier League champions, Charity Shield runners-up
Highlight: Winning the title by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season: Blackburn lost 2-1 at Liverpool but were crowned champions as United only drew at West Ham
17. Tottenham 1960/61
One of the finest sides in the North London club's long history, Bill Nicholson's 1960/61 Tottenham team did the First Division and FA Cup double – becoming the third English club to do so.
Bobby Smith top-scored with 28 league goals (and 33 in all competitions) for Spurs – who finished eight points clear of runners-up Sheffield Wednesday in the league, and beat Leicester City in the final of the FA Cup.
Achievements: First Division champions, FA Cup winners
Highlight: Defeating Leicester 2-0 at Wembley to clinch the FA Cup, this becoming the first English double winners of the 20th century
16. Leicester City 2015/16
Title winners at pre-season odds of 5,000/1, Leicester City's astonishing 2015/16 Premier League title triumph saw the Foxes write one of the greatest underdog stories in all sport history – never mind football.
The 81 points required for Claudio Ranieri's side – Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N'Golo Kante et al – to win the league was low by modern standards – but they lost just three games en route to arguably the most unlikely success the English game will ever see in this era of mega-rich super-clubs.
Achievements: Premier League champions
Highlight: Captain Wes Morgan hoisting the Premier League trophy aloft – after Italian opera icon Andrea Bocelli had made everyone weep with his rendition of Nessun Dorma
15. Everton 1984/85
Merseyside clubs dominated the 1980s – and while Liverpool were usually the ones sweeping up trophies, Everton beat their local rivals to the First Division title in 1984/85.
Coached by club legend Howard Kendall, the Toffees finished some 13 points ahead of the Reds – who they beat three times in all competitions that campaign – as well as winning their first European silverware in the form of the Cup Winners' Cup (and reaching the FA Cup final, which they lost to Manchester United).
Achievements: First Division champions, Cup Winners' Cup winners, FA Cup runners-up
Highlight: Dominating Rapid Vienna to win the Cup Winners' Cup final 3-1 in Rotterdam – through goals from Andy Gray, Trevor Steven and Kevin Sheedy
14. Chelsea 2016/17
Antonio Conte's time as Chelsea head coach was rather brief, with the Italian spending only two seasons at Stamford Bridge – but he oversaw one of the Blues' most successful campaigns in 2016/17.
Premier League champions with 93 points, Chelsea's triumph was notable as they became the first side since Everton in 1962/63 to win the English top-division title while playing with a back three (usually Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta).
Achievements: Premier League champions, FA Cup runners-up
Highlight: Eden Hazard's amazing solo goal in March's 3-1 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge – one of the greatest goals in Premier League history
13. Arsenal 1997/98
Arsene Wenger's appointment as Arsenal manager in 1996 was met with a fairly considerable amount of scepticism – but that had vanished within a couple of years, as the revolutionary Frenchman guided the Gunners to their first Premier League title.
In a tightly contested title race, Arsenal were crowned champions with two games to spare – ultimately finishing one point ahead of second-placed Manchester United – and later lifted the FA Cup to make it a double.
Achievements: Premier League champions, FA Cup winners, League Cup semi-finalists
Highlight: May's 4-0 victory over Everton at Highbury – featuring a Marc Overmars brace and a goal from skipper Tony Adams – which secured the title
12. Manchester United 2008/09
In 2008/09, Manchester United achieved what they'd been steadily working towards ever since the beginning of the Premier League: equalling Liverpool's record of 18 English top-flight titles of the time.
This crown was the third in succession for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, as Cristiano Ronaldo went out with a bang by scoring 26 goals in all competitions during his final season before leaving for Real Madrid.
United also won the League Cup and Club World Cup for good measure – and almost retained their Champions League crown, losing to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in the final.
Achievements: Premier League champions, League Cup winners, Club World Cup winners, Champions League runners-up, FA Cup semi-finalists
Highlight: Doing the double over Manchester rivals City – including a 2-0 home win in May which edged them towards the title
11. Nottingham Forest 1977-1980
By retaining the European Cup in 1980, Nottingham Forest took the unusual honour of having been crowned continental champions more times than they had been champions of England.
Brian Clough's legendary side did the latter in 1977/78, qualifying for the European Cup for the very first time – but even today, Forest fans must scarcely believe that team was one of the few to retain Europe's ultimate prize.
Achievements: European Cup winners 1978/79 & 1979/80, First Division champions 1977/78, League Cup winners 1977/78, 1978/79, European Super Cup winners 1979, Charity Shield winners 1978
Highlight: Winning that first European Cup: Forest – who had been in the second tier just two years earlier – beat Malmo 1-0 in Munich through Trevor Francis' goal on the stroke of half time
10. Manchester United 1992-1994
The early years of the Premier League belonged to Alex Ferguson's Manchester United: the Red Devils ended their 25-year wait for a top-flight title in the competition's inaugural campaign, then went and retained it the following season.
Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona and Peter Schmeichel were among the iconic names who starred in both of those triumphs – as well as the 1993/94 FA Cup victory.
Achievements: Premier League champions 1992/93 & 1993/94, FA Cup winners 1993/94, Charity Shield winners 1993 & 1994
Highlight: Long-serving captain Bryan Robson lifting the Premier League trophy in May, officially symbolising United as the best team in England once again
9. Arsenal 2003/04
It didn't seem like it would ever be done again – but, well over a century after Preston North End's historic exploits, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal completed the English top flight's second ever unbeaten campaign.
Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira and co. were all at the absolute top of their game for the Invincibles – who won 26 of their 38 Premier League matches that term, scoring a league-high 73 goals and conceding a league-low 26.
Achievements: Premier League title, FA Cup semi-finalists, League Cup semi-finalists, Champions League quarter-finalists, Community Shield runners-up
Highlight: Clinching the title at White Hart Lane after a 2-2 draw with Tottenham in April
8. Liverpool 1976/77
The 1976/77 season brought Liverpool's third First Division title of the 70s – and their second in succession – but it also yielded something even bigger: their very first European Cup.
Having retained their domestic crown, finishing a point ahead of runners-up Manchester City, Bob Paisley's Reds headed to Rome to face Borussia Monchengladbach – who they dispatched 3-1 with goals from Terry McDermott, Tommy Smith and Phil Neal to be crowned champions of Europe.
Achievements: European Cup Winners, First Division champions, European Super Cup winners, Charity Shield shared (with Manchester United), League Cup runners-up
Highlights: That historic night at the Stadio Olimpico – a successful first European Cup final for the Merseyside giants
7. Manchester United 1967/68
Ten years on from the tragedy of the Munich air disaster, and having been losing semi-finalists on two previous occasions, Manchester United finally got their hands on the big one: the European Cup.
Matt Busby's immortal side – led inspirationally by captain Bobby Charlton, and also featuring all-time greats like the dazzling George Best and tough-tackling Nobby Stiles – were taken to extra time by Benfica in the final at Wembley – only to score three goals in the first nine minutes and run out 4-1 winners.
It's fair to say that triumph more than made up for being pipped to the First Division title by Manchester City.
Achievements: European Cup winners, First Division runners-up, Charity Shield shared (with Tottenham)
Highlight: That glorious European Cup final – where Charlton bagged a brace, with Best and Brian Kidd the other goalscorers
6. Chelsea 2004-2006
In 2003, Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea – and in 2005, with a little help from a certain Jose Mourinho, the Blues were crowned champions of England for the first time in 50 years.
Losing just once and conceding a stingy 15 goals – a new Premier League record – Mourinho's Chelsea amassed 95 points to finish the 2004/05 season 12 clear of their nearest challengers, London rivals Arsenal (they also won the League Cup).
Then, they retained their title in 2005/06 – this time racking up 91 points to finish eight ahead of Manchester United.
Achievements: Premier League champions 2004/05 & 2005/06, League Cup winners 2004/05, Community Shield Winners 2005, Champions League semi-finalists 2004/05, FA Cup semi-finalists 2005/06
Highlight: The 2-0 win away to Bolton Wanderers in April 2005, in which club legend Frank Lampard's brace sealed that long-awaited title
5. Liverpool 2018-2020
At the latter end of the 2010s under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool could taste that elusive first Premier League title – and they finally got their hands on it in 2019/20, the Covid-affected season which finished behind closed doors.
The absence of fans was an obvious dampener as the Reds finished an unbelievable 18 points clear of reigning champions Manchester City – winning 32 out of 38 games and amassing 99 points altogether.
A year earlier, Klopp had led Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and co. to Champions League glory – with Liverpool triumphing 2-0 over Tottenham in the final, having missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City despite losing just once.
Achievements: Premier League champions 2019/20, Champions League winners 2018/19, Club World Cup winners 2019, Super Cup winners 2019, Premier League runners-up 2018/19
Highlihht: The moment Liverpool's 30-year wait for a league title ended, as City's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea rendered the title race mathematically over
4. Manchester City 2017-2019
Little short of dominant for most of Pep Guardiola's time in charge, Manchester City enjoyed two utterly exceptional seasons in 2017/18 and 2018/19.
In the former, they became the first team to reach the 100-point mark in an English top-flight campaign – winning the Premier League title some 19 points ahead of runners-up Manchester United – and, sensationally, they almost did it twice in a row, retaining their crown with 98 points to Liverpool's 97 a year later.
Oh, they also got their hands on the League Cup in both 2017/18 and 2018/19 – and the FA Cup in the latter.
Achievements: Premier League winners 2017/18 & 2018/19, FA Cup winners 2018/19, League Cup winners 2017/18 & 2018/19, Community Shield winners 2018, Champions League quarter-finalists 2017/18 and 2018/19
Highlight: Becoming Centurions by winning 1-0 away to Southampton on the final day of the 2017/18 season – thanks to Gabriel Jesus' 94th-minute goal, their 106th in the league that term
3. Celtic 1966/67
One of very few sides to have completed a quadruple – and the first from Britain – Celtic were champions of Scotland and Europe in 1966/67, as well as lifting both domestic cups.
Jock Stein's Lisbon Lions won the Scottish Division One title by three points from arch-rivals Rangers – then saw off Inter Milan in the final of the European Cup, making Celtic the very first British club to win the competition.
They also beat Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final, and defeated Aberdeen to win the Scottish Cup.
Achievements: European Cup winners, Scottish Division One champions, Scottish Cup winners, Scottish League Cup winners, Glasgow Cup winners
Highlight: Coming from 1-0 down to clinch a 2-1 victory in the European Cup final – where every one of Celtic's players, among them goalscorers Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers, was born within a 30-mile radius of Glasgow
2. Manchester United 1998/99
Thirty-one years after they were first crowned champions of Europe, Manchester United did it again – only this time, they did it as part of an historic treble.
With the Premier League title and FA Cup already in the bag, Sir Alex Ferguson took his side to the Camp Nou to take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
And there, they pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in football history – as goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in the 91st and 93rd minutes respectively, overturned a 1-0 deficit in outrageously dramatic fashion.
Achievements: Champions League winners, Premier League champions, FA Cup winners, Charity Shield runners-up
Highlight: The moment super-sub Solskjaer poked home Sheringham's headed flick-on from David Beckham's corner, sparking sheer pandemonium among the United fans (and sending Peter Schmeichel cartwheeling)
1. Manchester City 2022/23
Since Manchester United's 1998/99 treble, a number of English sides had come close to repeating the feat – but all of them fell short until the Manchester City team of 2022/23.
Pep Guardiola had previously managed Barcelona to the treble in 2008/09 – but doing it with one element the title in the world's toughest league felt quite significantly bigger, especially in the enormously high-stakes game of this era.
City were crowned Premier League champions as they finished five points clear of Arsenal, before winning the first ever all-Manchester FA Cup final against United – then, at long last, getting their hands on the Champions League as Rodri's second-half strike vanquished a resolute Inter Milan in Istanbul.
Achievements: Champions League winners, Premier League champions, FA Cup winners, Community Shield runners-up
Highlight: Ilkay Gundogan, in his last act as captain, raising the Champions League trophy, as City finally brought home the piece of silverware they craved so badly
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
