Arsenal 2004

Coach: Arsène Wenger

The 2003-04 Arsenal squad remains the only side in Premier League history to go an entire 38-game season unbeaten, finishing with 26 wins and 12 draws to earn the nickname 'the Invincibles'. Arsène Wenger built the team around Thierry Henry, who scored 30 league goals that season and was at the peak of his powers, supported by Robert Pirès and Fredrik Ljungberg in a fluid attacking unit, with Patrick Vieira marshalling midfield and a back line of Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Kolo Touré and Lauren protecting goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. The unbeaten run actually extended across parts of two seasons — 49 league matches in total without a loss — before finally ending against Manchester United in October 2004. Despite the extraordinary league form, this Arsenal side never lifted the Champions League, its closest continental achievement coming in the final two years later with a different core of players. The 'Invincibles' tag has since become shorthand in English football for any hypothetical unbeaten campaign, and the record has not been seriously threatened since.