I would normally do a non-Premier League top 10 later in the week, but this week I've decided to do it the other way round and with the Champions League knockout stages taking place this week, I've decided to do a Champions League related top 10.
This weeks top 10 is Champions League winners.
Winning the Champions League is the pinnacle for any player at club level. Playing for your country may be the pinnacle for a player's overall career, but at club level the pinnacle for me is winning the Champions League because your career gets more recognition.
There have been some great sides to have won this competition over the years including the ones in the list.
Real Madrid are the most successful side in this competition due to the amount of times they've won it and one or two of their winning sides are in the list along with a number of other great sides.
Barcelona have had some great sides too including the ones under Pep Guardiola and so too have AC Milan, who are the second most successful club side in Europe. But none of their teams have made it onto the list.
And now it's time I reveal the list:
Barcelona - 2010/11
Real Madrid - 2013/14
Man City - 2022/23
Man United - 1998/99
Liverpool - 2018/19
Barcelona - 2008/09
Real Madrid - 2021/22
Chelsea - 2011/12
Man United - 2007/08
Bayern Munich - 2019/20
Chelsea - 2011/12
I had to put Chelsea's 2012 winning side in 10th because they finished 6th in the Premier League that season.
Looking back it was good that that group of players won it and in particular Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. Most of them were at the club at the start of their journey and they all won everything but the Champions League.
It was Drogba's spot kick that won them the final on penalties against Bayern Munich on their own turf and it turned out to be his final kick as a Chelsea player. It was a great moment both for him and for Chelsea as it was their first Champions League title.
They started the season with rookie manager Andre Villa-Boas who was later sacked and temporarily replaced by ex-player Roberto Di Matteo, who led them to glory in Munich and was soon given the full time gig.
Liverpool - 2018/19
This Liverpool team were breathing down Man City's neck for the entire Premier League season in 2019, but they missed out on the title despite claiming 97 points.
They deserved to win something that season and they did so by winning the Champions League after beating Spurs in the final in Madrid.
I remember them having a tough group that season which included PSG and Napoli who they both beat to qualify. They later beat Bayern Munich in the last 16 before winning that semi final against Barcelona, where they incredibly came from 3-0 down to win the tie 4-3.
They lost to Real Madrid in the final of the previous season thanks to two Loris Karius errors. They strengthened their squad massively in the summer following that final by signing Alisson, who made such a difference for them along with Virgil Van Dijk, who was signed the previous year.
Real Madrid - 2021/22
This Real Madrid team had a good mixture of young and experienced players. They had players who had been there and done it before in Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema and exciting young talents like Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior.
They suffered a surprise defeat early in the campaign to an unknown team called Sheriff Tiraspol, but they got better as the tournament progressed like they usually do.
Karim Benzema was no doubt their main man because of the goals he scored and all of them were key to Real winning the competition. His goals included two hat tricks against PSG in the last 16 and Chelsea in the Quarter Finals. He would go on to win the Ballon D'or a few months later and rightly so.
Vinicius Junior was also key for them that season where he improved a lot as a player by adding end product to his game, something he was lacking when he first arrived. He scored a lot of important goals on their way to glory including his winning goal against Liverpool in the final in Paris.
Man United - 2007/08
After the 1999 treble winning side, which I'll mention later, this Man United side was their second best under Alex Ferguson.
After winning in 1999, Ferguson wanted to win another and he did so in 2008 with this incredible team which included a solid keeper in Edwin Van Der Sar, a solid defence including Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra and two quality midfielders in Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick. They also arguably had the best front three in Europe at the time in Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.
This was the season where Ronaldo first made himself the best player in the world as he scored 42 goals in all competitions and 8 of them came in the Champions League. He would later go on to win his first Ballon D'or a few months later.
Real Madrid - 2013/14
This Real Madrid team were the side that won La Decima (10th European Cup) and they had to wait 12 years to achieve it. I wanted them to win the final that year so they could finally win that 10th European Cup and they could go on to win three more over the next four seasons.
They were a matter of seconds away from losing the final against rivals Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, until Sergio Ramos headed home the equaliser to send the final into extra time. They would win the final comfortably in extra time 4-1.
This season was their first season with their iconic front three of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, who were known as BBC. Ronaldo was of course the talisman because of the goals he scored and the player he was, but the others played a key role too and especially Bale.
Bale arrived for a then-world record transfer that summer and had a number of great moments over the course of the season in all competitions. One of them was his goal in the final when he headed home at the back post.
Man United - 1998/99
This Man United team won the treble in 1999 and was their best team under Ferguson, as I mentioned earlier when discussing their 2008 winning side.
They were heading for defeat heading into injury time in the final against Bayern Munich, until Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stepped off the bench and scored just two minutes apart in stoppage time to complete the most unlikely of turnarounds.
They had top players all over the pitch including Peter Schmeichel in goal, Jaap Stam at the back, Beckham, Scholes and Keane in midfield, and Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole up front, both of whom were incredible that season.
Ferguson was desperate to win the Champions League after winning everything domestically at the time. He needed to win the Champions League to call himself a club legend and he did so that season. He was soon knighted and rightly so.
Man City - 2022/23
Man City were desperate to win the Champions League for a number of years and after going very close in the two seasons prior, they finally won it in 2023 - the year they won the treble.
Erling Haaland was the difference maker for them that season by giving them what they lacked the year before in a no.9 who can score goals. He scored 51 in all competitions that season with 12 of them coming in the Champions League.
They had other great players in that team as well as Haaland including keeper Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, who scored the winning goal in the final against Inter Milan and really stepped up as an important player for them that season.
Bayern Munich - 2019/20
This Bayern Munich team was another side who won the treble but their season as a whole wasn't exactly plain sailing.
They did walk through the group stages but in the Bundesliga, things were not going well as they about 5th at Christmas and manager Nico Kovac was soon sacked.
Hansi Flick later came in and got them back to being the team everyone knew they could be by playing a more attacking style of football, and taking them onto an incredible run of form scoring many goals in the process.
Flick also got players back to the levels they were at before including Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller. Neuer was back to being the sweeper keeper he was whilst Muller was back to doing what he did best in creating chances and scoring goals.
Robert Lewandowski was obviously the main because of the goals he scored all of which played a key role in Bayern going all the way. Had the Ballon D'or ceremony not been cancelled due to COVID-19, I'm certain that he would've won it.
Barcelona - 2008/09
This Barcelona side won the treble and are one of the best club sides I have ever seen because of the players they had and how good they were.
Some of their players went into the season off the back of winning the 2008 Euros with Spain including Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol. And like that side, this Barca side were at the start of their journey towards becoming the top side in European football.
This was the season where Lionel Messi first announced himself as the best player in the world by providing many magic moments and scoring a number of wonderful goals throughout the season. He would later win the first of his eight Ballon D'or's a few months later.
Barcelona - 2010/11
Both Barcelona teams were always going to be in my top two, but I've gone with their 2011 side at no.1 because this was Barca in their prime.
Everyone knew how good they were and the majority of their players were firmly established as the best players in their positions.
A lot of their squad were part of the 2009 team in Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Pique, Alves, and of course Lionel Messi, who was firmly established as the best player in the world.
Messi had many more magical moments that season including in the final against Man United, where he scored one of the goals and was named man of the match.
MY TOP 10:
Barcelona - 2010/11
Barcelona - 2008/09
Bayern Munich - 2019/20
Man City - 2022/23
Man United - 1998/99
Real Madrid - 2013/14
Man United - 2007/08
Real Madrid - 2021/22
Liverpool - 2018/19
Chelsea - 2011/12
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