The gala event, organised by the International Federation of Football & Statistics (IFFHS), took place at the W Hotel in Barcelona with 37 awards presented to the world’s best players, coaches, referees and teams.
Auckland City board member Colin Cook accepted the trophy on behalf of the club and said it was a huge honour.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, especially in a country dominated by rugby union but we’re getting more on the map and making headway,” said Cook.
“We are the first New Zealand club to receive international recognition and be acknowledged on the global stage.”
While the club has welcomed the award, there is little time to celebrate as final preparations get underway for this Saturday’s showdown against Tefana in the 2nd Leg O-League Final.
Auckland City are chasing their fourth Oceania crown, having claimed two O-League titles as well as the forerunning OFC Club Championship in 2006, but face a tough challenge to hold onto their 2-1 first leg advantage against the Tahitian champions.
The match kicks off at 4:00pm (local time) at Pepeete’s Stade Louis Ganivet, with the winner going on to represent OFC at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in December. Auckland have appeared three times at the FIFA finals – their best performance coming in 2009 when they finished fifth.
Among the other awards on Monday evening, FC Barcelona were recognized as the best European team and world’s best team of the decade. Top clubs for the same period across the globe included Al-Hilal FC Riyadh (Asia), Boca Juniors (South America), America Ciudad de Mexico (Central/North America) and Al Ahly Cairo (Africa).
IFFHS is an organisation that chronicles the history of football and ranks clubs based on points secured during national leagues and club competitions organised by Confederations and FIFA.
Australia officially moved from OFC to the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, meaning Australian clubs no longer picked up Oceania points and their rankings dropped accordingly.
Auckland City subsequently gained the most points over the entire decade to earn the global award.
For the full list of awards visit the IFFHS website