Nuno Espirito Santo's Wolves move up 683 places to be considered one of the 10 best football clubs in the world
A study by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) organisation has compiled an updated ranking of football clubs worldwide based on the last year of football.
The results have made for interesting reading, with significant changes in the standings based on the last year of football.
It is notable that no Portuguese sides make it into the top 30 of the standings, with Benfica ranked highest of them all, up 19 places to 34th in the worldwide rankings. Porto come a close 2nd, coming in at joint 37th, 6 places lower than the rankings from last year.
SC Braga have risen considerably, though, no doubt in part due to their excellent Europa League campaign this season, going from 149th in 2018 to 47th in the 2019 rankings, a tremendous rise of 102 places.
Sporting CP, meanwhile, have moved in the opposite direction, dropping to 77th in the standings, down from 32nd in 2018. It sees them sit below other European clubs such as Ludogorets (71st), Ferencvaros (58th) and Malmo (50th).
The most incredible change of them all, however, is seen with Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanders. The English Premier League outfit, who boast a significant Portuguese contingent, have risen a scarcely believable 683 places in the space of just a year to move into the top 10 of the club rankings worldwide.
The rankings are likely based on a range of different perameters, including club performances across all competitions and club stature, and this ranking, which sees them above the likes of Juventus (17th), Real Madrid (21st), Arsenal (also 21st), Bayern Munich (23rd), Napoli (30th) and Tottenham (37th), shows what a remarkable campaign Wolves have just had as they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, achieved 7th place in the Premier League table and advanced to the round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League.
Jorge Jesus’ Flamengo also deservedly break into the top 10, coming in as the 4th best club of 2019 thanks to their heroics in the Brazilian top flight, the Copa Libertadores and the Club World Cup.
The full top 10 is as follows:
Liverpool (316pts)
FC Barcelona (293pts)
Manchester City (284pts)
Flamengo (275pts)
Celtic (269pts)
Valencia (268pts)
Ajax (249.5pts)
Chelsea (249pts)
PSG (243pts)
Wolverhampton Wanderers (236pts)
