Tribal Football

Role models for Leverkusen: Previous unbeaten seasons in club football

SID/Flashscore
Bayer 04 Leverkusen could write a piece of football history on Saturday.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen could write a piece of football history on Saturday.AFP
Bayer Leverkusen have already secured the league title, now coach Xabi Alonso's (42) team are aiming for the "perfect treble" without defeat. On the final Bundesliga matchday, the Werkself will be looking to make history with a flawless season before the Europa League (22nd May) and DFB Pokal (25th May) finals follow.

This "clean slate" would be unique in German football, but numerous teams have already achieved a championship without defeat at European level.

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The first official unbeaten champion was probably Preston North End in 1889, while Steaua Bucharest achieved the longest unbeaten streak of 104 games between 1986 and 1989.

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The unbeaten champions in the top European leagues

Benfica (1972/73): Spurred on by the first Portuguese superstar, Eusebio, Benfica literally flew to the 1973 championship with 28 wins and two draws. The fleet-footed striker also secured the Golden Boot for Europe's top goalscorer with 40 goals in the league.

AC Milan (1991/92): In the heyday of the star-studded Serie A at the time, Milan stood out in particular. With Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini in defence and the Dutch trio of Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, Milan dominated the league. With 22 wins and 12 draws, they won the first of three consecutive championships.

Ajax (1994/95): Just three years after AC Milan, Frank Rijkaard remained unbeaten with Ajax in 1995. With numerous other exceptional Dutch players such as Edwin van der Sar and Patrick Kluivert, Ajax not only won the championship, but also the Champions League.

Arsenal (2003/04): The "Invincibles" are probably the most prominent example on this list. With Jens Lehmann in goal and Thierry Henry up front, the Gunners reached the peak of team manager Arsene Wenger's era in 2004. After 26 wins and 12 draws, the club was awarded the Premier League trophy in gold, among other honours.

FC Porto (2010/11): Nicolas Otamendi, James Rodriguez, Hulk - they all went on to have hugely successful careers. In 2011, they won the league unbeaten with FC Porto and also won the Europa League. Powerhouse Hulk and his congenial strike partner Falcao scored 74 goals in all competitions.

Juventus (2011/12): True to the motto "defence wins championships", Juve operated in 2011. With Gianluigi Buffon in goal and Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci in defence, Juventus had everything they needed to prevent goals. Only 20 conceded in 38 games at the end of the season.