From Scotland to Portugal: Bayer Leverkusen tops a impressive list of invincible teams

You are never done with Germans. Mastermind Xabi Alonso’s team yesterday wiped out a years-old record with their ultimate draw in the Europa League. “Neverlusen” has been undefeated in all European competitions for 49 matches. Time to delve into the archives: which unbeatable teams preceded Bayer Leverkusen?

“This team is simply unbeatable.”

That’s what the German newspapers headlined this morning after a (new) incredible escape by brand new German champions Bayer Leverkusen against AS Roma.

40 wins, 9 draws and 0 losses.

A resounding 8-0 victory in the German Cup against fourth division team Teutonia Ottensen started the impressive series. It has been since May 27, 2023 since Leverkusen lost a match with stakes. Low-flyer Bochum was then the culprit.

Remarkable: 11 (!) times Xabi Alonso’s pawns saved their case in extra time. Even the craziest screenwriter wouldn’t come up with such a story.

Survive 4 more games and the Germans manage to go an entire season undefeated.

No one in the Rhineland would have ever dared to dream that.

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Leverkusen stole the record from Benfica. We have to go back in time to see their heyday.

For 59 years, the Portuguese were the team with the longest undefeated streak.

“The Eagles” did not lose a single match from December 1963 to February 1965. During that period they became champions of Portugal and won the national cup.

The absolute superstar back then was Eusebio. The late Portuguese icon saw his strong years rewarded with the Ballon d’Or in 1965.

By the way, there is a special story surrounding the mercurial attacker.

City rival Sporting had an agreement with the then 18-year-old Eusebio in 1960. Béla Guttman, Benfica’s coach, got wind of the plans. He rushed to Mozambique to steal the striker from under the noses of their eternal rivals.

The rest is history: in ’61 and ’62 the young lad lifted the Cup with the Big Ears with Benfica. The “Black Pearl” was born.

A striking name in this list: the Croatian record champion Dinamo Zagreb.

With 17-year-old Dani Olmo alongside Marcelo Brozovic in midfield, they steamrolled through their own competition. They also made a name for themselves in Europe: Celtic and Arsenal were mercilessly defeated.

Bayern Munich put an end to their invincible run on September 29, 2015. The club from the capital suffered a dry 5-0, their feet were on the ground again.

In the Croatian competition they eventually clocked up 50 matches without defeat. That’s called dominance.

Rijeka who?

Another Croatian team is the odd one out. Not very long ago they thought themselves (for a while) unbeatable.

Unlike Dinamo, Rijeka did not conquer any European superpowers, but that does not make the series any less impressive.

Without any fancy names, they have had a fantastic run, with the title and cup as the icing on the cake in 2017. To date, it is their only national title in club history.

Who might ring a bell about the team of that time: Matej Mitrovic, ex-Club Brugge, played for the Croats from 2013 to January 2017. The strong series then earned him a nice transfer to Besiktas.

The early 1990s were heyday for the Scottish top club Glasgow Rangers.

“The Teddy Bears”, which then consisted almost exclusively of British, won the treble in their own country that season (Scottish title, cup and league cup). It was also the first Scottish team to participate in the Champions League, formerly the European Cup I.

Their poster child was the tough central defender Richard Gough.

The Swedish-born Scot is a living legend in Glasgow. He was a true magnet for silverware. The captain led his ship to 9 consecutive titles.

To date, that is a record, which they have to share with eternal rival Celtic.

Leverkusen already has a new jewel in its crown with the German title, but with the Europa League final (May 22) and the German Pokal (May 25) in prospect, their hunger is far from satisfied. A historic treble is in the offing.

A twist of fate ensures that Xabi Alonso and his men will face Bochum this weekend in the Bundesliga, the team they last lost to.

They already have the undefeated record, but honor is still at stake.