Although they are currently going through a period of crisis, with just one victory in their last 12 games, which made even coach Pep Guardiola question his own talent, Manchester City changed levels in European football recently, with their first victories in the Champions League and at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The two trophies were achieved in the historic 2023 season, in which the England team became only the tenth club in Europe to celebrate a triple crown — triumph in the national cup, the national league and the main continental tournament. The Club World Cup, renamed the Intercontinental Cup, is just the icing on the cake for Europeans.
Although it is not as celebrated by them as it is by the South Americans who achieved the trophy, the World Cup, due to its sequence, longevity and official nature, offers the highest score in the Folha Ranking of world football, a historical classification published since 2002.
Manchester City has jumped 61 positions in the ranking since its last edition, published in April 2023. The English went from 93rd place to 32nd, with 220 points.
This makes the team the fourth best placed among those in England. Liverpool (6th), Manchester United (15th) and Chelsea (22nd) appear ahead of City, which is now glued to Corinthians, 31st, with 240 points, accumulated mainly by winning the World Cup (2000 and 2012) and the Libertadores ( 2012).
The best-placed Brazilian club in the ranking continues to be São Paulo, which closes the group of the top ten, with 630 points.
The top squad has had few variations in recent years, with Real Madrid largely dominating. The current champion of the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup has added 160 points since the last edition of the historic classification and reached 1,950, almost double Milan, second on the list, with 1,010.
In the top 3, there was an important change, as Boca Juniors managed to break away from Bayern Munich to complete the podium. Runner-up in the Libertadores in 2023, the Argentine team reached 1,000 points and left the Germans behind, in fourth place, with 960.
The South American team that gained the most positions during the period was Fluminense, Boca’s tormentor in the continental decision. The Rio team scored 130 points, reached 180 and jumped from 102nd position to 34th. The Laranjeiras tricolor team only didn’t rise any further because they ended up defeated by Manchester City in the World Cup final.
Botafogo, current champion of the Libertadores, also jumped in the rankings. In the most glorious year in its history, the team gained 70 points in the international ranking, reaching 90 and gaining 106 positions, going from 175th to 69th.
The Rio team did not have a bigger climb because they fell in their debut in the Intercontinental Cup, in the quarterfinals. The black and white team from Rio was defeated by Pachuca, from Mexico, who advanced to the decision. In the final, last week, the Mexicans ended up defeated by Real Madrid.
With runner-up in the world championship, Pachuca also gained positions. He left 64th place and went to 46th, with 155 points.
Questions and answers about the Folha Ranking
Since when was the Folha de Futebol Ranking created?
The first edition of the national ranking was in 1996. Since then, the list has undergone modifications, corrections and revisions. The last major revision took place in 2010. The world ranking began to be published in 2002 and follows the same guidelines as the national list.
Who enters the Folha Ranking?
In the national ranking, only teams that scored points (were champions or runners-up) in national or international competitions appear. In the world rankings, only those who scored in international tournaments.
What tournaments are considered?
To enter the rankings, a tournament must have great representation, official status and sequence. Therefore, championships played only once and with no prospect of new editions, such as the super championships held in some states in 2002, are disregarded. Tournaments such as Copa Rio, Copa Suruga, Supercopa do Brasil and Copa Florida, among others, also do not yield ranking points.
Why don’t tournaments played by just two clubs, like the Recopa Sul-Americana, award points to the runner-up?
Every team that participates in a tournament like this has already received a bonus, as it brings together winners from previous competitions. It wouldn’t be logical to have a team scoring where it only failed.
