World Club Rankings - Top 25 Clubs in the World - 1991

(Note: Sorry that this is later than usual for the week, but the wifi in my current apartment in Buenos Aires is hit-and-miss and this week, mostly miss. I move this weekend and hopefully, this will improve.)

In 1991, for the seventh consecutive year, the club that won the Champions League did not finish on top of the World Club Rankings annual charts. In fact, Benfica actually played poorly in Europe, falling in the first round of the UEFA Cup. Its performance in one of the toughest leagues in the world (at the time), however, gave Benfica its fifth WCR Club of the Year title, making it the first club to win two in a row since PSV Eindhoven in 1975-76.

In Europe, the Champions Cup title went to Yugoslavia for the only time when Red Star Belgrade defeated Olympique Marseille by a 5-3 margin on penalty kicks in the final in Bari, Italy. This also marked the final Champions Cup in which no English club participated. English clubs did return to European tournaments in the 1990-91 season, however, and one of them – Manchester United – defeated Barcelona 2-1 to win the 1991 Cup Winners Cup in Rotterdam, Netherlands in a match featuring two second half goals by Mark Hughes. Finally, the UEFA Cup turned out to be a battle of Italian clubs with Inter Milan edging out AS Roma 2-1 in aggregate to take the title.

On this side of the planet, another club brought home its nation’s first trophy as Chile’s Colo Colo defeated Olimpia 3-0 in aggregate to win the 1991 Copa Libertadores. A little farther north, CONCACAF saw its third consecutive Mexican champion as Puebla defeated Police Force FC of Trinidad & Tobago 4-2 in aggregate in the final of the Copa de Campeones y Subcampeones.

In Africa, perennial power Club Africain from Tunisia took home its only Champions Cup following a 7-3 defeat over Nakivubo Villa SC of Uganda in the finals. Meanwhile, Zambia’s Power Dynamos defeated BCC Lions from Nigeria 5-4 to win the African Cup Winners Cup. Finally, in Asia, both major cups went to clubs from Iran as Esteghlal defeated Lianoning (China) in the final of the Asian Champions Cup and Piroozi defeated Muharraq (Bahrain) in the inaugural Asian Cup Winners Cup.

The rankings of the Top 25 for 1991 can be found below.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – 1991

1. Benfica (Por) – UEFA Cup- 1R. Fifth and final Number One ranking.

2. Crvena Zvezda (Yug) – European Champions Cup –Champions; Highest ever ranking.

3. Bayern Munchen (FRG) – ECC- SF.

4. Sampdoria (Ita) – Cup Winners Cup –QF; Highest ever ranking.

5. Marseille (Fra) – ECC- RU.

6. FC Kaiserslautern (FRG) – CWC- 1R.

7. Porto (Por) – ECC- QF; Fifth consecutive Top Ten ranking.

8. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) – CWC- 1R.

9. AC Milan (Ita) – ECC- QF; Fifth consecutive Top 25 ranking.

10. Defensor Sporting (Uru) – Highest ever ranking.

11. Colo Colo (Chi) – Copa Libertadores- Champions.

12. Atletico Nacional (Col) – CL- SF.

13. Boca Juniors (Arg) – CL- SF.

14. Ajax (Ned)

15. Inter Milan (Ita) – UEFA Cup- Champions.

16. Sporting CP (Por) – UEFA- SF.

17. Spartak Moscow (Sov) – ECC- SF; Highest ever ranking.

18. Dinamo Zagreb (Yug) – Highest ever ranking.

19. Nacional (Uru) – CL- QF; Sixteenth and final ranking.

20. Genoa (Ita) – Only ever ranking.

21. Junior Barranquilla (Col) – Only ever ranking.

22. Werder Bremen (FRG)

23. Universitatea Craiova (Rom) – Final ever ranking.

24. Hamburger SV (FRG)

25. FC Groningen (Ned) – Only ever ranking.

Past Final Season Top 25s: 2008 , 2007, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1987, 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1977, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1968, 1967, 1966, 1965, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1961, 1960