Football history: the great teams
Every squad you can spin in All Eras XI is a real team from a real season. These articles tell the story of six of the best: how each side was built, how it played, what it won and the matches people still talk about.
- Brazil 1970Six wins from six in Mexico, and the side every later team is measured against.
- Arsenal’s Invincibles, 2003-04Thirty-eight league matches without defeat: how the season unfolded.
- Manchester United’s Treble, 1998-99The league, the FA Cup and the Champions League, sealed in ten days in May 1999.
- Arrigo Sacchi’s AC MilanPressing, the offside line and back-to-back European Cups.
- Pep Guardiola’s BarcelonaFourteen trophies in four seasons and the 2011 final at Wembley.
- Netherlands 1974Total Football, Cruyff and the World Cup final that got away.
Why these six
Between them they cover the ground an all-time XI argument usually covers. Brazil in 1970 and the Netherlands in 1974 are two of the World Cup sides most often named among the best to watch: one won the trophy, the other lost the final. Arrigo Sacchi's Milan and Pep Guardiola's Barcelona each changed how the teams that came after them defended and pressed. Arsenal in 2003-04 and Manchester United in 1998-99 hold the two achievements English clubs are measured against: a league season without defeat, and the league, FA Cup and European Cup in one year.
All six are in the game. When one of them comes up on a spin you have a decision to make, and knowing who did what in the real side helps. Each article ends with a short note on the squad as it appears in a draft.
How the articles are written
Each article is researched and drafted with the help of AI tools, then checked fact by fact against the sources listed at its foot: governing bodies, the clubs themselves, and established news and reference publishers. Scores, dates, scorers and records are only included when a source confirms them. Where sources disagree, we follow the governing body or the club. If you find a mistake, tell us and we will correct it.
From reading to playing
If the Invincibles article makes you want to try for an unbeaten season yourself, Classic 38-0-0 is the mode for it, and what 38-0-0 means explains the target. The Treble has its own mode in Treble Chasers, and the World Cup sides belong to World Cup Legends. New to the game? Start with how to play.