Paris Saint-Germain stand just one match from setting European footballing history, having won all of their first 11 Ligue 1 fixtures of the season.
On Friday, Thomas Tuchel’s side kick off the weekend’s play in the top flight by hosting second-placed Lille, with their eyes fixed upon winning a historic 12th-straight game at the outset of the campaign.
PSG have already surpassed the French record, which stood at eight games and was set by Olympique Lillois in 1936-37,
Moreover, they have established an eight-point advantage in France and appear destined to claim their third successive title, but how does their record stack up against other quick-starting sides in Europe’s biggest leagues?
What is the record for matches won at the start of a Premier League season?
| Wins | Team | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Tottenham | 1960-61 |
| 10 | Manchester United | 1985-86 |
| 9 | Chelsea | 2005-06 |
Chelsea’s nine successive wins at the outset of the 2005-06 season represents the best start to a Premier League season in history.
Managed by Jose Mourinho, they kept six consecutive cleansheets at the start of the season, seeing off Wigan, Arsenal, West Brom, Tottenham, Sunderland, Charlton, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Bolton as they compiled a remarkable run.
Everton halted their sequence in a 1-1 Goodison Park draw.
Their record, however, is not an all-time best for the English top flight.
Indeed, Manchester United bettered the Blues’ by making a perfect 10-out-of-10 start to the 1985/86 campaign.
Tottenham, though, set the benchmark during the 1960-61 season, when they won 11 consecutive matches to set the standard in Europe’s elite leagues that PSG are set to break.
Spurs, who were managed by the legendary Bill Nicholson that year, enjoyed a stunning start to the season that saw them win 15 of their opening 16 matches before losing to Sheffield Wednesday, the eventual runners up, at Hillsborough on November 12, 1960.
By the times the Owls defeated the White Hart Lane side, however, they had already chalked up their incredible run, which saw them beat Everton (2-0), Blackpool twice (3-1 both home and away), Blackburn Rovers (4-1), Manchester United (4-1), Bolton twice (2-1 away and 3-1 at home), Leicester (2-1), Aston Villa (6-2) and Wolves (4-0).
Their winning streak was ultimately ended by Manchester City, who earned a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.
What is the record for matches won at the start of a La Liga season?
| Wins | Team | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Real Madrid | 1968-69 |
| 8 | Real Madrid | 1961-62 |
| 8 | Real Madrid | 1987-88 |
| 8 | Barcelona | 2013-14 |
| 8 | Atletico Madrid | 2013-14 |
Real Madrid are traditionally the quick starters of Spanish football, as the great club occupies four of the top six slots when it comes to winning streaks after the summer.
The best that Los Blancos have ever mustered came in the 1968-69 season, when they won nine consecutive matches, while they have also attained eight victories on a trio of occasions.
Perhaps the most remarkable start to a season in La Liga came in 2013-14, though. On this occasion, it was not Real who made the headlines, but rather Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, who both amassed eight-match runs – the best any clubs have made in the last 30 years.
Atletico’s winning streak actually lasted longer, but only because Barca drew with Osasuna on October 19, the day before Diego Simeone’s side were defeated by Espanyol.
Atleti went on to take the title in dramatic circumstances that season, earning a 1-1 draw with Barca on the last day of the campaign to finish three points ahead of their rivals.
What is the record for matches won at the start of a Serie A season?
| Wins | Team | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Roma | 2013-14 |
| 9 | Juventus | 2005-06 |
| 8 | Napoli | 2017-18 |
| 8 | Juventus | 1930-31 |
| 8 | Juventus | 1985-86 |
Roma hold the record for the best start to a Serie A season, having won their opening 10 matches of the 2013-14 campaign under Rudi Garcia.
The side from the capital beat Livorno, Hellas Verona, Parma, Lazio, Sampdoria, Bologna, Inter, Napoli, Udinese and Chievo in their run.
They failed to win the title that year, frustrated by a Juventus side that picked up 102 points, setting another Serie A record in that regard, and lost only twice.
As the dominant force in Italy over the years, it is unsurprising that Juve occupy second place in this regard, with a club-best record of nine successive wins coming at the start of the 2005-06 campaign. They have also achieved eight wins on two occasions (1930-31 and 1986-87), which is a mark Napoli equalled as they started the 2017-18 season in stunning form.
What is the record for matches won at the start of a Bundesliga season?
| Wins | Team | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Bayern Munich | 2015-16 |
| 8 | Bayern Munich | 2012-13 |
| 7 | Kaiserslautern | 2001-02 |
| 7 | Bayern Munich | 1995-96 |
| 7 | Mainz | 2010-11 |
Bayern Munich have won half of the Bundesliga titles on offer, so there is no surprise that they are the quickest starting team in the history of the league. Indeed, in recent seasons they have been especially rapid off the blocks.
Twice in the last decade they have set a national record in this regard, first chalking up eight games in a row at the start of the 2012-13 campaign but going two better in 2015-16.
Under the guidance of Pep Guardiola in that latter campaign, they recorded a series of thumping victories, notably hammering Hamburg 5-0 at home and dispatching Wolfsburg, Dortmund and Koln by four-goal margins.
Kaiserslautern (2001-02) and Mainz (2010-11) are the best of the rest, with seven-game runs each.
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