Bayer Leverkusen are crowned Bundesliga champions brilliantly, undefeated all season, and, in addition to achieving his first league, he broke the legendary hegemony of Bayern Munichwhich had won the last 11 titles consecutively.
Bayer Leverkusen scored and celebrated the title at home. EPA
There was only one way to break Bayern’s incredible streak: with a legendary team. Xabi Alonso formed a team that had brilliance and consistency throughout the tournament, with good collective functioning in all the lines that since May he hasn’t lost.
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Thus, not only did he give the city of Leverkusen the first Bundesliga, but he also demonstrated that you can compete hand in hand with the undisputed power of the Bavarian team based on a daring and sustainable proposal.
“Neverkusen”, a cruel nickname that has disappeared
Bayer Leverkusen is the “eternal runner-up” of German football and as such he earned that hostile nickname. The final of the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League is well remembered, when they lost against the Real Madrid of Zinedine Zidane, Luís Figo and Raúl. But that is not the only time in which he was at the gates of glory.
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On five occasions in the last thirty years they have been runners-up in the Bundesliga: 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2001/02 and 2010-11. The greatest frustration occurred in 2000, when they entered the final matchday three points ahead of Bayern Munich. They only needed a point against Unterhaching to win the title, but lost 2-0. At the same time, Bayern beat Werder Bremen and won the title on goal difference.
Bayer Leverkusen’s path to this unforgettable campaign was very long and winding. He has played in the first division consecutively since 1979 and only Bayern and Borussia Dortmund surpass him in that permanence. In these decades, He had only achieved two official titles: the 1987/88 UEFA Cup and the 1992/93 German Cup. In contrast, he achieved 10 runners-up finishes.
This year they could win three titles: the Bundesliga could be joined by the UEFA Europa League (they are one step away from the semi-finals) and the German Cup (they will play the final against Kaiserslautern).
The end of a historic streak for Bayern Munich
The consecration of Xabi Alonso’s team is not only important for his city and its fans. He is also everything for European football, since he scores the end of the longest hegemony in modern history in Europe. Never had a major league team won 11 titles consecutively. In fact, in the rest of the countries the record is much lower: in Italy, Juventus won 9; in France, Lyon achieved 7; In Spain, Real Madrid won 5 and in England, Manchester United and Manchester City won 3.
Bayern’s brand was in fifth place in history, along with Rosenborg from Norway, who was champion 11 consecutive times between 2005 and 2016. He could not surpass Rosenborg himself (13 between 1992 and 2004); BATE Borisov from Belarus (13 between 2006 and 2018); to Lincoln of Gibraltar (14 between 2002 and 2016) and to Skonto Riga of Latvia (also 14, between 1991 and 2004).
Last year, the Bavarian team had surpassed the German record of Dinamo Berlin, which between 1979 and 1989 won ten consecutive titles in the DDR-Oberliga, the East German league.
