Top 10 most Googled football clubs in 2023

With Real Madrid winning the Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup in 2021-22, the bar was set extremely high for the 2022-23 campaign.

Although they ended the season with three trophies, securing the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, it wasn't quite the campaign that Carlo Ancelotti's side would have hoped for, finishing second in the La Liga table, second in the Spanish Super Cup and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

However, they have bounced back impressively in the new season, and there is no reason why they cannot again be major contenders for the biggest prizes despite enduring a full-blown injury crisis in the defensive department.

In what was supposed to be a difficult season for Los Blancos, with Karim Benzema gone and no Kylian Mbappe to replace him, summer recruit Jude Bellingham has stepped up, and taken the football world by storm, while Vinicius Jr. has continued his fine form.

The Red Devils showed great promise in the first season of Erik ten Hag’s leadership, finishing third in the Premier League, winning the Carabao Cup (their first piece of silverware in more than half a decade), whilst also reaching the FA Cup final.

But the 2023/24 campaign has so far proved a major step backwards, with Manchester United seemingly lurching from one crisis to another and seeing a number of their top stars failing to perform. They look like a team lacking identity, while eyebrows have been raised about Ten Hag's questionable man management and transfer policy.

Now with the club’s new investor – the British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe – taking over the charge of all operations, including transfer dealings at Old Trafford, it seems the club are gearing up for a complete top-to-bottom overhaul in the next year.

Back-to-back Süper Lig titles in 2018 and 2019 saw Galatasaray return to the top of Turkish football after a three-season title drought. However, another three years without a title followed, and the second most successful club in Turkish football history fell off dramatically, with their 13th place finish in 2021-22 their lowest ever across any Turkish top-flight campaign.

Enter, Okan Buruk. And the man has well-and-truly transformed their fortunes. They went onto have an absolutely incredible season in 2022-23 and managed to win the league title against all odds.

Gala supporters love nothing more than witnessing eye-catching dribbles, free-flowing football, and sensational goals. Recent seasons had been short on this, however. In that respect, 2023 is a return to form for the entire league, with flashy, silky players such as Wilfried Zaha, Hakim Ziyech, and goal-machine Mauro Icardi arriving at the club.

The Turkish giants are also notorious for their hostile treatment of visitors to RAMS Park, and a return to European football has been a treat to watch. Their Ultras never disappoint with their atmosphere, and Tifos, which have another level of popularity all over the world; you might have come across the huge "Welcome To Hell" sign on the internet ahead of their Champions League clash against Man United.

Manchester City were the centre of attention of the football world in 2023, and for good reason— they enjoyed the most successful season in their history. They won the Premier League. They won the FA Cup. They, at last, won the Champions League.

It finally all came together for the Citizens, who for long stretches of the season looked as if they wouldn't add anything to their trophy cabinet racked up in recent years. Talismanic striker Erling Haaland steamrolled his way through English football, and broke all sorts of goal-scoring records to power Pep Guardiola's side to a historic treble.

But there was another tale of the medal around the necks at the Etihad. The Premier League champions were hit with 115 charges of breaching financial rules, and refused to cooperate with the investigations.

They weren't just dominating the pitch; they were ruling the bank. They topped the Deloitte Football Money League, claiming the title of the football club with the most revenue worldwide, with a staggering $808.1 million (€731m) in the treasury. Forbes also chipped in, ranking them to be the world's sixth-most valuable club, at $4.500 billion (€4bn).

Although they have looked a tad bid complacent at the start of the 2023-24 season, expect them to storm back into contention for nearly every club-level top honour by the end of the campaign.

It was yet another whirlwind of a year for Paris Saint-Germain. On-field shortcomings and off-field controversies once again threatened to tarnish the club's image, while the capital club's Champions League hoodoo has remained well-and-truly alive, albeit they have progressed to the last 16 by the skin of their teeth in the ongoing season.

They added a further two trophies to the cabinet during the 2022/23 season, yet they went into the summer with an overriding feeling of frustration, which led the unforgiving Parisians' board to part ways with Christophe Galtier, and appoint Luis Enrique.

Although the new season has been a mixed bag so far, the Ligue 1 giants underwent massive changes over the summer, and steered away from the big superstar names like Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. Instead investing in French stars such as Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, and Randal Kolo Muani.

The Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid soap opera has, of course, garnered the chunk of google clicks throughout the year. With the French superstar escaping largely unscathed from a contract stand-off with the Paris giants, he appears to have his destiny in his hands, so the Los Blancos' links are expected to surface once against in 2024.

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will look back at 2022-23 as a massive missed opportunity to win a first league title since 2003-04. Eight points clear at the top of the table at the beginning of April, it really seemed that the title would be lifted at the Emirates, but it wasn’t to be, and the way the title race eventually panned out was a bitter, bitter disappointment.

Nevertheless, it was another season of progress for Arteta's young side, who have shown all the signs that they are ready to do it all again in the ongoing season.

Summer recruit Declan Rice has not only lived up to the hefty £105 million price-tag, but surpassed expectations with his outstanding performances,and is emerging the new hero at the forefront of title charge, while key performers such as Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Jesus have only grown in stature.

The 2023 campaign was one of the most exciting seasons of the Brazilian Serie A history, which culminated in Palmeiras – one of the most decorated in South American football due to their dominance in the game on both a national and continental level – celebrating their 12th championship title after a hard-fought campaign.

Guided by Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira, they displayed resilience and consistency throughout the season, finishing with 70 points, two ahead of Gremio, and six above Botafogo, who led for 31 of 38 rounds. Real Madrid loanee Endrick’s goal-scoring on the field, coupled with Botafogo's unprecedented slump, contributed to Palmeiras’ triumph.

David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami stole the show in 2023, claiming the title of one of the most-searched sports team on Google. And who set off this digital frenzy? None other than football's undisputed GOAT, Lionel Messi. The internet burst with excitement when it was revealed that Messi was ready to don the Inter Miami pink, and fans all around the world couldn't wait to press the search button.

The Messi acquisition was more than simply a signing, it resulted in a meteoric rise in interest for the recently-formed franchise and a boon for the entire MLS. Messi's star power turned Inter Miami into the hottest topic in the football sphere.

And the story doesn't end there. The club had already grabbed international attention, thanks to the golden touch of Messi. But with former Barca teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in the mix, Inter Miami went from being in the spotlight to lifting their first major trophy in no time—the 2023 Leagues Cup.

They booked a slot into the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in their history as a result, although they fell short when it comes to the postseason.

In 2023, there was a lot of buzz around Al-Nassr, and it wasn't just because of their exploits on the pitch—it was all about Cristiano Ronaldo making headlines in the Saudi Pro League. Imagine this: Ronaldo, the former Manchester United maestro, making headlines after a contentious interview with Piers Morgan. And just like a snap, his second stint with the English champions came to an end, setting the stage for a new chapter in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr.

But Ronaldo's arrival wasn't a cameo; it was the grand opening of a star-studded movie. Following in the footsteps of the legendary striker, a parade of high-profile players like Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic, Otavio and more decided to head to Al-Nassr.

The ripple effect was astounding, and Google searches went through the roof as fans and neutrals alike wanted the information on this football revolution in the Saudi Pro League.

After failing to topple Al-Ittihad to the league title last term, the Knights of Najd fired manager Rudi Garcia and replaced him with Luis Castro. The nine-time Saudi top-flight champions have already added the Arab Club Champions Cup to their trophy cabinet, and with Ronaldo back to his goal-scoring form, more silverware is expected to follow.

For the second successive season, Chelsea are all over the place. In the last 20 years, the Blues have been one of the most successful teams in the United Kingdom and Europe, having won it all. From Premier League titles to Champions League trophies to Europa League trophies to League Cups and FA Cups, they have them all in their trophy cabinet.

Todd Boehly made some big decisions since taking over as Chelsea chairman ahead of the summer 2022 transfer window. In the three windows under his watch, a whopping £1billion has been spent by the club. The shelling of major funds is yet to bring anything resembling a successful season.

Indeed, last term, Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League and look set to finish in the bottom half of the table this time around as well. While the owner has brought in what he clearly perceives to be talented players, they are losing their club's identity and foundations dramatically. And the downslide seems to be out of manager Mauricio Pochettino's control.