Following Bayer Leverkusen as a full-time journalist has been like a journey on a roller coaster, since I started covering the Werkself for Bild in 2008.
Bayer Leverkusen always had good teams and talented players. Travelling with Leverkusen through Europe became normal, and still it is. But the big dream – Meister, champions – never came true.
When Xabi Alonso was appointed as the new manager, we had just come back from Porto, Leverkusen lost 0-2 in the Champions League and were facing a relegation battle. Alonso took over from Gerardo Seoane in 17th position: the rest is history.
Bayer Leverkusen smashed the 'Neverkusen' tag in style
As a reporter you also feel a bit like a champion, when you follow a club every day, game by game. But with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the league, the chances of witnessing a major success like this feels almost impossible.
But Xabi Alonso, CEO Fernando Carro and the CEO of Sport, Simon Rolfes, turned a whole club and an entire city into something new – into a place with a winning mentality.
April 14, 2024, marked the beginning of a new era in German football, after Bayern had won the previous 11 titles in a row. When Leverkusen smashed Werder Bremen 5-0, the whole city, dressed in black and red for weeks, went crazy. The old 'Neverkusen' label was gone.
This should serve as a good example for other clubs in their annual quest to compete against Bayern in the title race. See, it is possible. Of course, it was fascinating to see how Leverkusen managed to win the first-ever unbeaten Bundesliga season. Late goals became their trademark. The story of Laterkusen is another chapter of this unforgettable season.
Leverkusen have waited so long for silverware. In 1993 they won the DFB-Pokal, making it 31 years of hurt – and then 2024 came with two major trophies: The Meisterschale and the DFB-Pokal which sealed their first-ever domestic double.
Even the Supercup, boycotted by the club's ultras, now shines bright from the trophy cabinet at the entrance of the BayArena. They came to close to a fourth title as well, losing out to Atalanta in the final of the Europa League...
For me, who covered 46 of the 53 matches 2023/24, from Sandhausen to Heidenheim, from Baku to Dublin, it was the craziest time I’ve ever experienced as a journalist.
Pippo Arens is a reporter for German tabloid Bild, and has been covering Bayer Leverkusen since 2008.
