EVERYONE has heard of the famous Arsenal side that went 49 league matches unbeaten, difficult when they don’t stop going on about it 22 years later, but they aren’t even close to the all-time record.
A team who is close to making history is Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta’zim FC. Following a 7-0 thrashing of PDRM FC on Wednesday, the team from Johor Bahru are only five games from making history.
They have moved up to joint-second for the all-time longest unbeaten league runs but who are the top 5?
5. Al Ahly – 71 matches
Egyptian side Al Ahly went on an incredible 71 match unbeaten run between the 2003/04 – 2006/07 season. This includes their invincible season in the 2005/06 season, they won 23/26 games in the league and also added another African Champions League to their trophy cabinet. The club based in Cairo scored 57 goals while only conceding SIX in the league. However, it is hardly surprising to see them on this list as they have a record of 45 Egyptian league titles and are currently the most successful club in Africa.
4. Lincoln Red Imps – 88 matches
No this is not the side that currently sit top of league one, although they are on an impressive unbeaten run of their own, Lincoln Red Imps are a side that dominate the Gibraltar Football League. The Red Imps went FIVE years without a defeat in the league between 2009-2014. This was sandwiched in their run of winning the top division 14 times.
3. Steaua Bucharest – 104 matches
We have now reached the sides that reached a ton unbeaten. Steaua Bucharest from Romania went undefeated from 1986 to 1989 for a then world record 104 league matches. During this period, you may remember the side from the capital won the 1986 European Cup, now known as the Champions League, against Barcelona. So this was a real golden generation for Romanian football, they had players such as George Hagi, Dan Petrescu and Gheorghe Popescu. These players also helped Romania to three successive World Cup’s in the 1990s.
2. Johor Darul Ta’zim FC – 104 matches*
As we have already mentioned, Johor Darul Ta’zim FC are still currently on their unbeaten streak and are chasing down top spot. The side from Malaysia have not lost since April 2021 and have won 20/20 this season, whilst scoring 86 and conceding just seven. Strangely, they also have former Watford and Sheffield Wednesday manager Xisco Munoz. Although, they haven’t got this far without some controversy. Johor Darul currently have three players with citizenship falsification scandals but the MFL (Malaysian Football League) have cleared them to play and went against the decisions made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and world governing body FIFA. In addition to this, fans online have made claims that they get ‘favourable’ decisions in matches by the referees and VAR. However, it does not look like they are going to slow up and by the end of the season they could be the world record holders.
- ASEC Mimosas – 108 matches
Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas are still the current holders of this record. They went 108 matches and five years unbeaten between 1989-1994. this begun when Roger Ouégnin was elected as club president on 19 November 1989 and his first executive action was to approve the appointment of the Frenchman, Philippe Troussier, fondly called “Le sorcier blanc” (meaning the White Witch Doctor) by the fans of the club, as coach from 1989 until 1992. He was at the heart of what begun a historic and record breaking run for the club and 32 years later that record still stands.
*Still ongoing
