End-of-season power rankings: Real Madrid tops list of Europe's 20 best

And so, it's time to reflect on the season that was. Saturday's Champions League final, in which the current iteration of Real Madrid solidified its status as a dynastic force that will go down in history, closed out a breathtaking campaign across Europe's top leagues. Broken down into various categories, we look back on the year that was by ranking Europe's top 20 clubs.

Just missed out: Hoffenheim (4th in Bundesliga), Atalanta (4th in Serie A).

Fun, but flawed

20. Sevilla (4th in La Liga)

Notable achievements: Secured a place in the qualifying rounds of next season's Champions League.

A blistering start to the campaign saw Sevilla, powered by Jorge Sampaoli's high-octane brand of football, go blow for blow with Real Madrid and Barcelona. But the Andalusian club - now looking for a new bench boss and transfer guru, following the departures of both Sampaoli and Monchi - ran out of steam in the second half of the season, a disappointing 2017 highlighted by a Champions League ouster at the hands of Leicester City.

19. Ajax (2nd in Eredivisie)

Notable achievements: Runner-up in the Eredivisie by a single point, Ajax also reached the Europa League final before falling to Manchester United.

All feels right in the football world when Ajax is being led to success by an outstanding, exciting young core. That was the case again this season, as the Dutch talent incubator, boasting the likes of Matthijs de Ligt (17), Justin Kluivert (18), Kasper Dolberg (19), and Davinson Sanchez (20), came within inches of winning both the Eredivisie and Europa League.

18. Benfica (1st in Primeira Liga)

Notable achievements: Captured the Primeira Liga title for the fourth season on the trot, and clinched the double by winning the league cup, too.

It's easy to overlook a side that doesn't perform particularly well in the Champions League, but Benfica - bounced in the Round of 16 in comprehensive fashion by Borussia Dortmund - enjoyed a marvellous campaign in Portugal, and did so despite the high-profile loss of Renato Sanches. Rui Vitoria and the Eagles will have a similar task on their hands next season.

17. Liverpool (4th in Premier League)

Notable achievements: Secured the all-important top-four finish, ensuring a berth in the qualifying stages of the Champions League.

An early title challenge ultimately petered out, but Liverpool's infectious brand of relentless, high-pressing, breakneck football made the Reds appointment viewing this season - even if the backline was often a disaster. With Sadio Mane's pace, Philippe Coutinho's trickery, and Roberto Firmino's all-around skill set likely to be bolstered by quality reinforcements this summer, Liverpool should once again be a thrill to watch in 2017-18.

16. Arsenal (5th in Premier League)

Notable achievements: Won a record 13th FA Cup title, the club's third in the past four seasons.

Dissent among supporters was the dominant theme of Arsenal's season; the battle between those who fiercely wanted Arsene Wenger to leave the club and those loyal to the long-serving Frenchman clouded everything that happened on the pitch - Wenger, who has since signed a new two-year deal, even admitted the uncertainty over his future had an impact on the team's performance. Things peaked during a dreadful spell that was ultimately the difference between making and missing out on the top four, but a superb finish to the season - the Gunners won nine of ten matches, including a victory that saw them capture yet another FA Cup - softened the blow. Where the club goes from here, particularly in the transfer market, will be fascinating.

15. RB Leipzig (2nd in Bundesliga)

Notable achievements: Secured an automatic Champions League berth in the club's first season in Germany's top flight.

Germany's widely despised debutant took the Bundesliga by storm this season. Ralph Hasenhuttl's men made waves by pushing Bayern Munich for the first half of the campaign, and while their title challenge ultimately fell by the wayside, that shouldn't take away from what was a remarkable first season that shook up the country's top flight.

Missing some key pieces

14. Roma (2nd in Serie A)

Notable achievements: Secured an automatic place in the Champions League, and finished the season with a club-record points haul (87).

Sumptuous attacking football saw Roma set a new club record for points that, in most years, would have been enough to capture the Scudetto. There is uncertainty heading into the summer, though. The club will need to act quickly to fill the tangible void left by manager Luciano Spalletti. The emotional one left by the departure of Roman icon Francesco Totti, meanwhile? That will likely prove far more daunting.

13. Manchester United (6th in Premier League)

Notable achievements: Won two titles on the season - League Cup and Europa League - with the latter triumph seeing United secure an automatic place in next season's Champions League.

The football was often dreadful on the eye, with bland, impotent displays compounded by Jose Mourinho's tired shtick. But, in the end, the Portuguese was vindicated - two titles and a place in next season's Champions League, regardless of how it was procured, signals a successful campaign. There's a sense that Manchester United, armed with its typical transfer riches, is on the verge of regaining its elite status.

12. Manchester City (3rd in Premier League)

Notable achievements: Secured an automatic Champions League berth.

Pep Guardiola's idealistic brand of football looked set to overwhelm the rest of the Premier League when Manchester City got off to a blazing start, but the obvious personnel issues eventually came to the fore, and the Citizens eventually crumbled, both at home, and on the continent. Eye-watering transfer expenditure, much like that of the club's city rival, is expected to reinvigorate the side, and means Guardiola won't get another free pass if he fails to deliver silverware again next season.

11. Borussia Dortmund (3rd in Bundesliga)

Notable achievements: (Finally) win the DFB-Pokal after losing in the final in three straight years; secured an automatic Champions League spot.

This should be the job every available manager is drooling over. Thomas Tuchel's discontent with the Borussia Dortmund brass ultimately bubbling over has left one of the most enticing seats in Europe vacant; Dortmund's squad is loaded with young talent, the supporters are unmatched, and there's a sense that Bayern Munich could be in a transitional phase with club stalwarts retiring and others on the brink of their swan song. Whoever inherits Tuchel's cushy dugout chair will do so with a smile from ear to ear.

Ready to make the leap?

10. Napoli (3rd in Serie A)

Notable achievements: Set club record with 86 points in a season, while securing a berth in the Champions League qualifying round.

Napoli may only have finished third in Serie A, but the club's swashbuckling brand of attacking football was second to none in Italy this season - you could argue the Partenopei were the most enjoyable, fluid team in Europe this season, full stop. Arkadiusz Milik's unfortunate knee injury proved a blessing for Maurizio Sarri, whose decision to field diminutive Belgian Dries Mertens as his central attacker paid off handsomely; Mertens' 28 league goals led the way as Napoli hit 94 on the campaign. With an envious collection of youngsters waiting in the wings, and Lorenzo Insigne continuing to flourish, it's Napoli that looks most capable of dethroning Juventus as Serie A kingpin.

9. Tottenham (2nd in Premier League)

Notable achievements: Reached the FA Cup semi-finals, while also ensuring that there was some semblance of a title race in the Premier League this season, despite ultimately succumbing to Chelsea.

Yes, Spurs failed to win a single piece of silverware this season - something Arsenal supporters will be quick to remind their counterparts of - but there's a real sense that Tottenham could be on the verge of something special with this group. There are areas that need to be addressed in the transfer market, of course, but with a core that includes Toby Alderweireld, Moussa Dembele, Christian Eriksen, 21-year-old sensation Dele Alli, and scoring machine Harry Kane, Tottenham isn't that far away from a first top-flight title since 1961.

8. Paris Saint-Germain (2nd in Ligue 1)

Notable achievements: Won fourth straight Coupe de la Ligue title, while also capturing a third consecutive Coupe de France crown.

A weird, mixed season in the French capital that can be viewed in various ways. Paris Saint-Germain walked away with a pair of trophies this season, but Unai Emery couldn't maintain the club's Ligue 1 dominance, something that had come to be expected after four straight top-flight titles. In Europe, where the biggest leap was expected from the club's free-spending front office, there was a mesmerising 4-0 destruction of Barcelona, only for that result to be completely nullified by a horrifying 6-1 loss in the return leg that will go down in history as the Champions League's wildest comeback. View PSG's campaign through whichever lens you see fit.

7. Atletico Madrid (3rd in La Liga)

Notable achievements: Reached the Champions League semi-finals.

Deja vu. Vanquished in the Champions League by bitter rival Real Madrid and unable to overcome the spending power of either Los Blancos or Barcelona in La Liga once again, this season was all too familiar for Atletico. Add to that a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold Atleti's transfer ban, and Diego Simeone has a massive task on his hands to keep the club within touching distance of Spain's two behemoths, and among Europe's best. At least Antoine Griezmann is sticking around.

6. Chelsea (1st in Premier League)

Notable achievements: Won the Premier League for the second time in three seasons, while also reaching the final of the FA Cup.

Antonio Conte reinvigorated Chelsea with his relentlessness on the touchline, his desire for perfection paving the way toward the Premier League title. Not having any European commitments was undoubtedly a massive advantage, but don't let that distract you from the fact that the Blues were an absolute freight train this season. On top of that, the Italian's greatest achievement didn't have anything to do with his three-man defence or reinvention of Victor Moses as a wing-back; Conte made Chelsea, a team with both John Terry and Diego Costa, likable. Now that's a damn fine accomplishment.

5. Monaco (1st in Ligue 1)

Notable achievements: Ended Paris Saint-Germain's reign over French football by winning its first league title in 17 years.

Sure, Monaco's finishing ran (absurdly) hot this season, and those scoring numbers will almost definitely regress next year, but that shouldn't obscure two very clear facts: Monaco was very, very good, and watching Les Monegasques' ridiculous collection of young talent buzz around and shred everyone was just plain fun. That counts for something. They might not be able to keep this squad together - key pieces are already being plucked away - but we'll always have their delectable 2016-17 campaign to remember.

The European elite

4. Bayern Munich (1st in Bundesliga)

Notable achievements: Won fifth consecutive league title.

It'll likely go down as a disappointing campaign - such is the weight of expectation in Bavaria - but Bayern Munich can take solace in the fact that it made history by winning yet another Bundesliga crown, and came closer than anyone to derailing Real Madrid in the Champions League. Were it not for some unfortunate officiating decisions, the German powerhouse may very well have been the one celebrating in Cardiff last week. That means little now, but it serves to show how fine the margins can be between success and failure.

3. Barcelona (2nd in La Liga)

Notable achievements: Won the Copa del Rey for the third straight season.

Barcelona, dragged down by some wasteful spending in last season's transfer market, had obvious squad issues this campaign. Age is becoming a concern for many of the club's most vital contributors; the midfield needs to be revitalized; Dani Alves wasn't properly replaced. And yet, Barca, on the backs of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar, still came within three points of another La Liga crown. The superlative "MSN" trio isn't going anywhere, and that will always be enough to make the Catalan club a dominant force.

2. Juventus (1st in Serie A)

Notable achievements: Set Italian record by winning sixth consecutive Serie A title and third straight Coppa Italia; reached the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons.

The season ended in bitterly demoralising fashion in Cardiff - Juventus' widely beloved backline being torn apart, conceding more goals in 90 minutes than it had during its entire run to the Champions League final - but this will always remain a historic year for the Bianconeri. Max Allegri's side set records by defending both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles - for a sixth and third time, respectively - and, thanks to some continued shrewdness in the transfer market, the cupboard looks loaded to make another push for the elusive European triumph. Gianluigi Buffon in tears will be the image most remember, but this season was so much more than that.

1. Real Madrid (1st in La Liga)

Notable achievements: Won a third Champions League title in four seasons, to go along with a first La Liga crown in five years; combined, it marks the first time in 59 years the club has won the league and European Cup double.

Simply the best. Real Madrid, as proven in the second half of the Champions League final, has another gear that nobody else in Europe can match. Football can be a simple game: put enough uber-talented players together on the pitch, and they'll make magic happen. This Madrid side, celebrating a first league and European Cup double in 59 years, cracked the code that is so often overlooked as we search for philosophies in the game; we want every great side to mean something, to teach us something. Madrid, led by the insatiable Cristiano Ronaldo, taught us the most important, straightforward lesson of all this season: having the best players makes you the best team.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)