Barcelona 1999

Coach: Louis van Gaal

Louis van Gaal's Barcelona retained the La Liga title in 1998-99, with Rivaldo the outstanding individual performer — his form that season, including a stunning bicycle-kick winner against Valencia, earned him the 1999 Ballon d'Or as Europe's best player. The squad blended homegrown talent coming through the youth system with high-profile signings van Gaal had brought in since taking charge in 1997, and continued the possession-oriented approach that had defined the club since the Cruyff era, even as van Gaal's man-management style proved more divisive with senior players than his predecessor's. Domestically dominant, the side's Champions League form that season was less spectacular, with Barcelona unable to add continental silverware to match their league form. Rivaldo's individual brilliance — equally comfortable finishing with either foot, and the author of some of the most spectacular volleys of his generation — made him the closest thing Barcelona had to a totemic star in the pre-Ronaldinho, pre-Messi years, and this title reinforced his status as one of the finest players of the late 1990s.