Across the spectrum, from football to baseball and horse racing to tennis, certain teams and individuals have raised the bar of sporting excellence

GettyManchester United 1992-2013

Sir Alex Ferguson found himself teetering on the brink at Manchester United in 1990, with only FA Cup success keeping him in a job. Three years later, with the Premier League era opened in English football, the Scot was taking the first steps down a record-breaking path of domestic dominance which is unlikely to be matched.

Over the course of 20 memorable years at Old Trafford, United landed 13 titles to overtake arch-rivals Liverpool as the most successful side in England. Ferguson’s reign would also deliver a further four FA Cup triumphs, four League Cup successes, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and two Champions League crowns.

AdvertisementNew England Patriots 2001-present

At the turn of the 21st century, the New England Patriots took two decisions which would lay the foundations on which a truly remarkable era of success would be built. They may not have known it at the time, but appointing Bill Belichik as the team’s new head coach and taking a promising young quarterback by the name of Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft – albeit with the 199th pick – would prove to be sporting masterstrokes.

Since then, the Brady-Belichik wrecking ball has swept its way to five Super Bowl rings and is readying itself for a ninth appearance in American Football’s showpiece event.

Real Madrid 1953-1969

For the best part of two decades in the 50s and 60s, Real Madrid were virtually untouchable at home and abroad. In an era long before the ‘Galactico’ transfer policy of Florentino Perez, the Blancos were still in the business of acquiring the world’s finest talent within a star-studded squad.

Among the most notable icons to grace their books during a glittering period of success were Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano and Francesco Gento. Between them, over the course of 16 years, that trio helped Real to 12 Liga titles and six European Cup wins – including a run of five consecutive triumphs between 1956 and 1960.

GettyNew York Yankees 1923-1932

In truth, the reign of Yankee dominance in Major League Baseball could have been spread as far as the early 60s, with 20 World Series crowns claimed between 1923 and 1962. It is, however, the era of Babe Ruth which broke down the door for a franchise now so iconic that its brand transcends sport.

A shock trade with arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox brought ‘The Bambino’ to the Bronx in 1920, and three years later the Yankees sat atop of the baseball world. Ruth would add four titles in total to three previously secured in Boston, with his efforts paving the way for Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter to establish Yankee dynasties of their own in the years to come.