As the world watched in awe, a collective effort unfolded, fueled by a shared desire to redefine what was thought unachievable. With every stride forward, they etched their names into the annals of history, embodying the spirit of resilience and relentless pursuit of greatness.
This is Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a club known as The Black and Reds and ‘Die Werkself’, translated into English as ‘The Company’s eleven’.
From the beginning of the season and down to their continuous success, numerous football fans thought they wouldn’t win the league or perhaps lose their winning streak as opponents such as Bayern Munich were also hoping to grab their 12th bundesliga title in a row.
With additions such as Harry Kane, a very prolific striker who’s also seeking his first major trophy in his career, which was, however, believed to have informed his decision to move to the Bundesliga giants, made the record champions intention to retain their title stronger.
Defying all odds and with 5 matches to end the 2023/24 Bundesliga season, Bayer Leverkusen thrashed Werder Bremen 5-0 on Matchday 29 at the BayArena to seal the win and the league for the Black and Reds.
Goals from Victor Boniface, Granit Xhaka and a hattrick from German youngster, Florian Wirtz, did the job for Leverkusen to give them their first-ever Bundesliga coronation.
The man of the moment, Xabi Alonso, who was earlier in the season being chased by the big boys due to his exploits, confirmed that he will be staying at Leverkusen in a press conference on March 29, 2024.
“We’ve had a lot of speculation regarding my future. We’ve had a lot of games, been pretty busy, pretty focused, and I wanted to use the international break and reflect and take a decision. Last week I had a very good meeting with Simon [Rolfes] and Fernando [Carro] and informed them of my decision to continue as coach of Bayer Leverkusen, he said
“It’s the right place for me to be, to develop as a coach. The fans showed great support this year. They have all the reasons to believe and dream we can have a great season. The players gave me so many reasons to keep believing in the team. My job is not over here, he added.”
Xabi Alonso won 24 games with 0 losses and 5 draws to give the Black and Reds their first league title.
Also, Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman, for the first time, will not win the league title in his professional career.
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Story by: Gabriel Tecco Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
