5 Premier League clubs make the top 10 of a 641-team Global Rankings list; Man United is NOT one of them!
Brighton and Aston Villa have been named ahead of Manchester United in FiveThirtyEight's global power rankings - with the Seagulls among five Premier League teams to make the top ten.
FollowIn FiveThirtyEight's Global Club Soccer Rankings, Manchester United has been surpassed by Brighton and Aston Villa; the Seagulls are one of five Premier League teams to crack the top ten.
Manchester City's position at the top of the list of 641 teams is not surprising given that Pep Guardiola's club is poised to complete a historic treble after winning the Premier League and is scheduled to play in the FA Cup and Champions League finals against Manchester United and Inter, respectively.
Man City are followed by Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich and LaLiga champions Barcelona, with Real Madrid and surprisingly, Liverpool, who have displaced Newcastle inside the top five.
Therefore, even though Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle qualified for the Champions League for the upcoming season, Jurgen Klopp's team is ahead of the three Premier League clubs in global rankings.
Chelsea and Tottenham, however, were unable to escape falling further down the rankings following their dismal seasons, with the Blues falling four spots to 24th and Spurs falling two spots to 43rd - neither team finishing in the top half of all Premier League clubs ranked.
Borussia Dortmund, Serie A champions Napoli, and Brighton round out the top ten teams, with Arsenal and Newcastle occupying sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Aston Villa, who secured a spot in the Europa Conference League on the penultimate day of the season, is currently in 16th place, one place ahead of Manchester United.
The ranking highlights just how far the Red Devils have plummeted from their productive years under Sir Alex Ferguson. Man United were down in 22nd place when the rankings were done in October, but they have improved since the beginning of the season.
The Red Devils had a dismal season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick's leadership before making significant strides under Erik ten Hag to finish third in the Premier League standings this year. In addition, United won the Carabao Cup back in February, and when they take on Man City on Saturday, they have a chance to win the FA Cup.
Despite their advances, they still trail four teams in the Premier League standings according to the Global Club Rankings. Man United were also placed behind RB Leipzig, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica and Atletico Madrid.
In the meantime, Brentford qualified for the top 20 in 19th place, behind Champions League finalists Inter Milan and Ajax and just ahead of Sporting Lisbon.
In the Global Power Rankings, Crystal Palace is ranked 36th, seven places ahead of Tottenham, and is among the top half of all Premier League teams for the 2022–2023 season.
The collapse of Chelsea and Tottenham is unsurprising given that both teams had terrible seasons and missed out on the European playoffs.
Bournemouth (102nd), Wolves (108th), Leeds (109th), Southampton (126th) and Nottingham Forest (132nd), failed to make the top 100. The Cherries moved up eight spaces, the most of any Premier League team, while Wolves fell a staggering 16.
Wolves' decline is unexpected given that they performed well enough in the last few weeks of the season to avoid relegation. Despite finishing higher in the Premier League than West Ham (47th), Bournemouth, Everton (83rd), and relegated Leicester (77th), Wolves has fallen in the rankings.
The ranking also includes teams from the Championship, League One, and League Two, with Burnley placing 88th—ahead of five Premier League teams—after earning a convincing league victory that earned them promotion.
Sheffield United is ranked 127th, only behind Southampton, and play-off champions Luton are 132nd.
Here's the top 20 clubs in the FiveThirtyEight's Global Rankings:
1st. Manchester City
2nd. Bayern Munich
3rd. Barcelona
4th. Real Madrid
5th. Liverpool
6th. Arsenal
7th. Newcastle
8th. Borussia Dortmund
9th. Napoli
10th. Brighton
11th. RB Leipzig
12th. Paris Saint-Germain
13th. Benfica
14th. Atletico Madrid
15th. Aston Villa
16th. Manchester United
17th. Inter Milan
18th. Ajax
19th. Brentford
20th. Sporting Lisbon
Other Premier League clubs from the 2022-23 season - Chelsea (24th), Crystal Palace (36th), Tottenham (43rd), West Ham (47th), Fulham (54th), Leicester (77th), Everton (83rd), Bournemouth (102nd), Wolves (108th), Leeds (109th), Southampton (126th) and Nottingham Forest (132nd)
And those promoted to the Premier League - Burnley (88th), Sheffield United (127th) Luton Town (136th)
*Rankings as of May 31, 2023
