The five major European football clubs that rapidly rose to prominence in the new century

The law of competition in the sports world dictates that the strong rise while the weak fall, a principle that applies not only to athletes but also to clubs. Across the European football landscape, clubs like Nottingham Forest, once glorious in the last century, have fallen into decline and struggled to bounce back, some even dissolving into obscurity. On the other hand, many clubs, fueled by substantial investments or astute management, have faced the possibility of challenging higher tiers and transcending their traditional status.

After the turn of the century, which European football clubs can be considered as having achieved success against the odds or risen rapidly? In this article, I will briefly organize and highlight the most representative five clubs for your consideration. Of course, if there are debates or notable omissions, readers are welcome to discuss in the comments.

RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig, formerly known as Markranstädt, was a team playing in the fifth division of German football. In 2009, the Red Bull Group acquired Markranstädt at a low price and rebranded it as RB Leipzig, setting a ten-year plan to reach the Bundesliga, with the prefix 'RB' standing for Red Bull. Before entering the football arena, Red Bull had seen success in extreme sports and F1 investments, and they wanted a slice of the football pie. Looking at the Red Bull football network, RB Leipzig is their final piece. In addition to RB Leipzig, Red Bull established Salzburg Red Bull Club in Austria and the New York Red Bulls in the MLS in the United States. They also have satellite teams in Asia, Africa, and South America, creating a mature system for talent discovery and development. Players like Haaland, Vienna, Gulácsi, Lazaro, Naby Keita, Mane, Minamino, and Hwang Hee-chan have all passed through Red Bull-affiliated clubs, showcasing the success of their talent pipeline.

According to the initial plan, RB Leipzig was expected to enter the Bundesliga in the 18/19 season, but the club, like a rocket, ascended early and reached the Bundesliga in the 16/17 season. In the past three seasons, RB Leipzig has been a top-tier team in the Bundesliga and even reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. For a club that was essentially newly established, this rapid ascent is remarkable, proving that Red Bull has its own formula for playing football.

Tottenham Hotspur

Among the listed teams, Tottenham Hotspur is a relatively special emerging powerhouse, more suitable as a template for clubs gradually climbing through effective management. The man behind the scenes controlling the overall situation for Tottenham is their chairman, Daniel Levy, a bald Jewish man who truly made Tottenham a part of the English Premier League's 'Big 6.'

As a high-achieving student at Cambridge University and the second generation of a wealthy family, Levy always had an unquenchable passion for football business, specifically the strong desire to buy and control Tottenham. After graduating, Levy formed a close relationship with Joe Lewis, a regular on the UK's rich list, who was impressed by Levy's talent and business acumen. Lewis agreed to become the main financial backer behind the scenes, helping him initiate a business football plan.

A few days before the first Christmas of the new millennium, Levy, alongside Lewis under the ENIC Group, successfully acquired the team from the previous Tottenham owner, Alan Sugar. Lewis became the largest shareholder behind the scenes, only concerned with investment and returns, with little interest in football, but trusting Levy's vision. Levy personally owned 29% of the shares in the club, making him the second-largest shareholder, in addition to serving as the chairman of the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, holding the power over life and death for the entire club.

Before Levy took over, Tottenham was just a mid-table team in the Premier League. Through two decades of operation, Tottenham steadily improved its position and ranking in the Premier League, especially after the 2010s, with increasingly impressive performances in European competitions. They even compete favorably with arch-rivals Arsenal. Levy's shrewdness in the transfer market and recruitment is well-known, with stars like Modric, Bale, Kane, and Son Heung-min rising to higher levels while their market value skyrocketed.

In the 16/17 season, Tottenham secured a Premier League runner-up position, and in 2019, they achieved a runner-up position in the Champions League. Although Tottenham is still some distance from the elite clubs, their operations in the new century have been highly successful, especially considering their ability to achieve big things with modest investments.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)

In the long history of numerous top-tier leagues, Paris Saint-Germain, founded in 1970, may not have a particularly ancient history, but it has consistently achieved respectable results. Since winning the French second division title in 1971 and gaining promotion to Ligue 1, PSG faced relegation the following year but quickly bounced back in 1974, never experiencing another demotion.

In the 20th century, PSG secured two Ligue 1 titles in 1986 and 1994, establishing themselves as a competitive team in French football. However, their ability to consistently challenge for the league title and their performance in European competitions were not noteworthy. In 2011, shortly after the takeover of Manchester City by a consortium from the United Arab Emirates, a Qatari consortium spent 50 million euros to acquire 70% of PSG's shares, becoming the majority shareholder.

Subsequently, PSG entered a glorious era, signing successive star players such as Beckham, Ibrahimović, Cavani, Silva, Di María, Neymar, and Mbappé. Before this period, PSG had been more of a stepping stone for stars in transition and struggled to retain famous players, such as Ronaldinho.

Between 2013 and 2020, with substantial financial support and the acquisition of numerous star players, PSG secured seven Ligue 1 titles and numerous domestic cup victories, establishing themselves as a prominent nouveau riche team in football. Unfortunately, they have not yet clinched the UEFA Champions League, reaching the final in 2020 but losing 0-1 to Bayern Munich.

Manchester City

In the 20th-century football history, Manchester City had moments of glory, winning the English top-flight title in 1938 and 1968 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970. However, after the 1980s, Manchester City's status fluctuated between the top and second tiers of English football. It wasn't until 2002, when they were promoted from the English second division to the Premier League, that Manchester City began a steady rise to genuine prominence.

At that time, Chinese player Sun Jihai joined the team midway through the last season in the second division, helping Manchester City achieve promotion to the Premier League. Before Manchester City's ascent, Sun Jihai had been a long-term key player for the team.

In 2007, Manchester City experienced a turning point when it was successively acquired by a Thai tycoon and then an Arab consortium. Eventually, it fell into the hands of the Abu Dhabi Group, backed by the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, with extensive business interests including oil, real estate, tourism, shipping, and sports, maintaining long-term assets among the world's top five.

With wealthy owners on board, Manchester City began massive high-priced transfers. In the final hour of the transfer deadline on one occasion, they secured the Brazilian player Robinho from Chelsea for £32.5 million, marking the beginning of Manchester City's era of financial power. However, in the first three years after the Arab consortium took over, despite significant spending, the team's structure was chaotic, and the league results did not satisfy the owners.

From 2010 to 2012, Manchester City found its direction in transfers, bringing in notable players like Yaya Touré, David Silva, Kolarov, Balotelli, Milner, Džeko, and Agüero. In the 11/12 season, in the final match against Queens Park Rangers for the title, with Balotelli's assist and Agüero's last-minute goal, Manchester City finally won the Premier League. At that time, the current head coach of the Italy national team, Roberto Mancini, led Manchester City back to the right path.

Subsequently, Manchester City went through personnel changes. Under Pellegrini's management, they won another Premier League title. However, similar to Mancini, Pellegrini's performance in the UEFA Champions League was not satisfactory, and he left with disappointment.

In the 15/16 season, De Bruyne and Sterling joined Manchester City, and with Guardiola taking over as the head coach, the team entered a new era. After a season of adjustment and learning, Guardiola elevated Manchester City's competitiveness. They went on to win three Premier League titles, with the 17/18 season being particularly remarkable, clinching the title with an astounding 100 points. In the 18/19 season, they achieved England's first-ever domestic treble.

It can be said that for our generation of fans, Manchester City was initially known as a newly promoted Premier League team. Currently, they are a highly competitive member of the Premier League's Big 6. In the past decade, the rapid rise of the Sky Blues has been remarkable. Of course, they are still one trophy away from being considered a top-tier powerhouse – the UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea

Before the 21st century, Chelsea's major honors were one top-flight league title (1954/55 season) and two second-tier league titles (1983/84 and 1988/89 seasons). Apart from a brief period of glory in the early years, Chelsea experienced ups and downs in the 20th century and could not be considered a consistently strong team.

Chelsea's resurgence began in the late 1990s under the management of Glenn Hoddle, Ruud Gullit, and Gianluca Vialli, primarily relying on the strategy of signing marginal or past-their-prime star players to build the team. However, the real turning point came in 2003 when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich acquired the club for £60 million, wiping out the club's existing debts in a single stroke.

In 2004, Abramovich dismissed Claudio Ranieri and appointed José Mourinho, who had just led Porto to win the UEFA Champions League, as the head coach. Chelsea, bolstered by significant signings and managerial changes, won the Premier League the following year, marking the beginning of the club's rapid rise.

In the 18 years since Abramovich took over Chelsea in 2003, the club has won five Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League titles. Since the 11/12 season when Roberto Di Matteo took over mid-season and led the team to win the UEFA Champions League, Chelsea has truly established itself among the elite clubs in Europe.