According to the research collected by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, Bayern Munich were the best football club in 2013. The IFFHS’s list placed Real Madrid as the best Spanish team in second place, with Athletico Madrid and Barcelona in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Chelsea are placed in third, with the only other English club Tottenham down in ninth.

The current European champions Bayern top the table with a score of 370 points, a massive 80 points ahead on Madrid in second place. It is the first time in IFFHS history that a German outfit have topped the leader board and Pep Guardiola’s men have accumulated the second highest score of all time, only beaten by the great Juventus team of 1993, who amassed 372.

Although Madrid won no silverware during the year, they were Champions League semi-finalists, runenrs up in the Copa del Rey and finished second in La Liga. Los Blancos sit just above Europa League winners Chelsea (273), who’s cup win helped propel them up the IFFHS table. Paris Saint Germain, Basel and Benfica make up the rest of the European teams in the top 10, with Althletico Mineiro the only South American representative on the list.

Top ten clubs of 2013:

.1 . Bayern Munich (Germany ) 370

.2 . Real Madrid ( Spain ) 290

.3 . Chelsea (England ) 273

.4 . Atletico Madrid ( Spain ) 251

.5 . Barcelona ( Spain ) 247

.6 . Paris Saint- Germain (France ) 240

.7 . 1893 Basel ( Switzerland ) 239

.8 . Atletico Mineiro ( Brazil ) 238

. 9 . Tottenham Hotspur (England ) 238

10. Benfica (Portugal ) 232