In 2003/04, it was Arsenal who were crowned the Invincibles. In 2023/24, it was Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, now the proud owner of a certain Granit Xhaka, who were enjoying an unbeaten season.
It was a miraculous accomplishment from Xabi Alonso's men, not least because they had finally toppled Bayern Munich's dominance.
Well, on Wednesday evening, the two teams pitted themselves against each other in a friendly at the Emirates Stadium. Who came out on top? Arsenal.
It was a mightily fine display from the Gunners who came out of the traps flying, scoring two quick goals through Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz added to the scoreline and sealed what ultimately finished as a 4-1 victory.
Not much can be read into pre-season activities but this was a sublime outing, one that will have supporters dreaming of another title charge.
So, who stood out? Well, the aforementioned Zinchenko had a pretty decent first half.
Oleksandr Zinchenko's performance in numbers
The Ukrainian endured what was a rather topsy-turvy 2023/24 campaign. Suffering from injuries and a lack of form at certain stages, he had to make way for the likes of Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu at left-back.
This season, he will face even more competition. Jurrien Timber has been deployed at left-back since returning from his ACL injury and it's thought that new signing Riccardo Calafiori will also play there.
As a result, Zinchenko needs to impress and impress strongly. He did just that against Leverkusen on Wednesday evening, scoring the opening goal of the game in beautiful fashion. Havertz got down the left and then cut the ball back for the onrushing left-back who swept home devastatingly.
We know the full-back can contribute from that area of the pitch. Few play that inverted role as well as he can in European football.
He won't be judged on that alone, though, and it's in the defensive phases where he will scrutinised. That said, the former Manchester City man was up to the task and for the most part dealt well with the speedy Jeremie Frimpong on the right side of Bayer's attack. He won four of his five ground duels.
Minutes played
45
Goals
1
Touches
37
Accurate passes
21/26 (81%)
Shots on target
2
Key passes
0
Duels won
4/5
Tackles
3
Interceptions
1
However, despite having a pretty good night, Zinchenko was overshadowed by his substitute, Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Lewis-Skelly's performance in numbers
There has been what feels like a mass exodus from Hale End in recent months. The promising midfielder Charlie Patino has been linked with an exit while there have been confirmed departures for Reuell Walters – now at Luton – and Amario Cozier-Duberry – now of Brighton.
Goal machine Chido Obi Martin is also set to move onto pastures new, joining Manchester United after a remarkable time of it inside the penalty area last season.
That said, Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have both stuck around and they are now being rewarded for it. The duo have played a key part during pre-season, with the latter notably catching the eye, assisting Jesus' goal against United during their tour of the US.
For now, though, we want to talk about Lewis-Skelly, a teenager who is more than ready for more first-team appearances, and crucially, is ready to star at left-back.
A midfielder by trade, the 17-year-old has been excellent during pre-season and showed as much in the second half on Wednesday.
Playing on the left-hand side of defence, he completed 100% of his passes and won every duel he was tasked with battling in. He wasn't dribbled past once and looked a pillar of composure, maturity and confidence.
Minutes played
45
Touches
33
Accurate passes
27/27 (100%)
Key passes
0
Shots
0
Duels won
1/1 (100%)
Possession lost
x1
Interceptions
1
Pirouetting past players, making assured passes and making the correct decisions, it's clear to see why Mikel Arteta already has such a great degree of faith in the teenager.
Writing at full-time, Football.London's Kaya Kaynak gave the youngster a match rating of 8/10, describing his display as 'really composed' and 'diligent'.
This was a really encouraging 45 minutes of football from Lewis-Skelly, a young individual who despite the arrival of Calafiori and the reintegration of Timber, will be fighting tooth and nail for a place in the team.
With Zinchenko also not assured of his place, his emergence on the scene could well put an end to the Ukrainian's time in N5 before too long.
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