‘Goodbye’. See you around. The ‘BundesBayern’ or the ‘BayernLiga’ – depending on your preference – is now history. The myths of ‘Neverkusen’, ‘Loserkusen’, ‘Vicekusen’… are also left behind.
The team chaired by the Spanish Fernando Carro, trained by Xabi Alonso and flagged from the ‘green’ by Alejandro Grimaldo and Borja Iglesias has banished forever the legend of the ‘pupas’ that surrounded Bayer (without an n) to put an end to the tyranny of Bayern, which chained 11 consecutive ‘Salad Bowls’. A streak, the longest streak of all time in the major leagues, to which, curiously, Alonso himself contributed, who, during his time at Allianz as a player, won three ‘Salad Bowls’: 2014-15, 2015 -16 and 2016-17.
“To be honest, we would prefer to decide it ourselves on the pitch,” warned Xabi on Friday, before the victories of Bayern and Stuttgart prevented them from ‘singing the alirón’ without playing, watching it on television. “Fortunately, it is not the only opportunity we have to be champions, but we are playing at home and we want to take advantage of the first match-ball,” he added.
No sooner said than done. This time, unlike what was experienced in 1999-00, when they lost the ‘Salad Bowl’ on the last day with a Ballack own goal, or in 2001-02, when they saw how the League, Cup and Champions in a period of 15 days, Bayer Leverkusen did not fail.
The ‘Xabineta’ defeated Werder Bremen (5-0) with the BayArena (30,210 spectators) bursting at the seams to win their first League! of its history… with five days to go. They are 16 points ahead of Bayern and Stuttgart. A milestone for that team that the Bayer pharmaceutical workers founded as entertainment – it is one of the two exceptions to the 50+1 rule that exists in Germany – 119 years ago. “Football owes a Champions League to Atlético and a League to Leverkusen,” Fernando Carro said in MARCA last summer. He already has it. After five runners-up finishes, it will occupy a preferential place alongside the UEFA Cup won against Espanyol in 1987-88 and the German Cup won in 1992-93.
Football owes a Champions League to Atlético and a League to Leverkusen
Fernando Carro, CEO of Leverkusen
“We must put an end to Bayern’s hegemony, for the same team to win the League 11 years in a row is not the best,” acknowledged the Bayer CEO. His deed, to overthrow the ‘Bavarian Empire’, is worthy of ‘Asterix and Obelix’. Among the 18 teams that make up the Bundesliga, Leverkusen is the third city with the smallest number of inhabitants (163,000) and its budget, the fourth largest in the Bundesliga (250 million), is three times less than that of Bayern (780).
As if that were not enough, when Alonso arrived, a year and a half ago, to make his debut on a First Division bench, the team was in decline. A ‘fairy tale’ that, saving the distance, has certain parallels with the one that Leicester starred in when they won the 2015-16 Premier League. Now, after rejecting Bayern and Liverpool by renewing until 2026, ‘Xabi I of Germany’ has placed him at the top. Long live the king.
A record champion
It doesn’t matter what, but also how. Bayer Leverkusen is on its way to imitating Wenger’s Arsenal. He can finish the League without losing a single game. In fact, it is the only team in Europe that remains undefeated in all competitions: it has 37 wins and six draws in 43 games.
The victory over Werder Bremen, in addition to the ‘Salad Bowl’, brought two new records under its belt. Leverkusen (29 games) surpassed the record for games without losing since the start of the League that was established by Guardiola’s Bayern (28) in 2013-14. It’s curious: only that team (matchday 27) sang the alirón more precociously than Xabi Alonso’s team.
Not only that. They have equaled the 43 games that Juventus went ‘undefeated’ in 2011-12, absolute record in the history of European football, and they are going for more.
And in Leverkusen the sound sounded… Long live Spain!
Bayer, which has only dropped eight points in the League, has already broken its record for points (79), victories (25) and goals (69) and still He has five days to continue improving himself.
Going for the triplet
‘Die Werkself’, already with the League in its pocket, sees on the horizon a ‘treble’ that was unimaginable at the beginning of the season… but increasingly feasible. Ten games, in the best of cases, separate him from the ‘triple crown’.
Xabi Alonso will take advantage of the five Bundesliga games left to play to take breaks… without losing competitive tension. In addition, they have reached the Cup final – they will face Kaiserslautern, from the Second Division – and defeated West Ham (2-0) in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals. If they reached the final, they would have another four games ahead of them. ‘Neverkusen’ is now ‘Winnerkusen’.
champion’s word
Xabi Alonso, to MARCA after winning the Bundesliga: “It is incredible to enter the history of Leverkusen”
Alonso, after bathing in beer, chatted with MARCA: “Every title is special. I really enjoyed the promotion with Sanse, It was very special, but this title, already at the highest level, is incredible. We entered Leverkusen history by winning the Bundes for the first time. It tastes great and now is the time to celebrate. We have deserved it. Not only for the results, but for the way of doing it.”
We enter Leverkusen history by winning the Bundes for the first time
Xabi Alonso, coach of Bayer Leverkusen
The euphoria was such that the invasion arrived before the end. Up to 20,000 people were still in the BayArena two hours after the game, forcing the players to go out to the box to greet, sing… The ‘Long live Spain’ boomed over the public address system in honor of its heroes. The party must continue.
2024-04-14 21:42:12
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