442 rank the 100 best club football badges ever: 1860 Munich tops, Barca 12th

442 rank the 100 best club football badges ever: 1860 Munich tops, Barca 12th

1. 1860 Munich

One of the founding fathers of the Bundesliga, and a dominant force in the early days of Germany’s top flight, 1860 Munich have since fallen on hard times. The third division is no place for a team with their illustrious origins, but they remain one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable clubs in the south. This crest wouldn’t look out of place on a beer bottle or an old vintage car. Simple and classy.

2. Aberdeen

Surely the world’s best example of a goal being incorporated into an acronym? The ‘A’ in ‘AFC’ has been masterfully replaced by the posts of a side-on goal, with (yes, that’s right!) a football forming the cross-stroke. Great font, gorgeous shade of red and just an all round classic. 

3. AC Milan

You can blame the English for AC Milan. Expats Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin started the organisation as a cricket and football club - that’s why the spelling of the city remains anglicised to this day. Fitting, then, that the cross of St. George finds its way into the emblem of the team.

The red cross is the Milanese flag, the stripes represent the team’s shirts and the “ACM” stands for… well, you know. It’s the most famous oval in the world - along with the cricket ground, of course. 

The rest of the Top 10 are: Ajax, Al Ahly, Arsenal (1936-49), AS Bari (2011-13), AS Roma, Atalanta, Atlanta United

Other giants rank: 

Atletico Madrid  11th

Barcelona  12th

Bayern Munich 14th

Borussia Dortmund  21st

Inter Miami  46th

Inter Milan (2014-21)   47th

Liverpool   56th

Manchester City (1976-78)  58th

Manchester United (1970-73)  59th

Paris Saint-Germain (1992-96)   71st

Real Madrid   79th

Tottenham Hotspur   90th