Bayern Munich are not just 18 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table, they're also leading the way digitally.

According to a report from Results Sports, Germany's record champions increased their social media following by over eight and a half million last year. That's three and a half million more than the Bundesliga's own social media growth. Borussia Dortmund and Schalke had the second and third most growth.

Much like Bayern's lead on the pitch - the club is currently in line to win a sixth consecutive league title - major gains have also been made virtually.

On Facebook, Bayern Munich have nearly 30 million more followers than second-ranked Borussia Dortmund. The club's stadium - the Allianz Arena - has more Facebook followers than 14 other top-flight clubs. Perhaps the real sign of domination comes with the fact Bayern's mascot (Berni) has more followers on Facebook than seven other Bundesliga clubs.

Bayern Munich were ranked the sixth most followed club in the world at the end of January 2018, according to Results Sports, with a "digital following" of nearly 65 million.

Success has also been enjoyed in the Far East. According to Red Card - the leading annual report on the digital performance of European football in China - Bayern won a few awards, including the best use of technology after their application of VR gave fans a 360-degree experience of their stadium. Borussia Dortmund won the best live stream in 2017 after producing an eight-show series over the summer.

Most impressively and perhaps equally unsurprisingly, Bayern's numbers off the field are just as good when it comes to their players. James Rodriguez might have added impetus to Bayern's attack this season, but he has also added his own gigantic social media following. The Colombian has 32 million followers on Facebook (the population of Colombia is 48.6 million). Since his arrival at Bayern, his Twitter following has risen from 13 to 16 million. Bayern's dominance seems to have no end.