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While knockout competitions might have more glitz and suspense, it is generally more difficult to win a league, as the consistency and motivation required to go the distance sees most teams falter.
The difference in quality and ability of players means that all clubs are not equal and some are regarded as superior to others, but the ultra competitive nature of football means that everyone on the field gives their all in a bid to achieve victory.
Upsets are a fairly common occurrence in football and this becomes especially true in the tougher leagues where different ambitions and goals mean that smaller clubs are usually more motivated to defy the odds in a bid to pick up the victory.
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Finishing an entire league campaign undefeated is such a rarity that only a handful of clubs have attained the feat and in this piece, in chronological order, we shall be having a rundown of five clubs who went an entire season undefeated in Europe's top five leagues.
Honourable mention: Preton North End (1888-1889)
#1 Athletic Bilbao (1929-1930) - La Liga
Athletic Bilbao are one of the only three clubs to have been present in every season of La Liga since inception. But whereas the other two, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have maintained their status in the upper echelons of the global game, the Basque outfit have dropped from their previous highs.
Athletic Bilbao were once the most dominant force in Spain and this is highlighted by the fact that the club won three of the first five editions of the Spanish top-flight, including the second in 1930 and completed the double by also winning the Copa del Rey in the same year.
Bilbao's triumph in this year is significant, as they became the first side to finish a league campaign in Spain without tasting defeat, winning 12 and drawing six of their 18 La Liga fixtures.
#2 Real Madrid (1931-1932) - La Liga
With 33 league titles and 13 Champions League crowns, Real Madrid are the most successful club of all time both domestically and on the continent.
Just two years after Athletic Bilbao set the standard, Los Blancos followed suit by winning their first league title in 1932 and they did this without losing a single game in the league campaign.
The capital side amassed a total of 28 points, having won 10 and drawn eight of their 18 league games (two points were awarded for a win back then) to finish three points ahead of second-placed Athletic Bilbao.
The club have maintained their success and are still one of the premier clubs in the world almost a century later. But despite spending world-record sums to bring in several world class players and managers, Real Madrid are yet to match the achievements of this illustrious side and to date, they remain the last team to finish an entire La Liga campaign undefeated.
#3 AC Milan (1991-1992) - Serie A
Several clubs can genuinely lay claim to being the best of all time, with sides like Real Madrid of the 1950s, Ajax and Bayern Munich of the 1970s, and Santos of the 1960s, all having legitimate shots at the title.
However, two generally accepted sides are the AC Milan team of 1988 to 1992 and the Barcelona team of 2008 to 2012.
There were lots of similarities between both sides, including having the best player of the generation augmented by a host of other world class players, a legendary coach with a revolutionary playing pattern, and titles, lots of them.
While the two sides defined their era and set unprecedented feats, the AC Milan team achieved something that the iconic Barcelona side of Pep Guardiola did not - finishing an entire league campaign undefeated.
Although Ariggo Sacchi helped lay the foundation for the success to come, Fabio Capello helped take it to new heights and under him, the Rossonerri were forged into an almost unbeatable outfit, strolling their way to consecutive titles in what was unarguably the strongest league in the world at the time.
With legendary players like Marco Van Basten, Paolo Maldini, and Franco Baresi, Milan finished the entire 1991-1992 season undefeated, winning 22 and drawing 12 of their 34 league games, with 74 goals scored and 21 conceded.
They went on a run of an amazing 58 matches without defeat (still a Serie A record) and won the next two Scudetti.
#4 Arsenal (2003-2004) - Premier League
Arsene Wenger is known as a revolutionary who helped introduce far-reaching techniques that forever altered the Premier League, such as monitoring players' diets and training regimes, advanced scouting techniques, training methods, and focusing on the scientific aspects of the game rather than the physical.
However, his most defining legacy to the English game was when he guided his Arsenal side to an undefeated league campaign in the 2003-2004 season.
Led by a prime Thierry Henry (who finished as the Golden Boot winner), and supported by stars like Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Nwankwo Kanu, and the energetic skipper Patrick Vieira, Arsenal finished the 2003-2004 campaign as champions, without any defeat in the process.
The Gunners won 26 and drew 12 of their 38 league games, finishing 11 points above second-placed Chelsea.
Thus, they became only the second side in English top-flight history to end a season undefeated (after Preston North End over a century ago) and also hold the record for most undefeated matches on the trot (49) and are affectionately referred to as the Invincibles.
#5 Juventus (2011-2012) - Serie A
Juventus are on a run of having won the last eight consecutive Scudetti but it was not always so easy for the Turin giants.
Following their relegation in 2006 due to the Calciopolli scandal, Juventus found it difficult to reassert themselves in the upper echelons of Italian football and spent the rest of the decade in the shadows of the Milan clubs.
They had finished 7th at the end of the 2011 campaign, 24 points behind champions AC Milan and even the most optimistic fan would have settled for a top four finish.
However, the newly appointed Antonio Conte had different ideas and the signing of the legendary Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer from AC Milan proved to be a masterstroke, as he played a major role in helping the Bianconerri dethrone his former team.
Juventus matched the feat of the Rossonerri from two decades earlier by finishing the Serie A campaign undefeated, winning 23 and drawing 15 of their 38 league games and this proved to be the start of the most successful period in their modern history.
