Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich: Which Soccer Club Is Best Right Now?
The UEFA soccer confederation is home to the best clubs in the world, and with the Champions League underway, fans can watch those teams square off. By far, undoubtedly, the top three clubs in the world at the moment are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
To no one's surprise, all three of those clubs lead their respective groups in the Champions League and are in first place in their league standings. As a matter of fact, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona have won the last three UEFA Champions League tournaments.
But who is best? Who's the No. 1 team in the world right now?
It's hard to argue against Bayern Munich. They are dominating this Bundesliga season with a 10-1-0 record, and once again it looks like they will win another league title. Robert Lewandowski has been an absolute scoring machine this year, and Thomas Müller is one of the best team leaders and passers in the world. They made everyone forget about that 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on the road by delivering a 5-1 beat down to the English club in their last game.
Bayern Munich simply overwhelms you with depth and ball control. Their extreme high time of possession makes it almost impossible to lose. When you have Arturo Vidal coming off the bench as a substitute, you know you have a loaded roster. You could also make the case that Bayern Munich has the best goalkeeper in the world in Manuel Neuer.
But let's not sleep on Spain just yet.
Barcelona is after all the defending champions. Despite not having the best player in the world in Lionel Messi because of an injury, Barcelona is still playing great. The South American duo of Neymar and Luis Suarez have never connected better before. Neymar and Suarez have scored the last 11 La Liga goals for Barcelona and five of the eight Champions League goals. One can only imagine how powerful Barcelona will become when they get Messi back.
Barcelona is in first place in Group E. Barcelona doesn't control the ball nearly as well as Bayern Munich, but they have the superstar factor advantage on their side. Barcelona were the ones who eliminated Bayern Munich last year thanks to Messi, Neymar and Suarez scoring all five goals in the two legs of the semifinals. If Barcelona can win this Champions League, they would be the first club to win consecutive tournaments since AC Milan in 1989 and 1990.
Barcelona's rival, Real Madrid, is still very much in the conversation for "best club" as well. Real Madrid has been the best team in Group A with 10 points, and they are tied for first place in La Liga with Barcelona. Although Real Madrid is dealing with injuries to James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, they refuse to lose. Real Madrid hasn't lost a single La Liga game this season. Their last defeat was back on Aug. 5 at the 2015 Audi Cup, which came to Bayern Munich. When Real Madrid gets 100 percent healthy, watch out.
Real Madrid's defense has been absolutely fantastic this year. They've allowed just four total goals in 10 La Liga games, and they have not conceded a single goal in all four of their Champions League games. Very impressive. An elite defensive club that has the single best scorer on the planet in Cristiano Ronaldo on the roster has all the potential in the world.
These three clubs are without a doubt the top teams in the world right now. In the end, it's up to you. Vote in our fan poll below on who you think is best.
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1
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