Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen have already won the Bundesliga. They are also hunting for the Europa League title and are in the Final of the DFB-Pokal. They won their first Bundesliga title after winning 25 and drawing 4 games out of 29 matches and are still unbeaten in all competitions. They are undefeated across 43 competitive matches in 2023-24, including 38 wins, surpassing the club record from the 2001-02 season, when they won 35 of their 60 games. Xabi Alonso has transformed the club into a different entity and they are playing brilliant football at the moment. It's time to analyze Leverkusen's historic invincible season.

Read Also: Most Premier League Titles till 2023

The 'Special One' Jose Mourinho predicted something about Xabi in 2010 and it looks like, it's happening. Back in 2010, predicted Alonso's success in the dugout in an interview on the FIFA website: "He has the quality that a 'metronome' must-have. I'm sure that when he hangs up his boots he'll be a great coach if he wants to be. He reminds me of Pep Guardiola when I had him as a player. He was already a coach on the pitch."

🚨 Bayer Leverkusen create history. They win the Bundesliga title for the first time in their 120-year history! 🏆

Xabi's men have done it!

74 goals scored, 19 goals conceded, ZERO defeats. 🎆#BayerLeverkusen #Bundesliga #Bundesliga #Bayer04 pic.twitter.com/C586R9HN1f

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) April 14, 2024

Bayer Leverkusen in 2023-24: The Invincibles

Leverkusen has remained undefeated in all its 29 games this Bundesliga season (W25 D4). They broke the record of FC Bayern, which went undefeated in its first 28 games in 2013-14. They broke Bayern's 11-year dominance and won their first-ever league title in some dominant fashion. Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen by 5-0 at home to lift the title. Bayer 04 Leverkusen have 79 points to its name, beating its club record of 73 from the 1999-2000 season. Leverkusen have become the first team since Borussia Dortmund in 2011/12 to beat Bayern to a Bundesliga title.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN ARE 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑺𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑨! 🏆#Bundesliga | #Showtime pic.twitter.com/pO8JTyfGNg

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) April 14, 2024

A look at Xabi's Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen

They have netted 74 goals (second-highest). They have let in just 19 goals (lowest) and produced a goal difference of +55. Leverkusen have won five successive DFB-Pokal matches to reach the final. They have won all six of their matches in the UEFA Europa League group stage. They drew and won one match in R16 before beating West Ham United 2-0 in the quarter-finals first-leg.

Our coach 🫶#Winnerkusen #DeutscherMeisterSVB @XabiAlonso pic.twitter.com/vlCTe3DZrQ

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) April 14, 2024

Alonso’s Leverkusen is a proper modern football team that likes to dominate possession and maintain a high-pressing structure so that they can win back the ball as soon as possible after losing it. Xabi is still an inexperienced coach at the top level, but he has already shown why he is already a big thing. From Rafa Benitez at Liverpool to Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid to Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich and even his Spanish national team boss Vicente del Bosque, Alonso learned from the very best. He has taken all their philosophies on board and created his unique style.

Deutscher fußballmeister, SVB! 🏆#Winnerkusen #DeutscherMeisterSVB pic.twitter.com/vgrEia7hkn

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) April 14, 2024

Alonso’s Leverkusen defends in a 5-2-2-1 without the ball and stays narrow and compact. The back three offer solidity and the wing-backs provide crucial width in attack. Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo have a 15 and 21 G/A contribution respectively this season in the Bundesliga and are two of the most crucial players in the Leverkusen setup. The two attacking midfielders and the strikers play a fluid front three in attack. Florian Wirtz has scored 11 goals and 10 assists in the league and has played a pivotal role in Leverkusen's success. Granit Xhaka is another important player in Xabi's setup whom he brought to the team from Arsenal. Patrik Schick has delivered in Boniface's absence and scored some last-minute winners to help Leverkusen remain unbeaten in all competitions. 

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of Manchester United vs Athletic Club Bilbao in the Europa League 2024-25 semi-final second leg at the Old Trafford stadium in London. 

United are leading by 3-0 after the first leg, and they would be favourites to enter the final. However, Athletic Club Bilbao have everything in their armoury to surprise United at their home. 

Read Also | What would you rather choose? Crashing out in the UCL semis or winning the Europa League

Knowing United's home record this season, along with their inconsistent performances, we can expect a great fight from Bilbao. So, sit back and relax as Koushik Biswas brings you the buildup, LIVE updates and text commentary of the Manchester United vs Athletic Club Bilbao Europa League semi-final second leg match. 

Enjoy the coverage.

Trent John Alexander-Arnold has become a symbol of modern football excellence during his time at Liverpool Football Club. He made his senior debut in 2016 under Jurgen Klopp.

Trent quickly became a regular in the first team, changing the right-back role with his creativity, accurate passing, and attacking style.

One of Arnold's biggest moments came in the 2018–19 Champions League, during the famous semi-final comeback against Barcelona at Anfield. That season, Liverpool went on to win their sixth Champions League title, with Trent playing a crucial role throughout the tournament.

Read Also | Every Premier League club’s biggest Free Transfer Exit

Domestically, Alexander-Arnold was instrumental in Liverpool's 2019–20 Premier League title win, their first in 30 years.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's Stats for Liverpool FC (Overall)

Total Matches Played - 352

Goals Scored - 23

Assists Made - 92 

During his time at Liverpool FC, Trent Alexander-Arnold has won the following titles: 

• UEFA Champions League - 1 (2018-19)
• FIFA Club World Cup - 1 (2020)
• Premier League - 2 (2019-20, 2024-25)
• UEFA Super Cup - 1 (2019-20)
• FA Cup - 1 (2022)
• English League Cup - 2 (2022, 2024)
• Community Shield - 1 (2022-23)

UEFA Champions League Stats for Liverpool

Read Also | Champions League winners list since 1955/56

UEFA Europa League

 FIFA Club World Cup Stats

Premier League Stats

Read Also | Most Premier League Titles till 2025

UEFA Super Cup Stats

FA Cup Stats

English League Stats

Community Shield

The Bundesliga is the top-division tournament in German football. The competition was founded in 1962, and the first season began in 1963. The Bundesliga replaced the German national championship, which was the first tournament in German football history. And since then only one club has dominated with most Bundesliga titles. 

The German national championship, which was founded in 1903 and ran for 60 years, was a knockout competition contested between winners of each of the country's top regional leagues.

The founding member teams of the Bundesliga are 1860 Munich, Cologne, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Braunschweig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hertha Berlin, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Preußen Münster, MSV Duisburg, Nuremberg, Saarbrücken, Schalke, Vfb Stuttgart and Werder Bremen.

Besides the Bundesliga, which operated in West Germany, the DDR-Oberliga was the top-level football league in Soviet-controlled East Germany. Following the reunification of Germany, the Bundesliga became the national league of the country.

The Bundesliga started as a 16-team tournament but would soon expand to 18 teams from 1965.

In a one-off event, the league played the 1991-92 season with 20 teams following the reunification, but would return to its 18-team format in the following campaign.

There have been 13 different winners of the Bundesliga since its inception in 1963.

Read Also: Messi vs Ronaldo: Most man of the match winners in football

Who won the first Bundesliga?

FC Koln, or FC Cologne in English, won the first-ever Bundesliga season in 1963-64. The Billy Goats maintained a six-point advantage over second-placed Meidericher SV (39) and scored in each of the 30 league games played in the inaugural edition. 

Karl-Heinz Thielen (16 goals) and Christian Müller (15 goals) finished as the top scorers for the team in the championship-winning season.

Who has won the most Bundesliga titles?

Bayern Munich lead the Bundesliga winners list with 34 titles. The Bavarians won their maiden Meisterschale in the 1968-69 season, with an eight-point cushion and legendary forward Gerd Muller contributing 30 goals. They are the most dominant German team and have won the most Bundesliga titles.

🏆 “Die Meisterschale ist zurück in München.“ 💬

Alle Stimmen zum Titelgewinn: https://t.co/f2Ej8hfnCs#MiaSanMeister pic.twitter.com/fnx5zGJzlE

— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) May 4, 2025

The Bavarians recently claimed the Bundesliga 2024-25 title with two games to go in the season. In doing so, Bayern have now won the German championship a record 12 times in the last 13 seasons. Their incredible run began in 2012-13 under the management of Jupp Heynckes, which was broken in the 2023-24 season by Bayer Leverkusen.

Top Five Teams with the Most Bundesliga titles till 2023

1. Bayern Munich - 34 titles

Bayern Munich are at the top of the list as they are the all-time Bundesliga title winners with 34 titles to their name. They won the 2024-25 season with two games to go in the season.

Bayern Munich also holds the record for most second-place finishes in the top German league, having done that ten times between 1969 and 2012.

There is no doubt that they are the most dominant force in Germany and one of the most historic clubs in the history of World Football. The Bavarians have also won 20 DFB-Pokal trophies and 6 Champions League titles.

Titles by years: 1931-32 (German national championship), 1968-69, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21,2021-22, 2022-23, 2024-25

2. Borussia Dortmund - 5 Titles

Borussia Dortmund, a 113-year-old German club, is second on the list of clubs with the most Bundesliga titles.

After Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund have won the most Bundesliga titles and have also finished second the most times in the German league.

In the pre-Bundesliga days, ‘die Schwarzgelben’ lifted three league titles – two more than Bayern.

There has always been a soft spot for Dortmund in every football fan's heart, except the fans of Bayern.

In the 2022-23 season, they were the favourites to win the titles but bottled it on the last day. Dortmund won their last Bundesliga title under Jurgen Klopp in the 2011-12 season.

Titles by years: 1994–1995; 1995–1996; 2001–2002; 2010–11; and 2011–12

3. Borussia Monchengladbach - 5 Titles

Borussia Mönchengladbach holds the third place on the list, and they have won the same number of Bundesliga titles as Borussia Dortmund.

They have finished second less as compared to Dortmund, and that's the reason why they are placed third.

Three of their five Bundesliga championships were consecutive. They won their last league title in the 1976-77 season under Udo Lattek. Monchengladbach have only ever been demoted to the Bundesliga 2 twice, in 1999 and 2007. 

Titles by years: 1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1975–76, and 1976–77

4. Werder Bremen - 4 Titles

Werder Bremen have finished second seven times in the Bundesliga and have won 4 titles.

They won their last league title in the 2003-04 season under Thomas Schaaf with 74 points, and he is the longest-serving manager (14 years) of Bremen.

They share the record for most seasons played in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

Titles by years: 1964–65, 1987–88, 1992–93, 2003–04

5. Hamburger SV - 3 Titles

Hamburger SV comes fifth in this list with 3 Bundesliga titles to their name.

Their last league title came in the 1982-83 season under Ernst Happel, who won his second title with the club.

HSV have the record in German football of having won the most regional titles, having won 31 regional titles. But the regional titles do not count as a trophy or even as a title itself.

Until the 2017–18 season, HSV were the only club to have played continuously in the Bundesliga since its foundation.

Titles by years: 1978–79, 1981–82, and 1982–83

Read Also: Players with the most Champions League titles

Most Bundesliga titles list:

Manchester United have stormed into the headlines after beating Olympique Lyonnais 5-4 in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League 2024-25 Quarter-finals last night, advancing to the semi-finals with a breathtaking 7-6 aggregate. 

Unbelievable.#UEL pic.twitter.com/EtpedjkEL8

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 17, 2025

The Red Devils also became the first-ever European team to score two goals in the 120th minute of a major European match, which completed a supernatural comeback for them at the Theatre of Dreams.

A total of 13 goals from both sides defined their destiny, as Manchester United have sealed their passage to the semis, whereas Lyon's continental journey has come to an end.

In this article, we explore the list of Europa League knockout ties for the most goals scored.

Read Also | Manchester United shortlist Lyon star Rayan Cherki as new transfer target

Most Goals in a Europa League Knockout Tie

14 Goals | Rangers 9-5 Royal Antwerp (2020/21)

Rangers earned a gloriously chaotic 9-5 aggregate win over Royal Antwerp in the Round of 32, which is still the highest-scoring two-legged tie in the UEFA Cup/Europa League knockout round.

14 - Rangers 9-5 Royal Antwerp is the highest-scoring two-legged tie in the UEFA Cup/Europa League since Helsingborgs 8-6 Heerenveen in the 2007-08 first round. Entertainment. pic.twitter.com/frch3j5pq4

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 25, 2021

Rangers defeated Antwerp 4-3 in the first leg encounter at the Bosulistadion in Belgium, securing a slender lead in the tie. The second leg turned out to be an absolute rampage as the Scottish side netted four second-half goals at the Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, winning 5-2 and securing their qualification to the next round of the competition.

13 Goals | Porto 10-3 Spartak Moskva (2010/11)

FC Porto displayed absolute domination over Spartak Moskva in the 2010-11 Europa League quarter-finals, beating them 10-3 on aggregate. 

🔵⚪ Em 2010/11, o FC Porto conquistou quatro troféus. O primeiro foi a Supertaça, com uma vitória sobre o Benfica por 2-0
⚽ Rolando e Falcao marcaram os golos
👉 https://t.co/XoxFO4DMap#FCPorto #FCPCDA #supertaça pic.twitter.com/OArowgPU3S

— FC Porto (@FCPorto) August 3, 2018

Porto, who also became the eventual champions of the edition, crushed Spartak in the very first leg at home, beating them 5-1 at Estádio do Dragão in Portugal. The second leg also saw the André Villas-Boas-coached Porto side dominating the Russian team, beating them 5-2 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

13 Goals | Lyon 11-2 AZ Alkmaar (2016/17)

Olympique Lyonnais ran riot over AZ Alkmaar in the 2016-17 Europa League Round of 32, beating the Dutch side 11-2 over two legs.

Véritable récital offensif ce soir au @ParcOL !!
La #teamOL bat @AZAlkmaar sur le score de 7 buts à 1 !!
Direction les 8e de finale !! 👊🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/AzRSWyXAwG

— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) February 23, 2017

Lyon defeated AZ 4-1 in the first leg, played away at the AFAS Stadion in the Netherlands. In the return leg at OL Stadium, the French outfit went ruthless against AZ, earning a massive 7-1 victory at home.

13 Goals | Manchester United 8-5 Roma (2020/21)

Last night was not the first time that Manchester United took part in a goals galore, as they thrashed AS Roma 8-5 on aggregate in the 2020-21 UEL semi-finals.

Man United practically secured their passage to the final with a magnificent 6-2 win in the first leg, scoring five goals in the second half at Old Trafford. The next game at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome ended in a 3-2 win for Roma. However, United entered the final.

HT: Man United 1-2 Roma
88' Man United 6-2 Roma

What a come back from Man United 👏 pic.twitter.com/2XJ9tcytjl

— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) April 29, 2021

This was also the last time the Red Devils qualified for a European competition final, though they lost to Villareal in a gut-wrenching penalty shoot-out.

13 Goals | Liverpool 11-2 Sparta Praha (2023/24)

Liverpool had a resounding victory over Sparta Praha, beating them 11-2 over two legs in last season's UEL Round of 16.

9 - Liverpool progressed past Sparta Prague 11-2 on aggregate; their biggest margin of victory over a two-legged tie in European football since the 1980-81 campaign against Finnish side OPS (also 11-2 on aggregate, in the European Cup first round). Cruise. pic.twitter.com/ZeTSkpEZoc

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 14, 2024

In the first leg at Stadion Letná in Prague, the Reds earned a brilliant 5-1 victory, securing a massive four-goal cushion in the tie. In the second leg at Anfield, Liverpool dismantled the Czech side, thrashing them 6-1 at home to qualify for the quarter-finals.

However, the English side's campaign ended after losing to eventual champions Atalanta in the quarters.

13 Goals | Manchester United 7-6 Lyon (2024/25)

Manchester United and Olympique Lyonnais have gifted us one of the most memorable Europa League knockout ties this season, as the Red Devils were through to the semi-finals after a knife-edge 7-6 victory over two legs in the quarter-finals.

A comeback for the ages at Old Trafford.

Manchester United, who trailed 10-man Lyon 4-2 with six minutes remaining, win 5-4 on the night and 7-6 on aggregate thanks to Harry Maguire's late winner.

Have you ever seen anything like that?

Incredible. #MUFC | #UEL pic.twitter.com/GCeIgaBmnj

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 17, 2025

Rayan Cherki's last-minute strike salvaged a 2-2 draw at home for Lyon against United in the first leg played at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in France. The return leg was absolute cinema, as Manchester United's 2-0 lead at the break was overcome by Lyon as they scored four until the break of the added extra time.

However, Kobie Mainoo and Harry Maguire netted two goals after the 120th minute to fire Manchester United into the Europa League semi-finals, winning the game by 5-4.

The controversy over the potential increase in the 2030 FIFA World Cup roster to 64 teams has gained momentum, with key football officials coming out to oppose it. The Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have joined forces against this controversial suggestion.

Should the 2030 World Cup be expanded to 64 teams❓🌎 🏆

Alejandro Dominguez, president of CONMEBOL, is proposing a one-time expansion of the 2030 Men's World Cup to 64 teams to mark the tournament’s 100th anniversary.

The centenary edition is set to begin with matches in 🇺🇾,… pic.twitter.com/hxbslrotyM

— 433 (@433) April 11, 2025

Concacaf chief Victor Montagliani has joined the increasing call to oppose the plan to increase the World Cup teams to 64, claiming increasing the number of teams "would not be the right move".

AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa also warned against the expansion to 64 teams and the ‘chaos’ it could lead to, telling Agence France Press (AFP), “Personally, I don’t agree."

AFC and CONCACAF Presidents show concerns over expansion

In March's FIFA Council, Uruguayan football chief Ignacio Alonso proposed expansion of the 2030 World Cup. FIFA later announced that it would study the proposal.

Since then, Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez has been the frontrunning campaigner for an expansion to 64 teams. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been silent on the idea, but according to sources close to FIFA, he favours the plan and came up with it in the first place.

🚨 An official proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams has been put forward by the South American Football Confederation. 🌍🏆

(Source: @BBCSport) pic.twitter.com/LDTfggf3BA

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) April 11, 2025

Conmebol have often been his path to market for alterations that he desires – the most stunning of these recently having been for a biennial World Cup cycle.

Last week, Dominguez supported a tournament extension from 48 teams to 64 teams in the 2030 World Cup as a once-off for the centenary celebrations for the global finals. Dominguez said:

We are convinced that the celebration of the centenary will be something unique, because it has only once been 100 years old. And for this reason, we are proposing, for one, to carry out this anniversary with 64 teams, across three simultaneous continents. So that all countries have the opportunity to live a world experience, and so that no one is left out of this party even if it is played everywhere, it is our party.

With Victor Montagliani joining the mounting anti-64-team World Cup campaign, he is joined by fellow FIFA vice presidents Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (AFC president) and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

Following Infantino, they are the next three strongest political officials in the world governing body. Montagliani told ESPN:

At Concacaf, we’ve shown that we are open to change by supporting the Women’s World Cup expansion and the continuous evolution of our Confederation’s men’s and women’s national team and club events,”

I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players.

Yesterday, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa cautioned against expansion to 64 teams and the 'chaos' it might bring, telling Agence France-Presse: "Personally, I don't agree." He further stated:

If the question is open to amendment, then the door will not only be open to increasing the tournament to 64 teams,"

But somebody will come along and insist on increasing the amount to 132 teams. Where would we get to then? It would be chaos.

Even the president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, who also serves as FIFA vice president, joined the chorus of criticism. He stated:

It is not a good idea for the World Cup itself, and it's not a good idea for our qualifiers as well," 

I don't know where it came from, but it's odd that we didn't know anything prior to this proposal at the FIFA Council."

Would you like a World Cup with 64 teams? 🤔

The 2022 tournament had 32, and 48 will compete in 2026 🏆 pic.twitter.com/sJyyEtaBIE

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 3, 2025

Future World Cups and logistical issues

Excitement is rising for the first-ever 48-team World Cup to be staged in 2026 by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

This event is a huge rise from the traditional 32-team setup, and any further expansion to 64 would double matches to a mind-boggling 128. Contrary to this, the forthcoming 2026 event will host 104 matches to be staged in 16 host cities.

Read Also | FIFA World Cup 2026: Teams qualified so far

The logistical issues for the 2030 World Cup are already significant, with its games spread across three continents. Its initial host nations are Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, but Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina will be hosting the milestone opening games, marking a century since the tournament's first edition was held in Uruguay.

FIFA has yet to comment publicly on the feasibility of this proposal, although they did confirm their duty to consider it.

Read Also | FIFA dismisses Morocco's claims about Western Sahara in the 2030 FIFA World Cup bid assessment report

The proposal is expected to be a subject of debate at FIFA's upcoming 75th Congress, which takes place annually on May 15 in Paraguay's capital, Asunción, which houses the headquarters of Conmebol. The congress agenda is yet to be published, but the plan for a 64-team World Cup will supposedly receive intense local lobbying in the backrooms and corridors of FIFA.