The 20 Coolest Club Logos in World Football

There are a myriad of fascinating, attractive and storied logos in the colorful world of football.

There are a whole heap of dull and horrendously ugly ones as well, but that is for another day.

Here we select 20 of the coolest logos from across the globe.

Some made the cut because they are bold and simple. Others have weird animals in them. Most at the top of the list just have really nice designs. 

A few that just missed out were PSG, Arsenal, Benevento, Palermo, Pescara, Marseilles, Taranto and Sampdoria, but they should all be proud of their efforts nonetheless. 

Let's get started with the countdown.

Though Sport Club Corinthians Paulista was started by rail workers in 1910, its logo, which features rope, paddles and an anchor, has a distinctly nautical feel about it.

These elements were added in 1939 by modernist painter Francisco Rebolo to acknowledge the club's success in water sports.

At the center of this classy design sits the Sao Paulo state flag.

Packed with significance, Liverpool's logo manages to remain unique despite its traditional feel.

The liver stork, symbol of the city, holds pride of place, while the club's timeless motto runs across the top. The flames on either side of the badge pay homage to those lost at the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989.

When the Club de Regatas, a rowing club, was formed in Rio de Janeiro in 1894, black and white were selected as the official colors and the Lone Star, the first star in the night sky, was chosen as the symbol.

The fact that star was actually a planet, Venus, seems to have been glossed over, but never mind.

The rowing club merged with the Botafogo football club, which came from the same neighborhood and sported the same colors, in 1942, and Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas was born.

The logo may be basic, but it holds a certain powerful distinction.

Aviator, motor car racer, sportsman, intellectual, public figure; Jorge Newbery was quite the swell in turn-of-the-century Argentina.

When he proposed to fly a hot air balloon, named "el Huracan" on a record-breaking flight in 1909 which took in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, he inspired members of the newly founded football club, "Verde Esperanza y Nunca Pierde" (Green Hope and Never Lose) to change the ridiculous name they had settled on for a better one.

Well, another factor in the change was that when they went to get a rubber stamp made, the shop owner recommended they opt for a shorter, cheaper name. A poster of Newbery’s balloon on the wall of the shop caught their eye, and the rest is history.

The wags even wrote to Newbery asking permission to use Huracan as the team’s name and badge, and he gave his "most complete approval."

The simple, elegant design of Manchester United's crest is offset by a gnarly red devil in the middle plate. 

The original logo, which included the ship at the top, was based on the city of Manchester's coat of arms, with the trident-wielding archfiend added to the mix in 1970.

If you are wondering why an African side features a native American chief on its badge, the explanation is a simple one.

Legendary South African player Kaizer Motaung returned to his homeland after a stint in the North American Soccer League, where he played for the Atlanta Chiefs, to found a new team.

Motaung named the new club after himself and his former team. As you do. 

The logo of 1. FC Koln is a fairly standard affair. It has the outline of a cathedral with a red circle, with the club's name laid over the top.

Oh yes, and it is bestraddled by a large billy goat. 

This little quirk is in honor of the team's nickname, The Billy Goats, which in turn is derived from the club mascot, a goat named Hennes. 

The original goat was donated as a prank during the Cologne carnival (Germans love to kid around) and, like Lassie, The Phantom and Doctor Who, whenever Hennes dies he is replaced by another Hennes. 

The bat which appears perched atop of Valencia CF's logo is a symbol of the city of Valencia itself.

There are various theories as to why the bat became a mascot of the city, but what is clear is that, combined with the vertical red and yellow stripes and the old school football, it makes for a funky badge.

Those who have never been to Newcastle upon Tyne may be surprised to discover that it is not inhabited by strange half-horse, half-fish creatures.

The prancing beasts which flank the Newcastle United badge are in fact stylized seahorses (perhaps originally drawn by someone who had never actually seen a seahorse), which also appear on the city's coat of arms.

The wee lion at the top, meanwhile, appears to be very proud to be sitting in a turret and holding a flag.

Clean, bold and somewhat threatening, the Portland Timbers crest is the pick of the MLS logos. 

It's all very green to represent the forests of Oregon, and of course the standout feature is the mighty ax propped up right in the middle.

Founded by Portuguese immigrants in Rio de Janeiro in 1898, the name and emblem of Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama pay tribute to the Portuguese explorer who had sailed from Europe to India some 400 years earlier.

Perhaps the only football logo to feature babies suckling on a she-wolf, the AS Roma badge of course depicts the founding myth of the city of Rome.

Romulus and Remus are the names of the hungry toddlers who were dumped in the Tiber River, while the name of the she-wolf has never been reported. 

In 1928 a journalist proposed that a popular vote be held to determine whether AS Bari's symbol would be a rooster or a robin.

In case you can't tell from the logo, the fans opted for the rooster.

The somewhat cocky designers of the emblem must have decided they would produce something a little bit different to represent the club.

Call it bizarre, call it ugly, call it spectacular; whatever you want to call it, the Bari rooster is certainly unique.

To use its full name, Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente is a baby in footballing terms, having only been around since 2007.

The handsome fellow featured in the emblem is a hairless Xoloitzcuintles dog, which is native to the north-eastern region of Mexico and the chosen mascot of the club.

The highly stylized crest of Ajax Amsterdam depicts the Greek hero Ajax, who you might remember from such epic poems as The Iliad. 

The picture is made up of 11 lines, to represent the 11 players on a football team.

Congolese football club Tout Puissant Mazembe, founded by monks in 1939, are nicknamed "The Ravens."

It stands to reason, then, that their magnificent emblem features a crocodile with a soccer ball in its mouth. 

Chilean giants Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo boast one of the most striking logos in world football.

The colors are taken from the national flag, while the good-looking chap with the thousand-yard stare is Mapuche chief Colocolo, who bravely fought the Spanish in the Arauco war.  

Seven-times J-League champions the Kashima Antlers might be named after an animal's body part, but they sure have a refined and attractive club emblem.

The soft colors, the sleek deer's head (with subtly separated antlers) and the snazzy '80s font all make for an aesthetically delightful design.

Mexico City giants Club Universidad Nacional, commonly known simply as Pumas, have gone through a number of team emblems, and most of them have been pretty stylish.

The blue and gold colors of this stark logo were borrowed from the University of Notre Dame, which once supplied American football coaches to the University.

The nose and mouth of the club's mascot form the "U" of University, while also representing a cup or trophy. The rounded corners of the blue triangle symbolize the three pillars of the institution; education, research and cultural enrichment. 

The pleasingly fluid geometric balance of the image is also meant to illustrate the fundamental ideals of the University, that of various elements working in harmony.

Though many will hate it, or just find it plain boring, the logo of Club Independiente Santa Fe takes out top spot on the list for its entrancing, curious restraint.

It comprises a white shield, bordered by red, with the club name spelled out in capital letters at the top.

And it has a red dot, situated on the bottom right-hand side.

It's minimalist art and it's beautiful.