FIFA Club World Cup: The 5 greatest teams in tournament history

1990s: Real Madrid

Spanish soccer came into its own throughout the 1990s. Real Madrid, a storied club, cemented their place as one of the greatest club sides of all time when it won the 1998 Intercontinental Cup. Real Madrid had failed to retain the league title in 1998, but made up for that domestic disappointment by capturing the Champions League with a win against Juventus, their first European Cup since 1966.

In the 1998 Intercontinental Cup, Real defeated Vasco da Gama of Brazil 2-1. Raul tallied the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute to win the match. The title was a prelude of more to come under the club presidency of Florentino Perez. Real Madrid would be nicknamed the Galacticos in the early 2000s after the club acquired Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham. That fearsome quartet would join the core of the lineup that had helped win the Toyota Cup in ’98, including captain Manuel Sanchis, Roberto Carlos and Fernando Hierro.

Real’s 4-4-2 formation relied heavily on a strong defense. Roberto Carlos’ play along the flanks and on free-kicks were a joy to watch. The midfield helped construct deadly counter-attacks for Raul and fellow striker Pedrag Mijatovic. He had been named runner-up for the Ballon d’Or behind Ronaldo in 1997.

Years later, it was that Raul goal against Vasca de Gama, out of the hundreds he had tallied in his career, that the Spanish striker would rank as the most important he had ever scored.