Arsenal lose 'Invincibles' trademark to club legend

Tom Weber

• Updated: 3 May 2024 13:14 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal have lost the branding rights to the 'Invincibles' moniker after the trademark was acquired by club legend Jens Lehmann.

The 20th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in Premier League history is coming up in less than two weeks. In 2003/04, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal won the Premier League after going the entire season unbeaten.

The 'Invincibles' did not lose a single one of the 38 games that season and indeed their unbeaten record extended beyond just that one campaign. Arsenal did not lose between May 7, 2003 and October 16, 2004, a ridiculous run of 49 Premier League games.

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Many sides have since been compared to this great team. Currently, Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen are gunning for their own 'Invincibles' nickname. The German side are yet to lose this term and are only two games away from breaking Benfica's stunning record of not tasting defeat in 48 fixtures in all competitions.

Should Leverkusen really manage to win a treble and go the entire campaign unbeaten, they won't be allowed to use the 'Invincibles' branding - but actually neither are Arsenal.

Lehmann buys trademark

It has been revealed that Arsenal legend Jens Lehmann acquired the trademark to the 'The Invincibles' branding in 2022 for £30,000. The former Gunners goalkeeper, who was part of the 03/04 side, is setting up a company with the players and staff members from that season with the aim of capitalising on the popularity of the moniker.

Arsenal are still selling clothes with 'Invincibles' branding, but Lehmann could theoretically take legal action against his former club to stop them from doing so. “I had the idea because the name 'Invincibles' becomes more and more popular approaching the 20th anniversary,” Lehmann told the Daily Mail.

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“And nobody had it. Arsenal were probably a little surprised because nobody thought about having the brand name registered. At least they know it's now being controlled.”

Lehmann says he's aware of Arsenal marketing 'Invincibles' branded merchandise: “The lady in the shop said it sells like gold dust! It’s something we haven’t discussed yet. If the shareholders say we have to do something, yeah, we may have to do something.”