The end of Singapore football was completed on Nov. 3, 2017.

This was after Japanese club Albirex Niigata won the S-League title again for the second time after they won it in 2016.

Impressive run

The Japanese team had won all four domestic football titles last year.

These include the S-League, Community Shield, League Cup and RHB Singapore Cup.

They are on course to repeat the same feat this season.

Albirex Niigata destroyed Warriors FC 5-1 on Nov. 3 to win their second straight Great Eastern-Hyundai S-League title.

They have already won the Community Shield and the League Cup earlier in the season.

This means that the White Swans, as they are also called, will complete another sweep of all titles if they beat Philippine outfit Global Cebu in the RHB Singapore Cup final on Nov. 25.

Dominance in past two years

Albirex Niigata has been playing in Singapore for 13 years.

They joined the S-League in 2004.

However, the team only really bloomed in 2015, where they won the League Cup and Singapore Cup.

Soul-searching

Following Albirex Niigata's victory, The Straits Times published a soul-searching and damning report about the state of Singapore football.

The article compared the professionalism of the Japanese side compared to Singapore's local teams and players, highlighting that Albirex players conduct training even on match days and the differences in sporting mentality.

The ST piece included an illuminating quote, which should be read in the context of Singapore football standards:

"If you aim for mediocrity, you will get mediocre results. We exist in Singapore football to win trophies," said Albirex vice-chairman Koh Mui Tee.

You can check out Albirex Niigata's awesome year here.