9 Best Club Teams in Spanish Football History (Ranked)

Spanish football has dominated the European scene for decades. Combined, they have won 20 main European titles, with England being the next closest with 15. With it built into the nation’s DNA, they have always had a plethora of world-class teams they could rely on to excel in the hardest competitions.

The La Liga title race has typically been a two-horse race between two of the biggest clubs in the world. They have the power, wealth and experience to always sit near the top of the table, knowing players from every walk of life always dream of featuring in the El Clasico.

Due to this, we have decided to rank the nine greatest Spanish club sides of all time. Unsurprisingly, the list is dominated by two giants in the nation’s footballing scope, as they have won an incredible 63 La Liga titles between them. The rest of the nation has won just 30.

Ranking Factors

• Trophies won – Only sides who won major honours have been included.
• Quality of players – Whether the players they had are now seen as legendary.
• Style of play – Whether they were exciting to watch with free-flowing football.

9 Atletico Madrid

2013/2014

Compared to most teams on this list, Atletico Madrid were not as successful. They ‘only’ won La Liga, but they did it against Barcelona and Real Madrid. Beating both of them in a title race requires consistency and composure under the highest pressure – and Atletico had that in abundance in 2014.

Finishing three points ahead of both of them, they even drew 1-1 with Barcelona on the final day of the campaign to secure the title. Meanwhile, throughout the year, they had Diego Costa to thank. The legendary striker – who is now seen as one of the hardest players in Premier League history – scored 36 goals to fire them to glory. Diego Simeone’s clever, yet controversial, tactics from the sideline clearly worked.

8 Barcelona

1991/1992

Barcelona may be more famous for their dominance since the turn of the millennium, but they also excelled in the 1990s, completing the double – some may even call it a ‘minor treble’ – in 1992. With Johan Cruyff as manager, the legendary Dutchman channelled his ‘total football’ philosophy from his playing days to get Barcelona playing elegant football all campaign.

Hristo Stoichkov was at the heart of the success by scoring 22 goals, whilst Ronald Koeman, one of the highest-scoring defenders of all time, scored the only goal in the European Cup final as they beat Sampdoria 1-0. Legendary in every sense.

7 Athletic Bilbao

1929/1930

On a list dominated by two teams, Athletic Bilbao‘s remarkable campaign in 1930 goes under the radar. That’s probably because it was also nearly 100 years ago, but their legacy has been cemented in history ever since, as they became the first Spanish side to go the entire league campaign unbeaten.

It was their first-ever league title as well, as they finished seven points clear of Barcelona in second. Guillermo Gorostiza finished as the league’s top goalscorer as well with 20, whilst he netted 32 in all competitions. Coming in the form of the Copa del Rey, Athletic Bilbao completed a stunning domestic double.

6 Real Madrid

2023/2024

Real Madrid are dubbed as ‘serial winners’ for a very good reason. During the 2023/2024 campaign, they seemed to defy logic, with fans consistently suggesting they were ‘playing poorly’, but they always came out of the other end with victory. This was particularly true in the Champions League.

Beating RB Leipzig, Manchester City and Bayern Munich on their way to the final, they never looked comfortable, but they could always rely on moments of brilliance, especially from Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior. As they beat Dortmund 2-0 in the Champions League final, the celebrations unfolded, coming just weeks after they finished 15 points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

5 Barcelona

2014/2015

Trying to replicate Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka-focused side was always going to be a challenge. However, under world-class manager Luis Enrique, Barcelona returned to Europe’s summit in 2015. The Catalan giants finished two points ahead of Real Madrid to win La Liga, beat Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final and then destroyed Juventus 3-1 in Berlin to bring home Europe’s most prized possession.

There was talent across the pitch, but their attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar took the limelight. As one of the greatest final third trios of all time, defenders ran away in fear, with their elegance and composure allowing them to win matches without even thinking.

4 Barcelona

2010/2011

They may not have completed the treble in 2011, but Barcelona were in a league of their own. Their 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final is hardly remembered now, with the entertaining, quick and out-of-this-world style of play being thought about instead.

Finishing on 94 points, two ahead of Real Madrid, in La Liga was an achievement in itself, but then they dominated the Champions League final against Man United at Wembley, winning 3-1. Messi took the game by the scruff of its neck, whilst a midfield of Xavi and Andres Iniesta – two of the best midfielders of all time – dictated the tempo.

3 Real Madrid

2016/2017

However, Real Madrid made sure that Barcelona did not have it all their own way during the 2010s. They won four Champions Leagues in five years, with their 2016/2017 campaign coming in the middle of it. Understandably nicknamed the ‘Galacticos’, the side managed by Zinedine Zidane cruised to success.

They finished three points ahead of Barcelona to bring home the La Liga trophy, won the Club World Cup and Super Cup earlier on in the season, and then secured UEFA’s greatest possession by beating Juventus 4-1 in the final. Two goals from the greatest Portuguese player of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo, secured a memorable victory.

2 Real Madrid

1956/1957

Stretching back through the decades, Real Madrid set the tone for their European dominance in the 1950s, winning five European Cups in a row. You could have picked any Real Madrid side from that era, as they were all dominant in their own right. In 1957, they secured back-to-back European titles, but this was the first time they had won it alongside the league title.

Managed by Jose Villalonga, they finished five points ahead of Sevilla in the league – and they had Alfredo Di Stefano, one of the best strikers of all time, to thank. The praise for the legendary attacker continued when he scored the only goal in the European Cup final to beat Benfica 1-0. World-class.

1 Barcelona

2008/2009

Finally, Barcelona’s team in the 2008/2009 season has been ranked as the greatest Spanish club side of all time. At the start of Guardiola’s dominance on the Mediterranean coast, expectations were high when they realised Messi was the most technically gifted player in the world.

He was a cheat code. Now considered one of the greatest Barcelona players of all time, his performances – alongside a world-class squad – helped them finish nine points clear of Real Madrid in the league, beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the Copa del Rey final and then beat Man United 2-0 in the Champions League final. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe their talent.