Bayern Munich finish #1 in the World for 2012-13. 

It’s no secret who the best football team in the world was this season. Bayern Munich have clearly out-shinned the rest of the world’s biggest clubs. Each week, we normally ranked the 10 best clubs teams in the world at that moment, paying closer attention to recent form. Since this is the final rankings of the campaign, we’re weighing the entire body of work over the course of the season.

There were four teams who ranked every week of the season: Bayern, Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid. Bayern actually started the season ranked 1st, and along with Barcelona were the only two clubs to hold the top spot this year. The main question when compiling the final rankings was how to rank, Manchester United vs. Dortmund vs. Juventus. It also was a year that saw a record amount of countries represented in the rankings. It was a fun season with a lot of stand-out moments, and we’re looking forward to and even better season next year.

We also want to thank all the football fans who visited the rankings this season. Be sure to check back with us over the summer for more updates. Finally since this is our final Rankings of the season, we appreciate your sharing, and make sure you leave your final thoughts in the comments.

Just Missed: Napoli, Manchester City, Benfica, Ajax, AC Milan 

10. Galatasaray (Super Lig Champions)
Galatasaray beat out five other clubs with legitimate claims to a top ten finish. They’re the first Turkish team to finish a season in the top 10, and also make it our most diverse final rankings ever with seven leagues represented.
(nr)

9. Porto (Liga Champions)
It was an exciting season for Porto, who finished their domestic season undefeated and one point ahead of rivals Benfica to claim their third consecutive Liga Title. (10-3)

8. Chelsea (Europa League Champions)
What an up and down season for Chelsea, one that saw them outside the world’s top 10 for much of the year. However it was an impressive second half for Chelsea, which was capped off by winning the Europa League Trophy. (7-4)

7. PSG (Ligue 1 Champions)
PSG is a squad that has been in the top ten for the better part of the season. You can make a case that their spending was worth it, as they’ve won the French League, and challenged into the quarterfinals of the Champions League. (8-23)

6. Real Madrid
Last year, Real finished #1 in the world, this season they finish trophy-less. With their manager gone, it will be an interesting off season in the Spanish Capital. (6-38)

5. Dortmund (UCL Final)
Dortmund no doubt had a great Champions League, but finished 25 points behind Bayern in the German League. Will their great run continue next season or will too many top players leave this summer. (3-27)

4. Manchester United
This season will be remembered for the departure of legendary coach Alex Ferguson. After winning the club’s 20th Premier League Title, Manchester will be ready to start a new era at Old Trafford. (5-37)

3. Juventus (Serie A Champions)
So how did we pick Juventus ahead of Manchester; both teams had very similar league records, however Juventus were more dominate statistically compared to their peers especially defensively. Juventus’ Champions League performances, where slightly better than Manchester, and against a common opponent in Chelsea, Juve were better than United.  It will be interesting to see what they do this off-season to make a deeper European run. (4-38)

2. Barcelona (La Liga Champions)
Barcelona had a great year, but again fell short of their goal of reaching the Champions League Final. By most accounts it was a great season by Barcelona, but it will be overshadowed by a dominate Bayen. (2-38)

1. Bayern Munich (European Champions, Bundesliga Champions, German Cup Champions)
Clearly the best team in the world by a long margin. Not only did they win the Champions League, they also won the German Bundesliga with a 29-4-1 record. Pep Guardiola will certainly have his hands full trying to get Bayern back in the UCL Final for a third consecutive season. (1-38)

 The (numbers) are the previous week’s rank, followed by consecutive weeks ranked. 

Thanks again for following us this season. Make sure to let us know your thoughts by commenting, and feel free to help promote the rankings, by sharing or liking us and the posts!

Posted by Michael Rizzo follow him on Twitter.