9 Most Entertaining Teams in Football History (Ranked)

Football‘s called the ‘beautiful game’. It’s elegant, swift and exciting, with the world’s best footballers treating the sport like an art. Swaying from side to side, they effortlessly play the ball across the pitch, whilst their flair, energy and quick skills make supporters get off their seats at stadiums around the world.

It’s the moments when fans are truly gripped by the match where football is at its best. Captivating audiences, their style of play – which is typically high-pressing and fast-paced – is stunning to watch, and that’s before you even consider the intricate details that go into each set movement.

Here’s a look at the most entertaining teams in football history. It’s important to remember that style does not always directly correlate to substance, and winning trophies is not the priority on this occasion. Although quality is important, a team’s ability to score constant last-minute winners and produce visually appealing attacks is just as crucial.

Ranking Factors

• Goals scored – Football is typically more exciting when there’s an endless stream of goals.
• Quality of players – Footballers who were skilful, took defenders on and looked a level above everyone else made the sport more exciting.
• Style of play – Fast-paced football is far more entertaining than watching teams ‘park the bus’.

9 Manchester City

2017/2018

For all the domestic domination, Pep Guardiola has typically been criticised for his Manchester City teams being boring. His possession-based system is effective, but it can be dull, with his sides controlling matches without getting out of first gear. There is always an exception, though, and that comes in the form of the 2017/2018 campaign.

Dubbed ‘The Centurions’, Man City finished on 100 points to complete a feat most thought was impossible. They scored the most goals in Premier League history (106) in the process, whilst they also tasted EFL Cup success by beating Arsenal 3-0 in the final. You could always expect goals – and the way they secured their 100th point, via a Gabriel Jesus 94th-minute winner away to Southampton on the final day of the season, epitomised their entertainment.

8 Tottenham Hotspur

1960/1961

As the first English side to complete the double in the 20th century, Tottenham Hotspur created history in the 1960/1961 campaign. Managed by coach Bill Nicholson, Spurs were a pleasure to watch for those who were around, with the likes of Bobby Smith – their top goalscorer with 33 – and Cliff Jones, one of the club’s greatest-ever wingers, shining.

It wasn’t just the fact that they won two competitions, though. It was the way they won them. Always entertaining, they scored 115 league goals and got the faithful fans at White Hart Lane off their seats consistently. Maybe they should be called ‘the entertaining record-breakers’.

7 Ajax

1971/1972

“Total football” is now one of the most famous tactical ideas in the sport – and it was created by Ajax in the 1970s. With the philosophy preaching an attacking style of football where no player had a set position, it was naturally entertaining, but it also delivered results.

Eventually perfecting it, Ajax comfortably won the 1971/72 league title whilst also beating ADO Den Haag in the KNVB Cup. In the European Cup final, they swatted aside Inter 2-0, thanks to a brace from one of the best Dutch players ever, Johan Cruyff. By conceding just 20 league goals and scoring 104, no team even came close to stopping them. Legendary.

6 Leicester City

2015/2016

5000/1. Those were the odds that Leicester City would win the Premier League at the start of the 2015/2016 campaign. No one expected a team which included Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante to shine so brightly, but week by week, the Foxes continued to pounce on their prey.

No one ever truly believed they would do it – which is partially why they were so entertaining to watch – but, after Tottenham blew a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 away to Chelsea, it was confirmed. Leicester were the champions, with their ‘never say die’ football acting as inspiration for any smaller team around the world. It will probably never be replicated, though.

5 Real Madrid

2016/2017

Any team with Cristiano Ronaldo is always entertaining. However, partner him with Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, and you get one of the best attacking trios ever. Dominating football during the 2010s, their greatest moment came as Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League in 2017.

With Zinedine Zidane as manager, they finished three points ahead of Barcelona in La Liga, won the Club World Cup and Super Cup – which they qualified for due to winning the previous Champions League – and then won UEFA’s greatest competition by beating Juventus 4-1 in the final. They scored 106 league goals, bearing proof that they never stopped.

4 Bayer Leverkusen

2023/2024

In a similar situation to Leicester, Bayer Leverkusen completed one of the greatest shocks in football in 2024 when they won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal unbeaten. They nearly went the whole campaign without defeat, only to lose to Atalanta in the Europa League final.

During a story of belief, Bayer Leverkusen remarkably scored 15 goals in stoppage time. Escaping defeat time and time again, they were always entertaining to watch when you never knew what the full-time score was going to be. It even became slightly predictable that they would score a last-minute equaliser or winner, especially when Florian Wirtz, one of the best midfielders in the world, was shining brightly.

3 Manchester United

1998/1999

Manchester United are entertaining for all the wrong reasons in the modern day. They are seen as a laughingstock by opposition fans, as they have failed to get close to winning the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013. However, that never used to be the case, with one of the greatest managers of all time leading them to the European treble in 1999. They narrowly won the title by one point ahead of rivals Arsenal, whilst they followed up that triumph by beating Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup final. Showcasing what made them so entertaining in the first place, they scored two stoppage-time goals through Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final to complete one of the greatest comebacks ever and bring the trophy home.

2 Brazil

1970 World Cup

International football is rarely as exciting as club football. Players are not as connected, and – although there can be drama – teams often opt to be conservative in an attempt to avoid defeat in a knockout system. However, Brazil went against the grain in 1970.

With Pele and Jairzinho – two of the best Brazilian players ever – effortlessly dominating matches in the final third, they were a joy to watch. Even highlights now make you appreciate their elegance. The duo, alongside the rest of their star-studded team, treated the spot like an art, so – when they beat Italy 4-1 in the final – it was one of the most deserved victories ever. Quite rightly, they let them keep the trophy.

1 Barcelona

2008/2009

Unplayable at best, unstoppable at worst, Barcelona gladly gave the best teams on the planet footballing lessons at will during the 2008/2009 campaign. Also ranked as the greatest club side of all time, Guardiola’s tiki-taka system was fast-paced elegance and almost impossible to stop.

With Lionel Messi in the main spotlight, and Xavi and Andres Iniesta working their magic in the middle of the park, it’s easy to see why they were such a pleasure to watch. After winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey, they destroyed Man United 2-0 in the Champions League final to complete the treble. There are not enough superlatives to describe them.

Stats via Transfermarkt.