FIFA Club of the Century was an award presented by FIFA to decide the best football club of the 20th century. [1] [2] Real Madrid was the winner of the award with 42.35% of the vote, announced at the annual FIFA World gala, held in Rome on 11 December 2000. Madrid was the most successful club in international football at the time, having amassed eight European Cups, two UEFA Cups, two Latin Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. [3]
During the ceremony, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Florentino Pérez collected the trophy which was presented to Real Madrid. [4] [5] For the 2006–07 season a crest was added to Real Madrid's shirts, commemorating their status as FIFA Club of the Century. [6]
The voting system used for the award, was restricted to subscribers of the bi-monthly FIFA World Magazine (FIFA's official magazine). [7]
Rank | Club | Country | % |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Real Madrid | ![]() | 42.35% |
2 | Manchester United | ![]() | 9.69% |
3 | Bayern Munich | ![]() | 9.18% |
4 | Barcelona | ![]() | 5.61% |
5 | Ajax | ![]() | 5.10% |
Santos | ![]() | ||
7 | Juventus | ![]() | 2.55% |
8 | Peñarol | ![]() | 2.04% |
9 | AC Milan | ![]() | 1.53% |
Flamengo | ![]() | ||
River Plate | ![]() | ||
12 | Arsenal | ![]() | 1.02% |
Benfica | ![]() | ||
Boca Juniors | ![]() | ||
Botafogo | ![]() | ||
Independiente | ![]() | ||
Inter Milan | ![]() | ||
Liverpool | ![]() | ||
— | Other clubs | 6.63% |
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football.
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or LaLiga and officially as LaLiga EA Sports since 2023 for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional football division of the Spanish football league system. It is controlled by the LFP and is contested by 20 teams over a 38-matchday period.
Zinedine Yazid Zidane, popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most successful coaches in the world. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Zidane was a playmaker renowned for his elegance, vision, passing, ball control, and technique. He received many individual accolades as a player, including being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1998, 2000 and 2003, and winning the 1998 Ballon d'Or.
Francisco "Paco" Gento López was a Spanish footballer who played as an outside left. A fast runner, Gento was referred to as the "Gale of the Cantabrian Sea" in reference to his speed down the wing. He was voted by IFFHS as the greatest Spanish footballer and 30th greatest world footballer of the 20th century.
Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and the sport's first international superstar. A forward and an attacking midfielder, he scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary and later played four international matches for Spain as well. He became an Olympic champion in 1952 and led his nation to the final of the 1954 World Cup. He won three European Cups, ten national championships and eight top individual scoring honors. Known as the "Galloping Major", in 1995, he was recognized as the greatest top division scorer of the 20th century by the IFFHS. Scoring 806 goals in 793 official games during his career, he is the seventh top goal scorer of all time by the RSSSF.
Raúl González Blanco, known as Raúl, is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a forward. He is the current manager of Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team of La Liga club Real Madrid. Raúl is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, and one of the greatest Spanish players of all time.
José Marcelo Salas Melinao, nicknamed Matador, El Fenómeno and Shileno, is a Chilean former footballer who played as a striker. Salas is considered the best striker in the history of Chile. He stood out during the 1990s and 2000s in clubs such as Universidad de Chile, River Plate, Lazio and Juventus. He was the captain of the Chile national team and the top scorer – scoring 45 goals in total: 37 goals for the Chile national football team and 8 goals with the Chile Olympic football team.
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha, often known as Roberto Carlos and sometimes RC3, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the history of the game", and one of the greatest full-backs in history. In 1997, he was runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year. He is primarily known for his long career at Real Madrid and ever-presence in the Brazilian national team.
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé was a professional footballer and coach who played as a forward, regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Nicknamed "Saeta Rubia", he is best known for his achievements with Real Madrid, where he was instrumental in the club's domination of the European Cup and La Liga during the 1950s and 1960s. Along with Francisco Gento and José María Zárraga, he was one of only three players to play a part in all five European Cup victories, scoring goals in each of the five finals. Di Stéfano played international football mostly for Spain after moving to Madrid, but he also played for Argentina and Colombia.
Raymond Kopa was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three European Cups.
Florentino Pérez Rodríguez is a Spanish businessman and the current president of football club Real Madrid and widely regarded as the greatest president in the history of the club, as well as Chairman and CEO of Grupo ACS, a civil engineering company.
El Clásico or El Clàssic, both meaning "The Classic", is the name given to any football match between rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. Originally referring to competitions held in the Spanish championship, the term now includes every match between the clubs, such as those in the UEFA Champions League, Supercopa de España and Copa del Rey. It is considered one of the biggest club football games in the world and is among the most viewed annual sporting events. A fixture known for its intensity, it has featured memorable goal celebrations from both teams, often involving mockery from both sides.
Toni Kroos is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, he is known for his vision, passing, creativity, crossing and set-piece ability. Kroos plays mainly as a central midfielder, but has also been deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in his career.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club was formed in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, and played its first competitive match on 13 May 1902, when it lost 3–1 in the semi-final of the Campeonato de Copa de S.M. Alfonso XIII against FC Barcelona. Real Madrid played against other local clubs in various regional tournaments, that served as qualifiers for the Copa del Rey, from 1902 to 1940. In 1929, the club became one of the founding members of La Liga, Spain's first national league. As of 2024, Real is one of only three clubs never to have been relegated from the top level of Spanish football, the others being Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona.
Waldyr Pereira, also known as Didi, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder or as a forward. He played in three FIFA World Cups, winning the latter two.
Mariano Díaz Mejía, known as Mariano, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Sevilla.
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team, a one-time record, and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation.
Luca Zinedine Zidane Fernández is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Segunda División club Eibar. He is the son of former footballer Zinedine Zidane.