Al Hilal, the team coached by Brazilian, Jorge Jesus, currently holds the record for the most consecutive wins in football, a title previously held by The New Saints of Wales. Al Hilal has achieved 34 straight victories and continues to defend this record.
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However, Arkadag FC from Turkmenistan claims to have surpassed this record with 37 consecutive wins since their inception last year.
GWR response
Guinness World Records has been unable to verify Arkadag’s claim due to insufficient data. “There are relatively few details available for the Turkmenistan league, less than we would like for our research. This could also be indicative of a level of governance and competition below what we would normally look for” a Guinness spokesperson explained to The Guardian. This statement confirms Al Hilal as the official record holder.
Response on X
On the X platform, football enthusiasts took the news with diverse opinions. Positively or otherwise, they had something to say.
Here are a few comments:
- The story of Arkadag is a documentary waiting to happen
Love this story about the very, very successful Turkmenistani side Arkadag FC. There’s a great documentary in here just waiting to be made.
(By @JohnnyDuerden for @guardian_sport) ⬇️ https://t.co/wQUPVvpj94— Jason Evans 🏴 🇪🇺 (@EvansTheCrime) April 16, 2024
- Conspiracies about Saudi Arabia paying GWR to promote their league
If Saudi Arabia says oldest man is 80 years old. Then, Guinness World Records will change the record an say , the oldest man is 80 years old, and he is from Saudi Arabia. Football longest winning streak is 37 by Arkadag FC. But record holder is Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal -34 !!!
— Mafela 1212 (@1212Mafela) April 16, 2024
- Arkadag FC was created, funded and named after the President of Turkmenistan. Thus, their wins may not be credible.
Turkmeński klub Arkadag FC wygrał właśnie 38. spotkanie z rzędu, co jest nowym rekordem na świecie, którego jednak nie uznaje komisja ds. rekordów Guinessa.
Klub powstał w ubiegłym roku, założony przez byłego prezydenta 🇹🇲 i nazwany na jego cześć (Arkadag to jego przydomek).… pic.twitter.com/eMRigO1Rzs
— Adam_Kotleszka ⚽🏝️🇺🇸🇦🇺🇨🇦 (@Adam_Kotleszka) April 18, 2024
- Arkadag FC is unknown globally and no one knew they existed till now.
o turcomenistão é todo fechado, só pra conseguir entrar lá já é a maior dor de cabeça. ninguém sabia nem que existia uma liga de futebol profissional lá. nao dá pra querer questionar isso. seria tipo algum time da coreia do norte querer questionar esse recorde
— zé zehzinho zehzão (@zehzinho18) April 16, 2024
End of the streak
Note that on Wednesday, Al Ain halted Al Hilal’s 34-match winning streak with a decisive 4-2 victory in the Asian Champions League semi-final. Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi was the standout performer, netting a hat-trick in the first half.
Despite the loss, Jorge Jesus dismissed any suggestions of overconfidence. “There is no such thing called overconfidence,” he stated. “In football, you can’t control what happens in the match.”
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
The first episode is available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel and the series will receive weekly releases to tell this legend’s life story.
