At some point, most leagues will see a period of unequivocal domination from one club.
However, these periods of dominance must come to an end. It looks as though that will be the case in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso already 13 points clear of record champions Bayern Munich.
Bayern have won the Bundesliga for a record 11 consecutive seasons, but despite the signing of Harry Kane, Alonso’s Leverkusen have been comfortably better than their rivals this season. Still unbeaten in every competition, their title coronation could be confirmed within the next couple of weeks.
Here are a selection of more teams who have ended the dominant league runs of their rivals in recent years…
Rangers – 2020/21
Embed from Getty ImagesCeltic had been the dominant side in the Scottish Premiership for the previous decade after financial troubles and a winding up order led to fierce rivals Rangers being knocked down to the bottom tier of Scottish league football in 2012. Their city rivals were left unchallenged at the top, leading to nine consecutive league titles.
When Rangers finally returned to the top tier, they continued to lag behind the Hoops. That was until Steven Gerrard arrived at the club in 2018, guiding Rangers to their first title in 10 years in the 2020/21 season which saw them go unbeaten and finish on a whopping 102 points to end a dismal period for the club.
Inter Milan – 2020/21
Embed from Getty ImagesItalian giants Juventus had been on an incredible run of league title triumphs in Serie A, lifting the Scudetto in nine consecutive years from 2011/12 to 2019/20 with Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri and Maurizio Sarri seeing success with the Bianconeri. However, Conte would come back to end his old side’s domination of Italian football as the boss of rivals Internazionale.
Armed with the lethal strike partnership of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, Inter cruised to title victory, with Juve only managing to finish in fourth place despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s efforts. It was the Nerazzurri’s first league triumph since 2009/10, but Conte would that summer along with Serie A MVP Lukaku, who returned to Chelsea for £100 million.
Bordeaux – 2008/09
Embed from Getty ImagesBordeaux had been a formidable side in France during the 2000s, winning seven major honours in what was the club’s best run in their history. However, their 2008/09 league triumph was the cream of the crop.
Lyon had been the dominant force in the French top-flight for some time, winning seven consecutive league titles. Under the tutelage of World Cup winner Laurent Blanc, Bordeaux, despite being fifth in the table in matchweek 27, won their remaining 11 games to halt Lyon’s record-breaking streak.
Names such as Yoann Gourcuff, Alou Diarra, Wendel and former Arsenal forward Marouane Chamakh played a leading role in securing Bordeaux’s first league title in 10 years.
AC Milan – 2010/11
Embed from Getty ImagesFollowing a 0-0 draw with Roma on the final day of the 2010/11 Serie A season, AC Milan secured their first league title since 2004 and ended the five-year dominance set by their arch rivals Inter.
With the experience of Alessandro Nesta in defence alongside a youthful Thiago Silva, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattusso locking down the midfield and Robinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and an ageing Ronaldinho in attack, it is no wonder Milan won the league by six points.
Massimiliano Allegri, who would later go on to create a dynasty with Juventus, had injected life back into a fallen giant but more importantly stopped Inter Milan and Massimo Moratti from making it six in a row.
Monaco 2016/17
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Monaco team that stormed Ligue 1 in the 2016/17 season delivered entertainment, dominance and an abundance of goals. Having won four titles on the bounce, PSG looked primed to win the French league again but Monaco quickly emerged as stern opposition, scoring goals for fun in an attack that consisted of Radamel Falcao and 17-year old Kylian Mbappe. In the end, they notched up 107 goals in the league and amassed 95 points, finishing eight clear of PSG.
With the likes of Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Benjamin Mendy, and Thomas Lemar also in the team, it was difficult to ever see this star-studded team staying together for long. After their historic campaign, the trio of Silva, Fabinho, and Mendy moved to the Premier League, Lemar switched to Atletico Madrid and Kylian Mbappe joined rivals PSG.
