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Footy Power Rankings: Continental champ Real Madrid snatches top spot

BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP / Getty

Taking into consideration recent domestic and continental results, along with underlying stats, we try to figure out which clubs are among Europe's elite in the final Footy Power Rankings of the 2017-18 campaign.

1. Real Madrid (3rd in La Liga)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
20-10-6 94 44 7.4 10.4

Previous rank: 5th

A third continental conquest on the spin marked by a resounding victory over Manchester City kryptonite Liverpool and knockout stage wins over domestic champions Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and Bayern Munich vaults Real Madrid into the top spot. That's now three Champions League on the bounce and 13 in total.

2. Manchester City (1st in Premier League)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
32-4-2 106 27 7.2 6.3

Previous rank: 3rd

Premier League's single-season records for wins (32), goals (106), and goal differential (79) highlight a stunning double-winning campaign from Manchester City. What do you get the team that has everything? Apparently more players, as reports of interest in Napoli's Jorginho and Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez gain steam.

3. Barcelona (1st in La Liga)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
28-9-1 83 19 7.2 11.7

Previous rank: 2nd

You can't stop Levante, you can only hope to contain it. Aiming for an unbeaten campaign, Barcelona travelled south to Valencia for the penultimate match of the season and ended up being on the wrong side of a frenzied affair, losing 5-4 to Levante courtesy of an Emmanuel Boateng treble and Enis Bardhi's brace. Look on the bright side, at least the Catalans snatched a third domestic double in four years.

4. Bayern Munich (1st in Bundesliga)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
27-3-4 92 28 7.1 8.5

Previous rank: 1st

What a nail biter that was. By the narrowest of margins (21 points) Bayern Munich has captured a sixth successive Bundesliga title. Over that stretch, the Bayern behemoth has enjoyed a 16.7-point margin on runner-ups, but hey, at least Jupp Heynckes was feeling charitable in his final match, tasting defeat in the DFB-Pokal final to Eintracht Frankfurt and its then-manager, soon-to-be Bayern boss Niko Kovac.

5. Juventus (1st in Serie A)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
30-5-3 86 24 5.4 8.2

Previous rank: 9th

Napoli may have won the Mauricio Pochettino Award for "Putting Pressure On," but in the end, Juventus emerged as Serie A champ in a narrow battle between the two sides. That's now seven Scudettos on the spin, and Max Allegri appears to be staying put after reports linking him with a move to Arsenal became moot with Unai Emery's appointment.

6. Paris Saint-Germain (1st in Ligue 1)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
29-6-3 108 29 7.1 10.2

Previous rank: 4th

For runaway Ligue 1 winner, five domestic trophies in two years wasn't enough to save Emery's job, and with former Borussia Dortmund Thomas Tuchel set to become Nasser Al-Khelaifi's latest means towards a Champions League ends, the pressure will be on the German to guide the capital club beyond the quarter-final stage for the first time since 1994-95.

7. Liverpool (4th in Premier League)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
21-12-5 84 38 6.1 7.5

Previous rank: 8th

While the Twitter mob was wailing in a disastrous Champions League final that put Mohamed Salah's World Cup at risk and Loris Karius' hopes of being 1st choice next season in limbo, Liverpool's continental march was nothing short of amazing, and the logic that trophies equal success is a bit too binary and convenient in this instance.

8. Atletico Madrid (2nd in La Liga)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
23-10-5 58 22 5.6 7.5

Previous rank: N/R

That's now three Europa League titles in nine years and a sixth-straight top-three domestic finish as impassioned manager Diego Simeone celebrated his fifth major trophy with Atletico Madrid, to go with the two he won there as a tough-tackling defensive mid. The Fernando Torres farewell was a nice touch as well.

9. Manchester United (2nd in Premier League)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
25-6-7 68 28 4.9 11.8

Previous rank: 6th

Second-best was the theme this season for Manchester United. Jose Mourinho's charges were second best to rival City in the league 19 points adrift, and second best in the FA Cup, where they tasted defeat against a Chelsea side that wasn't even that good.

10. Napoli (2nd in Serie A)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
28-7-3 77 29 6.9 8.1

Previous rank: 7th

How to bottle a Scudetto chase in two steps: 1) Lose 3-0 at Fiorentina and have your best defender sent off in the sixth minute; 2) Drop points at home to Torino, gifting two sides that despise Juventus results while handing the Old Lady a seventh successive league title. Here's hoping Carlo Ancelotti can motivate captain Marek Hamsik to stay put amid links with China.

11. Roma (3rd in Serie A)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
23-8-7 61 28 5.6 11

Previous rank: 10

Roma's 10th season on the spin sans trophy wasn't all doom and gloom as Eusebio Di Francesco's lot stunned Barcelona in the Champions League with a spirited second leg before nearly replicating the feat against finalist Liverpool. Next up: replace first-choice shot-stopper Alisson, who is all but certain for a record fee.

12. Tottenham (3rd in Premier League)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
23-8-7 74 36 5.9 9.4

Previous rank: N/R

Harry Kane scores goals for fun, Christian Eriksen is a playmaking wizard, and centre-half pairing Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen anchor a solid backline. Concerns that a talented core could look elsewhere for trophies and competitive wages continues to plague Tottenham ahead of a move next season to its new digs.

13. Monaco (2nd in Ligue 1)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
24-8-6 85 45 4.8 11

Previous rank: N/R

After snatching Ligue 1 honours from PSG last year, Monaco finished second in the league to the capital club and lost the Coupe de la Ligue final to you-know-who. Leonardo Jardim is staying put, Youri Tielemans can't get any worse, Adama Diakhaby is a star in the making, and Vadim Vasilyev will turn a massive profit on Fabinho and potentially Djibril Sidibe.

14. Chelsea (5th in Premier League)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
21-7-10 62 38 5.5 9.9

Previous rank: N/R

Hardly a campaign for Antonio Conte's CV, though the Italian gaffer led Chelsea to an eighth FA Cup conquest, drawing level with Tottenham for 3rd all-time, and with Maurizio Sarri a likely successor for his countryman, the Blues should manage to keep hold of coveted pair Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois.

15. Inter (4th in Serie A)

League record GF GA Shots on target per match Shots conceded per match
20-12-6 66 30 5.4 11.6

Previous rank: N/R

After a six-year hiatus from the continent's marquee competition, Inter secured a Champions League spot courtesy of a thrilling matchday 38 victory at Lazio to vault the Romans for fourth place. Red cards, penalties, and heaps of controversy highlighted the five-goal affair as Inter finished eight points up on rival AC Milan.

On the cusp: Lyon, Schalke, Lokomotiv Moscow, Marseille, Valencia, PSV

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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