There are over two thousand soccer teams and European football clubs around the world. All of them are loved by someone. Few, however, are great enough to attain truly enormous popularity. All teams have fans, of course. That’s the nature of sports, after all. But there are a handful of teams that attract millions of fans. Those current top ten soccer teams are:

10. Liverpool (England)

9. Barcelona (Spain)

8. Internazionale Milan (Italy)

7. Chelsea (England)

6. Juventus (Italy)

5. Bayern Munich (Germany)

4. Arsenal (England)

3. AC Milan (Italy)

2. Real Madrid (Spain)

1. Manchester United (England)

All of these teams have at least two things in common – great coaches and outstanding players. That much is obvious. What about them has inspired such popularity and fan devotion, though? Most of any team’s fans hail from that team’s home country. Patriotism plays a great part in the choice of team that someone roots for, and teams know this. Teams acknowledge it in their colors, emblems, and mascots. They encourage and inspire their fans just as much as the fans inspire and encourage them to win.

While men are certainly the largest demographic among soccer fans, there are many female fans, too. There are a large number of women contributing to the popularity of those teams, especially in the last decade. Most (no, not all, but a disproportionate percentage) of those women watch initially for the eye candy, which often ends up in being a fan for a particular team.

Soccer has always been a top sport, but in the last ten years or so, it seems to have experienced a large surge in popularity. Particularly in the U.S., soccer seems to have gained a foothold and a multitude of fans. A lot of these new enthusiasts have been accused of being late bandwagon jumpers by a few fans on other continents, but they’re as true as any sports lover. To show support for your favorite soccer team, buy a team jersey or a custom t shirt with their team logo on it. A fan is a fan, after all. Important games are being broadcast more often and more widely in the states, bringing in millions of viewers who might never have had the opportunity to know the joy of soccer otherwise.

Games featuring some of the most popular teams were all over the news in 2010 (with help from the much-lamented vuvuzelas), giving publicity to events leading up to the World Cup. Large numbers of people, many who hadn’t given much thought to soccer before, became intrigued and began paying attention. The most popular teams, being the ones who received more coverage and individual player

introductions, have gained most of these newly-introduced fans. Individual players have a huge part in these greatest teams’ popularity. Like him or not, can anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with current sports say they don’t know who David Beckham is?