Clubs that have never been relegated: Top 7

Clubs that have never been relegated: Competing in the top division of a sport in any nation is a symbol of achievement and pride. However, most of the clubs, even the most historic and dominant ones have had a down period and slipped down into the lower divisions.

Nevertheless, there are a few clubs that have stood testament to their consistency and dominance. These clubs have continued to perform at the top most level, decade after decade. As a result they have graced the top tier league in their respective nations for the better part of a century or more.

There have been 74 clubs across the major leagues of the footballing world that have stayed in the highest division for at least 75 years. These teams along with the duration and period of their spell are tabulated. As usual we will take a closer look at the most high profile teams among them.

1. Celtic 133 years

No other club outside Northern Ireland have managed to come near this unfathomable record held by Celtic. Unlike their arch-rivals Rangers who were relegated in the last decade, that fate seems unlikely for Celtic in the near future. Given their impressive work on and off the field. The club has not just stuck around in the top tier for long. They have also dominated the division. They trail Rangers by two titles with 53 championships. And are one of the five clubs to have won more than 100 honours.

2. Inter Milan 114 years

Internazionale is the only club to have competed in the top division of Italy since the club’s inception in 1909. This also makes the club the team that have survived in the top 5 european leagues for the longest period. The club has the joint second most titles in Italy. Alongside their arch-rivals, AC Milan. They have also listed six European trophies, including three Champions Leagues.

3. Flamengo 111 years

For more than a century, Internacional ws the club that had a continuous run in the top league of Brazil. However, with that streak being ended in 2016, Urubu took the top spot. The club has continuously played in the top division since its inception in 1912. They have 7 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles, 37 Campeonato Carioca and 3 Copa Libertadores in their cabinet.

4. Sparta Rotterdam 109 years

In an entry that might surprise a few, Sparta Rotterdam is the club that has spent most time continuously in the Eredivisie and its predecessor. The club that most might have taken the top spot in dutch clubs, Ajax comes second. That being said, it is only a matter of time before the Amsterdam club takes over the crown from Sparta. This is due to the fact that the Rotterdam club ended its spell in 2002. Meanwhile, Ajax is still going on strong.

Sparta Rotterdam is one of the few clubs in this list that has not quite dominated the division. Despite the club winning 6 league titles, none has come since 1959. And just one has been won since 1915.

5. Arsenal 104 years

The Gunners are the first English club to feature in this list. The club suffered relegation back in 1913. However, the spell from 1919 is enough for the club to be the only English club in this list. The club has won 13 league titles in addition to a couple European competitions.

6. Hamburger SV 99 years

Die Rothosen was founded as Hamburger SV in 1919 when SC Germania and two other clubs merged. Since the relegation of Eintracht Frankfurt in 1996, HSV was destined to become the team with most years consecutively in the German top flight. And that it did. However, the club failed to reach the landmark of 100 successive years in the top-flight when it went down in 2008.

The club has since failed to get back up from the second division. However, the club in its peak won 6 league titles and a European Cup.

7. Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF 94 years

All three of these Spanish giants have not gone down into the 2nd division since 1929, when the league was founded. These clubs have won the league title a combined 70 times. This means that in only 23 seasons did one of these teams fail to claim the league. It would be interesting to see which of these teams would drop to crown an undisputed leader.

As we can clearly see from this list, several massive clubs have fallen to eventually end their spell. While other massive clubs on your mind may not have even made it onto the list.