Where does Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten run stand in the history of European football?
Xavi Alonso’s all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen side have been utterly magnificent throughout this campaign and they have created history, even despite their 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the final of the UEFA Europa League in Dublin.
In his first full season as a manager in top-flight football, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder has already toppled Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga with Leverkusen being crowned champions of Germany for the first time ever with around a month of the season to go.
The DFB-Pokal final against second-tier Kaiserslautern is still to come in late-May but what has underpinned their extraordinary season is not just the generally exciting style of football but the fact that they had done all of this and got this far without losing a single match.
Even with the title sealed and a tough game in London against West Ham United fresh in their legs, Leverkusen still managed to avoid defeat away to Borussia Dortmund thanks to a Josip Stanisic deep into second-half stoppage-time. That was then backed up by yet another late equaliser at home to Stuttgart before finishing the Bundesliga season with a flourish
They once again scored deep, deep into second-half stoppage-time to rescue a draw and defeat Roma by four goals to two on aggregate in the semi-finals of the UEL.
Those late comebacks and their never-say-die attitude have begun to beg the question of would they ever lose and just how good is this unbeaten run in relative terms?
So, across all competitions so far this season, Leverkusen have played 52 matches and have enjoyed 43 victories with nine draws and now just a solitary, scoring 143 goals in the process. It was the case that only once so far have they been shut out by an opponent, that being at home to Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga back in January - now, as mentioned, it is twice.
In Germany…
The longest ever unbeaten run in the Bundesliga was set by, of course, Bayern Munich. Beginning their unbeaten streak on matchday ten of the 2012/13 campaign, which finished with the Bavarians winning the treble under the management of Jupp Heynckes, Bayern didn’t lose a game until matchday 28 of the following season under Pep Guardiola.
That 53-match unbeaten run of form in the Bundesliga remains the longest. Leverkusen finished last season with a defeat so their own unbeaten run in the league is at 34 - the full 2023/24 campaign.. It would take them avoiding a loss until after next season’s winter break for them to break Bayern’s German domestic record. They are the only team to go 'invincible' in Germany's top-flight.
However, with Xabi Alonso reportedly set to stay in charge of the team alongside key men such as Florian Wirtz and Alex Grimaldo potentially staying put, too, this may not be a one-off season and the Bayern record could well be under threat.
The 51-match unbeaten run of form across all competitions, that has now ended, is the longest unbeaten run by any German side.
Current unbeaten runs
Fenerbahce have enjoyed an extremely successful campaign and yet will likely finish as runners' up to Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig. However, even the Turkish side cannot compare to Leverkusen. They are currently 26 matches unbeaten in the Super Lig but have suffered a couple of defeats in Europe along the way.
The New Saints of the Cymru Premier are still marching along towards an unbeaten league season of their own. With 30 victories and two draws in 32 matches so far this season, the Welsh champions are now unbeaten in their last 41 league games.
However, their 41-match unbeaten streak across all competitions recently came to an end with a defeat to Airdrieonians in the Scottish Challenge Cup final in March – they then suffered a loss to Connah’s Quay Nomads in the Welsh Cup final at the end of April, too.
Outside of Europe, one of the so-called ‘big four’ Saudi Pro League clubs are also enjoying a remarkably impressive domestic campaign. Jorge Jesus’ Al Hilal have shared two draws and enjoyed 30 victories in their 32 league games so far this season. They were unbeaten in 42 matches across all competitions this season until recently suffering a surprise defeat to Hernan Crespo’s Al Ain in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.
Throughout history
Even those remarkable and seemingly never-ending feats by the Turkish giants as well as the dominant forces in both Saudi Arabia and Wales have been eclipsed by the excellence of Leverkusen this season.
As we head into the final few weeks of the campaign, we can and should begin to look at how it actually compares in a historical context with ‘Die Werkself’ continuing to defy belief and expectation.
Prior to the introduction of UEFA club competition back in 1955, only two teams had ever made it to a half-century of unbeaten games across all competitions. Scottish giants Celtic did so with a 62-game unbeaten run, which remains the longest of its kind back between 1915 and 1917, before Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise went 60 games without a loss between 1933 and 1935.
Since the beginning of the European Cup, though, no team had yet reached 50 games without a loss with the closest effort being 48 matches set by Benfica between 1963 and 1965 - which has now been surpassed by Leverkusen.
They recently surpassed Croatian clubs Dinamo Zagreb and Rijeka to be the European team with the fourth longest unbeaten run ever and second since the formation of the European Cup.
We were on the verge of this becoming genuinely unprecedented and it had being done in an elegant yet thrilling and exciting manner by a young team with a young coach whereby the peak and the best could still be yet to come.
Even though Atalanta fully deserved their win and their story remains unique and special in itself; Leverkusen have more than captured the imagination this season and they are a side that will be remembered - especially if they go on to a clinch a domestic double.
