Bundesliga: Serial champions Bayern Munich make it 9 in a row

Bayern Munich kicked off their run of nine consecutive titles with a dominant 2012-13 season under legendary coach Jupp Heynckes. Not only did the Bavarians finish 25 points (91 in total) ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, but they also won the German Cup, and beat BVB 2-1 in the all-German final of the Champions League at London's Wembley Stadium.

Bayern Munich clinched the 2013-14 title by beating Hertha in Berlin's Olympic Stadium on March 25. This was just the 27th matchday of the season and the earliest any team has sealed the deal since the Bundesliga was established in 1963. This was Bayern's 24th Bundesliga title and the first for Pep Guardiola. The completed the double by beating Dortmund 2-0 in the German Cup final.

Bayern Munich won this title without kicking a ball. On a day off, the Bavarians clinched the title when Borussia Mönchengladbach beat Wolfsburg 1-0, making it mathematically impossible for the Wolves to catch up to them at the top of the table. There was no celebration, captain Phlipp Lahm and Co. Didn't even bother to get together to watch the game. Were Bayern getting bored by all this winning?

Bayern's fourth consecutive Bundesliga title is also the third for Pep Guardiola. This would be the final season for the Spanish coach in the Bavarian capital before moving on to Premier League outfit Manchester City. Munich dragged their feet a little bit in 2015-15, waiting until Matchday 33 to clinch the 26th German title in Bayern's history – with a 2-1 win in Ingolstadt.

Bayern Munich won this title with a comfortable 15-point edge over RB Leipzig – while going undefeated in the friendly confines of the Allianz Arena. Even a change of coach (now Carlo Ancelotti) did nothing to change Bayern's dominance. This was a special season for Poland striker Robert Lewandowski who scored 30 goals – just the second after Gerd Müller to reach that plateau in a single season.

After Bayern got out to a disappointing start to the season, Jupp Heynckes came out of retirement to guide the club to yet another title. After a record 1,038 Bundesliga matches (669 as a coach, 369 as a player) the then-73-year-old Heynckes went out on top, as Bayern finished 21 points ahead of Schalke. However, Bayern failed to complete the double, losing 3-1 to Frankfurt in the Cup final.

The man who beat Heynckes in that Cup final succeeded him at Bayern and promptly delivered a seventh straight Bundesliga title. Still, all wasn't well in Munich. Coach Niko Kovac's men sealed the title with a 5-1 romp over Frankfurt, but Thomas Müller was unhappy about no longer being a starter and Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben, two of the leagues best-ever foreign players, left at season's end.

Even a pandemic and another coaching change couldn't stop Bayern. Assistant coach Hansi Flick replaced Niko Kovac in October 2020 and quickly steadied the ship, eventually going on a run in which the Bavarians seemed unbeatable. Bayern took a COVID-19-induced weeks-long break and empty stadiums in their stride as they cruised to an eighth-straight title, 13 points clear of pretenders BVB.

Bayern Munich's ninth straight title was Hansi Flick's second - and his last. The 56-year-old had already announced his departure from the club following a dispute with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic before Bayern were crowned champions due to a defeat for RB Leipzig, coached by Flick's successor, Julian Nagelsmann.