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