Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen are on the brink of history. Playing 27 games in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen have not been bested even once, winning 23 matches and drawing four. With 73 points on the board, Leverkusen are sitting 13 points clear of second-placed Bayern Munich, meaning they only need to win their next three matches to claim their first-ever Bundesliga title.
The Bundesliga is not the only competition Leverkusen have proven their invincibility in. They are also on an unbeaten run in the UEFA Europa League and DFB Pokal, going 39 games without defeat in the 2023-24 season. If Leverkusen win both cup competitions as well as the league title, they will become the first team in the top-five European leagues to conquer every competition they have entered.
Winning the league unbeaten will also place them in the esteemed company of a handful of teams across the top 10 European leagues who have proven their invincibility in the 21st century. Continue reading to meet the only five teams that have won the title without losing a single game and check out their unbeaten campaigns.
#5 Arsenal (Premier League): 2003-04
Arsenal are the only team in history to remain unbeaten throughout the grueling Premier League campaign. They achieved the seemingly unachievable under the great Arsene Wenger in the 2003-04 season. The Gunners have not won another Premier League title since being crowned “The Invincibles”.
Arsenal won 26 and drew 12 games in the 2003-04 season, amassing a total of 90 points and winning the title 11 points clear of second-placed Chelsea. They not only scored the most number of goals (73) throughout the campaign but also let in the fewest (26), finishing with an impressive goal difference of 47. The great Thierry Henry emerged as the top scorer that season, bagging 30 goals to win the Premier League Golden Boot.
#4 Juventus (Serie A): 2011-22
Juventus are not only one of the most successful Serie A teams in history but they also remain the only team to win the title without losing a single game in the 21st century. The Bianconeri achieved the astonishing feat under Antonio Conte in the 2011-12 season.
Juventus won 23 games and drew the remaining 15 in the 2011-12 Serie A season. They won the title with 84 points, narrowly edging out AC Milan, who finished four points behind. Juventus were not the most formidable team in the division, as Milan had more wins (16 vs 15) and more goals (74 vs 68) to their name. However, Juve were by far the most economical team on the circuit, letting in just 20 goals in 38 matches.
Alessandro Matri was their Serie A top scorer that season, who only scored 10 times in the Italian top flight.
#3 FC Porto (Primeira Liga): 2010-11, 2012-13
The only team across the top-10 European leagues to enjoy two unbeaten league campaigns, FC Porto are third on this list. Porto’s first unbeaten league campaign came in the 2010-11 season, during which they won a staggering 27 of 30 games. With 84 points, they claimed the top spot in the Primeira Liga, 21 points clear of second-placed Benfica.
Under Andre Villas-Boas, Porto scored a league-high 73 goals and conceded a league-low 16, finishing with a stunning goal difference of 57. Former Brazil international Hulk emerged as their top scorer after netting 23 times across the campaign. Porto also won Supertaca Candido de Oliveira, UEFA Europa League, and Taca de Portugal that season.
Porto defended their title the following campaign, but could not avoid defeat. They produced another unbeaten season in 2012-13, once again beating Benfica to the punch. However, unlike in 2010-11, this was not a walk in the park for Porto.
Then-Vitor Pereira’s team won 24 and drew six to amass 78 points, finishing only a solitary point ahead of Benfica to clinch the title. Scoring 26 goals in the Portuguese top-flight, Jackson Martinez emerged as Porto’s top scorer that season.
#2 Celtic (Scottish Premiership): 2016-17
In the 2016-17 season, Celtic became the first Scottish team in the 21st century to win the Premiership without tasting defeat. Under former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, Celtic won 34 games of their 38 games, securing the title with a staggering 106 points. Aberdeen finished second, a whopping 30 points behind the champions.
Celtic scored 106 goals and conceded only 25, emerging as both the most formidable and most frugal team in the Scottish top flight. Bagging 21 goals, Scott Sinclair finished as his team’s top scorer in the league. The Hoops also won the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup in the 2016-17 season.
#1 Rangers (Scottish Premiership): 2020-21
In 2020-21, four years after Celtic’s unbeaten Premiership campaign, Rangers enjoyed their best league campaign in the 21st century. With Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard at the helm, Rangers won 32 games and drew six, amassing 102 points and claiming the title 25 points clear of second-placed Celtic.
Rangers played eye-catching soccer throughout their unbeaten campaign without compromising on stability. They scored 92 goals and conceded 13, announcing themselves as the most clinical and economical team in the division. Unlike Celtic, however, Rangers could not carry over their form to the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup.
Scoring 14 times, Kemar Roofe emerged as his team’s top scorer in the league.
