Which clubs will rule the world this season?

The 2022/23 season is upon us, and with the World Cup being staged this winter in Qatar, it’s going to be a particularly long one.

But with that said, more football means more opportunities for the best to somehow get better, for legends to be created and for teams to rule the footballing world.

Manchester City have gone into every season in the Pep Guardiola era expecting to rule the world, and that’s with good reason.

The Catalan coach has at this point created several versions of a team befitting of legendary status, but with Erling Haaland through the Etihad Stadium doors, this could yet be their most formidable team yet.

With the frightening Norwegian leading the line, this is City’s best chance of dominating Europe and finally winning the Champions League.

A year is a long time in football. This time last summer, Barcelona fans were dreading the new season after losing Lionel Messi on a free and the almost universally unpopular Ronald Koeman still in the dugout.

Legendary former midfielder Xavi took over with Barca ninth in La Liga, but managed to drastically improve results and performances with a makeshift team over the remainder of the season.

Club president Joan Laporta has mortgaged the club’s future to bring in players in Xavi’s vision to help them win now. With Robert Lewandowski leading the line, this gamble in the short-term might just pay off.

First of all, congratulations to Bayern Munich on winning the 2022/23 Bundesliga – despite the sloppy start they’ve made under Julian Nagelsmann.

Die Roten have gone big in the transfer market to continue their evolution. Sadio Mane may not have been signed as a Lewandowski replacement but he adds another dimension to their attack, while Matthijs de Ligt may finally fulfil his lofty potential in Bavaria.

Fresher faces and new strengths mean that Bayern should be a major force in Europe again, and it’s pretty inconceivable at this point not to envision that.

It was very apt of Inter to release an away kit with a global map pattern harking back to their ‘Internazionale’ heritage days before featuring on this list.

Simone Inzaghi inherited a role at a club in a bit of financial…