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In football, when a team scores a goal, it is wildly celebrated by players and fans alike. After all, the purpose of the game is to score more goals than the opposition. On the flip side, a solid defensive shift from the team that prevents the opposition from scoring is often overlooked.
Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said, "attack wins you games, defence wins you titles". Every team needs to have a strong defence that does not leak goals and that complements its attacking line.
Let us now take a look at the top 10 teams that have conceded the fewest goals in the 21st century.
Note: Only teams that have maintained their top-flight status in Europe's top five leagues during the 21st century are considered.
#10 FC Girondins de Bordeaux - 795 goals conceded
Ligue 1 side Bordeaux make a surprise appearance on the list ahead of the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan.
The club, established in 1881, is one of the oldest clubs in France and have won seven major honours since the turn of the century thanks in part to their mean defence that only let in 795 goals in twenty years of top-flight football.
Their most famous former player remains Zinedine Zidane, who won the first silverware of his illustrious career with the club in 1995 when he helped them win the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
#9 AC Milan - 767 goals conceded
AC Milan are the most successful Italian club in international competition winning 18 FIFA and UEFA affiliated trophies. Though most of them came during their Golden Era in the 1950s and 1960s, they once again reached their historical heights in the early 2000s.
They had some of the world's best players in their ranks during that period, including two Ballon d'Or winners in Andriy Shevchenko and Kaka. In defence, they had Paolo Maldini, one of the greatest defenders of all time and between the sticks, they had Dida.
Thanks to a solid squad and a shrewd manager in Carlo Ancelotti in the first decade of the century, they boast the best defensive record among all Italian sides in the 21st-century, shipping in 767 goals. Juventus' one season in the Serie B after the Calciopoli Scandal cost them a spot on this list.
#8 Liverpool - 753 goals conceded
In this list, we have some of the biggest clubs in the world and current Premier League champions Liverpool take the eighth spot. The Reds are the most successful English clubs with 43 major titles and though they are now renowned for their supreme attacking abilities, they have been equally competent at the back this century, having only conceded 753 goals.
They have also scored 1.79 goals on average since 2000, and their numbers are expected to go up in the coming years.
#7 Olympique Lyon - 751 goals conceded
It might come as a surprise that Olympique Lyon of all clubs have made it to this list but for a club that has enjoyed its most successful period in the 21st century, dominating the Ligue 1 in the first decade, their tally makes sense. They have conceded 751 goals across all competitions in twenty seasons, which is the second-best for a French club.
The club made appearances across all major competitions, including the Champions League but failed to replicate their domestic success at the European level, only making it up to the semi-finals of Champions League twice and Europa League once.
Also See: 5 clubs that are 'too good' for their leagues and a cut above their competitors
#6 Atlético Madrid - 725 goals conceded
When talking about sides that do not concede a lot of goals, one of the names that pop up in our minds is Atlético Madrid. The La Liga giants have once again emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the Spanish top flight following their Golden Era back in the 1950s and 1960s.
Diego Simeone has built a solid defensive side with a focus on maintaining possession and compactness in the backline as well as launching quick counter-attacks. The club has conceded 725 goals this century so far and misses out on the top spot on this metric among Spanish clubs by just 13 goals.
#5 Barcelona - 712 goals conceded
The first club in the top five is Barcelona, who have beaten arch-rivals Real Madrid and defensive-minded Atletico Madrid to become the Spanish side with the fewest goals scored against them. They have conceded 13 goals fewer than Atletico and 95 fewer than Los Blancos in the last twenty years.
The Catalans were always a powerhouse in Spanish football and have continued their dominance in the league since the turn of the century, winning 10 in the 20 La Liga seasons this century.
Their crowning achievement came in the 2008-09 season when they became the first Spanish side to win a continental treble, with possibly the best squad of all time before repeating the feat in 2014-15 season, becoming the first side to do so.
Thanks to players like Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique in the defence and goalkeepers like Victor Valdes and Marc Andre Ter-Stegen starting between the sticks in the 21st century, they have only conceded 712 goals across all competitions.
#4 Chelsea - 704 goals conceded
Chelsea, one of the clubs that rose to prominence at the beginning of the 21st century, make it into our list and that too at a respectable fourth position. The London club's success after the takeover by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in July 2003 set a precedent for other clubs as to how an influx of money can change a club's fortunes.
Jose Mourinho turned the team into genuine contenders and won two back-to-back titles with them in 2005 and 2006, building upon strong defensive performances throughout. Petr Cech was the bedrock of their solidity in defence and served them with distinction playing a key role in them conceding just 704 goals since 2000.
The Blues still hold the record for fewest goals shipped in a single Premier League campaign, with the opponents only beating Cech on 15 occasions in the 2004-05 campaign.
Also See: 5 Premier League goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in a single season
#3 Manchester United - 701 goals conceded
It should come as no surprise that Manchester United have conceded the fewest goals among Premier League teams this century. Despite their recent struggles they have been defensively solid and even attained the third-best defensive record in the league this season.
The Red Devils have one of the costliest defence across Europe's top five leagues, with David De Gea, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka costing them a combined £867,775 in weekly wages.
#2 Paris Saint-Germain - 699 goals conceded
One of the reasons why three clubs from Ligue 1 made it into the list is that the clubs in the French top flight are not particularly known for their goalscoring prowess. Unless one of the clubs is Paris Saint-Germain, any league game is a low-scoring affair.
PSG dominate almost all metrics in Ligue 1 and are also the side with the fewest goals conceded from France, having let in 699 goals since the beginning of the millennium.
They have some of the world's top attackers in their squad and their signing of veteran goalkeeper Keylor Navas last February indicated their commitment to building a strong defence as well.
#1 Bayern Munich - 592 goals conceded
The club that takes the top spot in this list is German behemoth Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga giants are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the pack, with just 592 goals conceded in the last twenty years.
Though the weaker set of opponents in the German league has played a role in their sub-600 tally, the fact that they've always had a great goalkeeper between the sticks and a formidable backline are also major reasons why they have conceded fewer goals.
They are currently also a formidable force in the Champions League and are the favourites to lift the trophy this term. A victory in the competition would help them secure a second continental treble since the 2012-13 campaign.
Also See: European Team of the Season (2019/20) according to ratings
