Best European National Teams over the years

[mcruic]

Who was the best European national team in 1985, 1990, 1995, etc? I will prepare a list of the top 10 ranked European countries at the end of each year (for any year from 1872-2005), based on all matches played if anyone is interested in knowing.

[mcruic]

Best teams in the 1970s

1970
1 Italy
2 England
3 West Germany
4 Soviet Union
5 Hungary
6 East Germany
7 Spain
8 Yugoslavia
9 Sweden
10 Scotland

1971
1 West Germany
2 England
3 Italy
4 Hungary
5 Soviet Union
6 East Germany
7 Yugoslavia
8 Spain
9 Czechoslovakia
10 Sweden

1972
1 West Germany
2 England
3 Poland
4 Italy
5 Hungary
6 Soviet Union
7 Yugoslavia
8 Spain
9 East Germany
10 Belgium

1973
1 West Germany
2 Italy
3 England
4 Poland
5 Yugoslavia
6 East Germany
7 Spain
8 Belgium
9 Sweden
10 Hungary

1974
1 West Germany
2 Netherlands
3 Poland
4 England
5 Spain
6 Italy
7 Belgium
8 Yugoslavia
9 East Germany
10 Czechoslovakia

1975
1 West Germany
2 Poland
3 Netherlands
4 England
5 Yugoslavia
6 Italy
7 Spain
8 Czechoslovakia
9 East Germany
10 Belgium

1976
1 West Germany
2 Netherlands
3 Czechoslovakia
4 England
5 Italy
6 Scotland
7 Spain
8 Poland
9 East Germany
10 Hungary

1977
1 West Germany
2 Netherlands
3 Scotland
4 Italy
5 Spain
6 East Germany
7 England
8 Hungary
9 Poland
10 Czechoslovakia

1978
1 Netherlands
2 West Germany
3 Italy
4 England
5 Spain
6 Poland
7 Soviet Union
8 Czechoslovakia
9 East Germany
10 Portugal

1979
1 West Germany
2 England
3 Netherlands
4 Italy
5 Poland
6 Austria
7 France
8 Czechoslovakia
9 Belgium
10 Yugoslavia

[mcruic]

In the 1980s

1980
1 West Germany
2 Italy
3 England
4 Belgium
5 Soviet Union
6 Austria
7 Poland
8 France
9 East Germany
10 Netherlands

1981
1 West Germany
2 Soviet Union
3 Poland
4 Italy
5 Yugoslavia
6 Belgium
7 Netherlands
8 Austria
9 France
10 East Germany

1982
1 West Germany
2 England
3 Soviet Union
4 Italy
5 Poland
6 Austria
7 Belgium
8 France
9 Yugoslavia
10 Netherlands

1983
1 Soviet Union
2 West Germany
3 England
4 Belgium
5 France
6 Netherlands
7 Yugoslavia
8 Poland
9 Spain
10 East Germany

1984
1 France
2 Soviet Union
3 West Germany
4 England
5 Denmark
6 Scotland
7 Portugal
8 Spain
9 Italy
10 Czechoslovakia

1985
1 Soviet Union
2 France
3 England
4 West Germany
5 Denmark
6 East Germany
7 Netherlands
8 Hungary
9 Spain
10 Italy

1986
1 Soviet Union
2 Spain
3 England
4 France
5 Denmark
6 West Germany
7 Netherlands
8 Sweden
9 Czechoslovakia
10 Italy

1987
1 England
2 Soviet Union
3 Netherlands
4 Spain
5 West Germany
6 Italy
7 Denmark
8 Sweden
9 East Germany
10 Romania

1988
1 Netherlands
2 Soviet Union
3 Italy
4 West Germany
5 Sweden
6 Romania
7 Yugoslavia
8 Spain
9 England
10 Czechoslovakia

1989
1 Netherlands
2 West Germany
3 Italy
4 Soviet Union
5 England
6 Sweden
7 Yugoslavia
8 Czechoslovakia
9 Spain
10 Romania

[mcruic]

In the 1990s

1990
1 West Germany
2 Italy
3 England
4 Yugoslavia
5 Netherlands
6 France
7 Spain
8 Czechoslovakia
9 Ireland
10 Soviet Union

1991
1 Germany
2 France
3 Netherlands
4 England
5 Italy
6 Soviet Union
7 Yugoslavia
8 Ireland
9 Denmark
10 Czechoslovakia

1992
1 Germany
2 Italy
3 Netherlands
4 England
5 Yugoslavia
6 Sweden
7 Denmark
8 Ireland
9 France
10 Russia

1993
1 Germany
2 Netherlands
3 Italy
4 Spain
5 Yugoslavia
6 Denmark
7 Sweden
8 England
9 France
10 Switzerland

1994
1 Germany
2 Spain
3 Italy
4 Netherlands
5 Sweden
6 Croatia
7 Yugoslavia
8 Romania
9 Switzerland
10 England

1995
1 Germany
2 Spain
3 Italy
4 France
5 Denmark
6 Yugoslavia
7 Netherlands
8 Portugal
9 Romania
10 Czech Republic

1996
1 Germany
2 Spain
3 France
4 Netherlands
5 Denmark
6 Italy
7 England
8 Yugoslavia
9 Czech Republic
10 Portugal

1997
1 Germany
2 Spain
3 France
4 Yugoslavia
5 England
6 Italy
7 Netherlands
8 Denmark
9 Romania
10 Portugal

1998
1 France
2 Italy
3 Netherlands
4 Spain
5 Germany
6 Yugoslavia
7 Croatia
8 Romania
9 England
10 Portugal

1999
1 Spain
2 France
3 Netherlands
4 Czech Republic
5 Norway
6 Romania
7 Portugal
8 Denmark
9 Italy
10 Germany

[mcruic]

And since 2000

2000
1 France
2 Portugal
3 Netherlands
4 Italy
5 Spain
6 Czech Republic
7 Germany
8 Croatia
9 Yugoslavia
10 Russia

2001
1 France
2 Portugal
3 Italy
4 Netherlands
5 Spain
6 England
7 Germany
8 Sweden
9 Croatia
10 Ireland

2002
1 Netherlands
2 Spain
3 France
4 Germany
5 Portugal
6 England
7 Denmark
8 Turkey
9 Czech Republic
10 Italy

2003
1 France
2 Spain
3 Czech Republic
4 Netherlands
5 England
6 Portugal
7 Italy
8 Denmark
9 Germany
10 Croatia

2004
1 Czech Republic
2 France
3 Spain
4 England
5 Netherlands
6 Portugal
7 Italy
8 Greece
9 Germany
10 Sweden

2005 (current)
1 Netherlands
2 France
3 Spain
4 Czech Republic
5 England
6 Italy
7 Sweden
8 Croatia
9 Portugal
10 Denmark

[vilafria]

That"s some list. I wonder how exactly the teams were ranked because I see that the Netherlands were top in 2002, the year they failed to qualify for WC02.

[mcruic]

Yes, that is surprising, but statistically accurate. France qualified for the World Cup , but lost a lot of points for performing badly. In the qualifying, Netherlands didn't have many bad results. Their being top is more down to other teams having a bad year rather than them having a particularly good year.

[HakanGS]

I don't think it is accurate. For example, Turkey is not in the list. At least, Turkey is better than Denmark.

[mcruic]

Netherlands results in 2002

Netherlands 1-1 England
Netherlands 1-0 Spain
USA 0-2 Netherlands
Norway 0-1 Netherlands
Netherlands 3-0 Belarus
Austria 0-3 Netherlands
Germany 1-3 Netherlands

Not a bad year, I think you'll agree

[vilafria]

Yes, that is surprising, but statistically accurate. France qualified for the World Cup , but lost a lot of points for performing badly. In the qualifying, Netherlands didn't have many bad results. Their being top is more down to other teams having a bad year rather than them having a particularly good year.

Is it then , that all games (including friendlies) were tallied in ?

[mcruic]

Turkey is at number 12, just behind Germany. They drew both their matches with Denmark in the WC Qualifiers. They also lost at home to Denmark in a friendly in 2004. They would have been in the top 10 if they hadn't lost 3-1 to Bulgaria in August.

[mcruic]

Yes, all games are included. It's a bit like in a real league situation. If a team has a bad start, it must play well consistently to get to the top. Conversely, if a team has a good start, a few bad results will not affect them so much. Obviously, competitive matches are worth more points than friendly matches in the rankings.

[HakanGS]

According to "me" 2005 (current) should be:
1 Netherlands
2 England
3 Czech Republic
4 Italy
5 Spain
6 Sweden
7 Portugal
8 France
9 Turkey
10 Croatia

[HakanGS]

Turkey is at number 12, just behind Germany. They drew both their matches with Denmark in the WC Qualifiers. They also lost at home to Denmark in a friendly in 2004. They would have been in the top 10 if they hadn't lost 3-1 to Bulgaria in August.


That Bulgaria game was a bummer I agree. Turkey drew the game swith Denmark, but in the first game Turkey outplayed Denmark, having more much much chances (and they missed a penalty). The above rankings might be just based on the scores.

[mcruic]

Well, we are all entitled to an opinion. My opinion just happens to be calculated. This effectively rules out my opinion, and any national pride which I may feel (that is why Scotland is in no.26 position). Really, though, there is nothing between say, on my list, Denmark in 10th and Turkey in 12th. They are on practically the same level. One day Denmark may beat Turkey, and another day, the score would be reversed.

[mcruic]

Yes, Hakan. Rankings always provoke debate. Unfortunately nobody has came up with a way to include 'playing strength' in rankings. So, to date, all rankings are based on plain results, which might not give the best teams in many people's view, but football is all about the result in the end and all the pretty football in the world won't win the World Cup without goals. I agree that Turkey would probably be in the top 10 if it was down to skill level, but alas, I can't find a formula which would do this factor justice :rolleyes:

[HakanGS]

I understand that the rankings you provided are based on calculations, but if you modify the coefficients and modify the parameters/criteria in those calculations, the list can easily change. What I am trying to say is there is no objective list. Including even the list above that you provided. I would actually like to see the way the calculations are done to do that ranking, then we can talk more accurately.

Well, we are all entitled to an opinion. My opinion just happens to be calculated. This effectively rules out my opinion, and any national pride which I may feel (that is why Scotland is in no.26 position). Really, though, there is nothing between say, on my list, Denmark in 10th and Turkey in 12th. They are on practically the same level. One day Denmark may beat Turkey, and another day, the score would be reversed.

[HakanGS]

I agree with you. :)
Yes, Hakan. Rankings always provoke debate. Unfortunately nobody has came up with a way to include 'playing strength' in rankings. So, to date, all rankings are based on plain results, which might not give the best teams in many people's view, but football is all about the result in the end and all the pretty football in the world won't win the World Cup without goals. I agree that Turkey would probably be in the top 10 if it was down to skill level, but alas, I can't find a formula which would do this factor justice :rolleyes:

[mcruic]

By the way, I don't agree with myself here, just to let you know ;-)

[marakana10]

According to "me" 2005 (current) should be:
1 Netherlands
2 England
3 Czech Republic
4 Italy
5 Spain
6 Sweden
7 Portugal
8 France
9 Turkey
10 Croatia

Serbia shouldn't be ahead of any of those teams? HOw is Spain in the top 5? Maybe I'm biased but S&M hasn't had an outside top 10 year in my opinion.