15 Greatest Sports Teams in History (Ranked)

Sports can change lives. Whether it’s by playing it or watching some of the greatest athletes of all time ply their elegant trade, it is always the centre of attention in every corner of the world. Without it, the globe would be a far worse place with very little entertainment.

Naturally, sports vary in rules and procedures. Football is completely different to rugby and baseball is the opposite of basketball. However, throughout every sport, there have been legends, cementing their place in history with their consistency, sometimes against the odds.

Due to this, we have decided to rank the 15 greatest sports teams of all time. Trying to select this list was an immense challenge, and it highlights how competitive the world has been over the years. Every side on this list had a genuine argument to finish at the top as well; they were all world-class.

Ranking Factors

• Trophies/titles won – Only sides who won major honours have been included.
• Quality of athletes – Whether the athletes they had are now seen as legendary.
• Style of play – Whether they were exciting to watch in their particular sport.

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15

AC Milan (1989–1990)

One of the most iconic football teams in history was AC Milan in the late 1980s, as the Rossoneri dominated Europe. Arrigo Sacchi was in charge at the San Siro and oversaw an incredible reign which resulted in back-to-back European titles.

Milan’s squad was stacked with talent, from the immovable Paolo Maldini at the back to the all-rounded Ruud Gullit and the prolific Marco van Basten. Sacchi focused on the defensive side of their game and reaped rewards, and this became a blueprint for success: a reliance on an elite defensive setup.

14

New England Patriots (2001–2017)

NFL

From 2001 to 2017, the New England Patriots were, more often than not, the cream of the NFL crop, and Tom Brady’s peak era came at the back end of this hugely successful period. The Patriots won five Super Bowls, and legendary coach Bill Belichick was at his very best with his defensive strategies in full effect.

This ruthless team was part of the second-longest streak in NFL history, which ultimately saw them achieve 19 consecutive winning seasons. Another astonishing record set by the Pats was a 21-game winning streak across the 2003 and 2004 regular and postseason seasons, which is simply outrageous.

13

Real Madrid (2016–2018)

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No football team has ever won the UEFA Champions League three times in a row, except Real Madrid, which did the unthinkable from 2016 to 2018. Helped out by the formidable frontline of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale, they were every opponent’s worst nightmare to come up against in Europe’s elite club competition because of their inevitability.

Every time the new season arrives, Madrid are touted as favourites because of their track record, and their three-peat plays a crucial role. This team will quite possibly go down as the greatest Champions League side of all time, and iconic moments such as Bale’s incredible overhead kick against Liverpool in 2017 helped write Zinedine Zidane’s era in the history books.

12

Miami Dolphins (1972)

NFL

There has only been one team to put together a perfect season in the NFL, and that was the Miami Dolphins, who stormed their way to the Super Bowl in style. They went 17-0 with 14 regular-season wins and three playoff victories before defeating the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl final.

Iconic coach Don Shula implemented technical perfection, and the icing on the cake was that this was a group of ‘misfits.’ Rather than a team of big superstar names, other than Bob Griese and Larry Csonka, they were a smart bunch who relied on chemistry and intelligence to thrive.

11

Golden State Warriors (2014–2019)

Basketball

Once in a while, a team comes along in any sport and changes the game forever, and that was the Golden State Warriors in a majestic five years. Coach Steve Kerr took ‘The Dubs’ to five consecutive NBA finals, and his men won three championships.

The Warriors’ 73-9 season in 2016 remains the best regular-season record in history, and that was thanks to MVP Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s ‘Splash Brothers’ offence. The team’s exciting style of play had fans mesmerised and pioneered a pace-and-space system.

10

Pittsburgh Steelers (1974–1980)

NFL

The NFL is always one of the biggest sports throughout the year. The Super Bowl is one of the most watched events. There’s very rarely dominance in the sport, but that was ignored during the 1970s when the Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped the entire discipline in a stranglehold.

They won an unrivalled four Super Bowls in six seasons, which no team has ever been able to match. The New England Patriots from 2001 to 2017 were world-class, but they never quite had as big of a dominance in a short spell of time. The same can be said for the San Francisco 49ers from 1981 to 1985.

9

Soviet Union (1981–1984)

Ice Hockey

Ice hockey has always been a two-horse race between the United States of America and the Soviet Union on the international scene. The two nations lived and breathed the sport, but it was the Soviet Union that excelled for a three-year period from 1981 to 1984.

The Red Army team went 94-4-9, winning an Olympic title and three straight world championships in the process. As part of this, they defeated a team of NHL All-Stars 8-1 in an exhibition. Often, the team’s success was attributed to the attacking trio of Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov, and Sergei Makarov, as well as goalkeeper Vladislav Tretyak.

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8

Chicago Bulls (1990-1998)

Basketball

One of two basketball dynasties to feature on this list, the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s transcended the sport, permeating into modern pop culture, with the likes of Michael Jordan appearing in Hollywood and Dennis Rodman entering the world of wrestling through WCW. Their talents on the court however, were unmatched. A big three of the aforementioned Jordan and Rodman, along with the defensive powerhouse Scottie Pippen, dominated the decade after years of getting beat down by the Detroit Pistons in the late 1980s.

The Bulls would win six championships between 1991 and 1998 with two three-peats. Led by Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, the team’s innovative triangle offence helped spur unparalleled success. Aside from their tremendous post-season success, the Bulls also became the first side to win over 70 games in the regular season, winning a whopping 72 in the 1995/1996 campaign.

7

Real Madrid (1955–1960)

Featuring four times on this list, football is the most popular sport in the world – and, from 1955 to 1960, Real Madrid became the team to beat. They won the European Cup five years in a row, with the only reason that it is ‘lower’ on this list being that the quality of the opposition was not as impressive.

Most notably, this included them winning the La Liga title and European Cup together for the first time together in 1957, thanks largely to Alfredo Di Stefano, one of the best strikers of all time. That year, they beat Benfica 1-0 in the European Cup final with a goal from Di Stefano. World-class.

6

Boston Celtics (1956–1969)

Basketball

Switching to basketball, the Boston Celtics‘ success in the 1950s and 1960s was unparalleled. They won 11 titles in 13 seasons, including eight in a row. Their dominance started under coach Red Auerbach, who later served as the team’s general manager and president.

With a team that consisted of Frank Ramsey, Ed Macauley, Bill Sharman, ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn and dominating centre Bill Russell, all of whom featured in the Hall of Fame later on, it’s no surprise to see they were a level above everyone else. Most notably, Russell was named the league’s Most Valuable Player five times.