In honour of Manchester City's "unbeaten" Champions League run
Despite not being champions, Manchester City are apparently on a 26 match unbeaten run in the Champions League. Here we take a look at 3 clubs across Europe with their own unbeaten records.
K. Beerschot V.A.C. — Belgium
Unbeaten record: 25 years
The Royal Beerschot Football and Athletic Club were once stronger than a Trappist beer, winning the Belgium Football League five times in the 1920s.
Despite some cup success in the 70s the club was riddled with financial issues and was dissolved on the eve of the millennium — resulting in a current unbeaten record of 25 years.
FC Amsterdam — The Netherlands
Unbeaten record: 42 years
Ajax are one of the true giants of European football, you can draw a direct line from the club’s identity to modern football. How does Amsterdam only have one professional football team? (Rotterdam has three)
FC Amsterdam used to be the second, in the 1974/75 season they beat Ajax and Feyenoord away while also defeating Inter en route to the quarter-finals of the 1974/75 UEFA Cup.
That was their peak, relegation from the Eredivisie in 1978 proved too much financially and by 1982 the club was gone, ensuring that as of today, they have been unbeaten in 42 years.
Clapham Rovers — England
Unbeaten record: 110 years
A joint rugby and football club, Clapham Rovers won the FA Cup in 1880 sporting their fantastic home kit of Cerise and French Gray while nine years earlier their striker, Jarvis Kendrick, scored the first ever FA Cup goal.
As with many clubs, matches were suspended following the outbreak of World War I, unfortunately for Clapham locals, they never resumed. To date, their unbeaten record stands at 110 years, phenomenal.
Manchester City - England
Unbeaten in Champions League football for 26 matches
The accolades flooded in and the club was “trending” yesterday. Having beaten the hapless Sparta Praha 5-0 in the recently expanded Champions League group stage, Manchester City had set a new record of 26 matches undefeated in the competition.
Of course, that number includes the quarter-finals last year in which they were defeated by eventual winners, Real Madrid.
Nevertheless Sky Sports, Fabrizio Romano, and general twitter bros like @OptaJoe played the role of newspaper hawker about the monumental achievement to anyone who would listen.
Hopefully, if the 115 charges stick, then Manchester City might one day have an unbeaten run to compete with Clapham Rovers, FC Amsterdam, and K. Beerschot V.A.C.
Giants of football.