Football News

Real Madrid have been named as the best club of the 20th century after an exhaustive study by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

The Spanish giants finished out in front of Juventus, who were second, while Barcelona, Milan and Bayern Munich completed the top five in the historic record books.

In recent seasons the IFFHS have judged clubs in order of merit, but have only done so in the Club World Ranking that began in 1991.

Demand was high for a ranking based on titles won, placings in competitions and other factors over the entire 20th century, and now the IFFHS have explained how they reached their conclusion.

"For some years now, the IFFHS has been asked by clubs, sports journalists and fans to determine the clubs of the century for the individual continents but on a realistic basis without imaginary values and subjective influences," the statement on the IFFHS website explains.

"The rankings published so far have been based on the number of titles won or placings or marathon tables in competitions.

"Because the Club World Ranking (by IFFHS) has been determined monthly only since January 1991, it cannot be used as the basis for determining the club of the century.

"The IFFHS has decided these continental clubs of the century and with it continental rankings of century to determine exclusively on the base of individual match results of the continental club competitions.

"The national competitions are merely a prerequisite to qualify for the continental club competitions. Intercontinental club competitions were not taken into consideration."

A point system saw clubs rewarded for their performances in the Champions League, UEFA Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup, Mitropa Cup, Copa Latina and the European Super Cup.

Below are the top ten clubs of the 20th century:

Points Club
563.50 Real Madrid
466.00 Juventus
458.00 FC Barcelona
399.75 AC Milan
399.00 Bayern Munich
362.00 Inter
332.75 Ajax
300.25 Liverpool
299.00 Benfica
231.00 Anderlecht

12:20 CET: Well, what can we take from this? At this stage it's churlish to try to select a "tie of the round" due to the sheer strength of the teams involved, but there are three English teams meeting three Italian teams here in what will surely be huge matches right across the board. Villarreal-Panathinaikos could potentially provide a surprise semi-finalist, while Lyon-Barcelona could be especially intriguing if the French champions get a good first leg result.

That's it for our live coverage, but join us throughout the afternoon and beyond as we bring you the latest reactions from inside the clubs, not to mention our unsurpassed editorial content. And remember, the Goal.com forums are just waiting for your contribution! Goodbye!

12:19 CET: That's the draw complete - here it is in full:

Chelsea - Juventus
Villarreal - Panathinaikos
Sporting - Bayern
Atletico Madrid - FC Porto
Lyon - Barcelona
Real Madrid - Liverpool
Arsenal - Roma
Inter - Manchester United

12:18 CET: And then ARSENAL meet ROMA by default, leaving one more tie - INTERNAZIONALE meet MANCHESTER UNITED!

12:17 CET: Struggling REAL MADRID remain a massive test for... my, oh, my! LIVERPOOL!

12:16 CET: OLYMPIQUE LYON are out next. Lyon are going to face FC BARCELONA!

12:15 CET: And then ATLETICO MADRID are drawn to face... well, it's none other than FC PORTO! Once again it looks like big guns versus big guns are coming up soon - but both of those sides will feel that this tie is winnable!

12:14 CET: Next up is SPORTING CP. They will face... BAYERN MUNICH! Well, this leaves several of the bigger guns free to be drawn against each other!

12:13 CET: VILLARREAL are next out. Who will Manuel Pellegrini's side meet this time? It's... PANATHINAIKOS. (Scroll to the foot of the page to see the whole draw, by the way, as it happens._

12:12 CET: AND WE'RE UNDERWAY! The first team out is CHELSEA. And their opponents... JUVENTUS! Claudio Ranieri meets his old side!

12:11 CET: The UEFA boffin is explaining the different draw permutations. Of course Goal.com has already kept readers informed of who can meet whom here (opens in a new window), so feel free to take a little two-minute snooze until the draw takes place!

12:09 CET: And now a UEFA functionary has appeared to conduct the draw. There are just minutes to go but, curiously enough, the presidential seating at the front of the room is nowhere near full, but the press area at the back is chock-a-block...

12:07 CET: Now we take a moment to remember the contributions of Bruno Conti. The former AS Roma legend is now a UEFA Champions League ambassador. He spent seventeen years with the giallorossi, believe it or not, in a wildly successful career. He may not have ever won the European Cup but he did finish as a runner-up...

12:06 CET: We're now midway through one of those highlight reels that UEFA do so well, in which the 16 remaining sides are being showcased. Of course it's hard to draw too many conclusions from a 20 second clip of each side, but Panathinaikos, despite their relatively modest stature, look to be a force to be reckoned with...

12:02 CET: Mr. Taylor reveals that of the 16 remaining teams, no fewer than 13 are past finalists of Europe's premier competition. I'll let you rack your brains to see if you can work out which three have never made it to the last two...

12:00 CET: And we're underway! UEFA General Secretary David Taylor of Scotland is waxing lyrical about the Champions League's unique charm. Michel Platini, the UEFA chief, sends his apologies - he's at the Club World Cup in Japan at the moment, preparing to cheer on Manchester United (apparently.)

11:59 CET: I'll be watching this article's comments as the draw takes place, so keep them coming. Above all, though, you should think about getting involved with your fellow fans on our Goal.com forums (opens in a new window), where the Champions League is just one of many topics. And, as always, our FREE Goal.com Manager (opens in a new window) game brings you the best of the Champions League excitement.

11:57 CET: Indeed, while Barcelona's draw may be considered "easy", another look at the teams involved suggests that there is no simple passage to the next stage. After all, even those names considered less than huge on the continental stage have their advantages. Panathinaikos, of course, managed to win their group ahead of Inter. The Italian champions thus can only meet Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, or Porto. Not long to go now!

11:53 CET: Just seven minutes to go until the ceremonies begin. The draw itself will follow after the usual pre-amble. Barcelona president Joan Laporta has more reason than most to be nervous at the moment: such is his side's seeding that they can only be drawn against Chelsea, Inter, Lyon, or Arsenal. But, as the cliché goes, to be the best, you have to beat the best...

11:46 CET: The great, the good, and the not-so-great of European football are assembled in Nyon to follow the draw, which, in true UEFA fashion, is somewhat Byzantine in its structure. It's not as simple as two sets of seeds being drawn against each other. Instead ther are certain stipulations: teams from the same group must avoid each other, as much those from the same national league. Our Goal.com guide to the qualifiers is here (opens in a new window) if you want a last-minute look at who can face whom.

11:44 CET: Welcome to Goal.com's LIVE coverage of the UEFA Champions League draw in Nyon! I'm Ewan Macdonald and we at Goal.com will be with you every step of the way as Europe's top 16 teams learn their fate on a cold, Swiss afternoon...

DRAW

Chelsea - Juventus
Villarreal - Panathinaikos
Sporting - Bayern
Atletico Madrid - FC Porto
Lyon - Barcelona
Real Madrid - Liverpool
Arsenal - Roma
Inter - Manchester United

Following his heroics for Barcelona against Real Madrid in El Clasico at the weekend, Victor Valdes is set to be richly rewarded as the Blaugrana prepare to open talks to offer him a new contract.With the club having safely tied up the future of midfielders Xavi and Sergio Busquets, they are now eager to ensure that Valdes, considered the best goalkeeper at the Camp Nou since the days of Andoni Zubizaretta back in the late '80s and early '90s, commits his future to the Catalan cause.

Barcelona-based daily Sport reports that initial meetings began several weeks ago between Barca sporting director Txiki Begiristain and the player’s agent and father, Jose Manuel Valdes.
It is believed that a new deal will be offered to the 26-year-old to extend his current agreement, which expires in 2010, until 2014 while maintaining his buy-out clause, which stands at €100 million.

However, negotiations have been put on hold momentarily as Begiristain has been forced to fly out to Japan to attend to his brother who has fallen ill.

Barcelona are also keeping a close eye on Villarreal’s Diego Lopez, should the negotiations with Valdes run into any complications.

Argentine sensation Lionel Messi only managed to secure the Silver Ball in last night’s European Footballer of the Year announcement, comprehensively beaten to the coveted Golden Ball by Cristiano Ronaldo.
As the debate rages on about who really is the best player at present, Barca’s captain and defender Carles Puyol has thrown his support behind his teammate.

“I congratulate Ronaldo for winning, but for me, Messi is the best player in the world,” he told reporters during a promotional outing.
“I enjoy watching him every day, just like how all the fans enjoy watching him play,” added Puyol.

The 31 year old versatile defender then turned his attention to Barcelona’s upcoming games, including the titanic tussle with eternal enemies, Real Madrid in less than two weeks’ time.
“We must take full advantage of the form that we are in now because things can change very quickly in football.

“But we mustn’t think about the game against Real Madrid. If we do, then we are sure to lose our next match [against Valencia]. We have to take things one day at a time,” he concluded.

Seydou Keita might not draw the same headlines as Samuel Eto'o or Lionel Messi but there is no doubt that he still does a great job for Barcelona on the pitch.
The midfielder joined the Catalan side this summer from Sevilla, and whilst he acknowledges he is not a goalscorer, he says he does his best for the team.
"I am not Henry or Eto'o, but if I can I will score," he told El Mundo Deportivo.
"I know very well what my goal is in the team. I work for my team-mates, to help in defence and to try and play a part in building the attacks. It it important though, that we are all prepared mentally to score because a goal, whoever scores it, can decide a game."

Ironically, as Keita is not known for his goalscoring, the former Sevilla player has now hit the net in his last two matches, against Recreativo and Getafe. He is currently preparing for Barça's Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon this week but he took time out to comment briefly on the subject of the week, Lionel Messi.

"He is a very important and very different player for the team," he said.

"It is clear though that neither he, nor anyone else, can play all the games. In the squad there is a lot of quality and we all have to be prepared because we will have opportunities."

Keita joined the club at the same time as new coach Pep Guardiola and he praised the selection policy of the Spaniard, saying the late decisions keep everyone on their toes.
"The coach has many options and even an hour before the game we do not know who will play," he mused.

"I believe that it is beneficial because it keeps us all tense and it stops the ones who aren't going to play from getting discouraged."

The Malian international acknowledged that not only can't Barcelona afford to lose to Sporting this week - they can't afford to slip up wherever or whoever they play.

"We cannot lose in Lisbon or to anyone," he declared.
"At a club such as Barça we must win every game, we must try and assure first place."