They had never won in 120 years. Until now.
The German soccer team who broke one of sports’ oldest curses
For decades—no, centuries—they were known by that nickname: Neverkusen. They might get close, but the storied German soccer club Bayer Leverkusen would never win a league title…or any trophy for that matter. At matches, opponent fanbases would taunt them, singing, “You’ll never win!” And for over 120 years, that’s exactly what they did.
They lost and they lost and they lost and they lost.
Until, finally, they didn’t.
Curses came undone last weekend. Men cried. They sang new songs.
Leverkusen won.
"I have the feeling this is not just for us, this is for so many people that have been chasing this dream for so many years," manager Xabi Alonso said after Sunday’s 5-0 victory against Werder Bremen that clinched the Bundesliga title.
Just 18 months ago, the storied club found themselves in danger of relegation. They turned to Alonso, a former midfielder who starred at Real Madrid, to teach the squad how to win. Almost immediately, that’s what started to happen. Led by 20-year-old attacker Florian Wirtz, Leverkusen surged up the standings, finishing last season at sixth. They carried that momentum into the new year; so far, they haven’t lost—not even to mighty Bayern Munich, who has won the last 11 titles in a row.
Last weekend, leading up to the match against Werder Bremen where a win would clinch the title (and a loss would still leave several chances to clinch), people in the town of Laverkusen spoke in hushed tones and whispers. Few dared to say that word “championship” out loud, lest they jinx things. Laverkusen is a factory town of just over 150,000 and is the home of pharmaceutical giant Bayer, who own the club. Originally, it was a team for workers at the local factory. Fans still refer to them by the nickname Werkself, or Factory XI.
Close calls became part of the club’s identity. In 2000, Leverkusen found themselves atop the table heading into the final weekend. They needed only a draw to clinch. Yet in the 20th minute, a star midfielder scored an own goal. Across the country, Bayern Munich had to lift a replica trophy; the real one had been taken to Laverkusen before the game, the outcome deemed all but certain.
The next year, Laverkusen found themselves in position to do the unthinkable and win a treble, meaning three major trophies in one season: the Bundesliga, the Champions League, and the DFB Cup, Germany’s domestic cup. But in the span of one month, they drew one match and then lost twice to let the Bundesliga dream slip away. A week later, they lost 4-2 in the DFB Cup final to an underdog. A few days after that, Zinédine Zidane scored one of the great goals in soccer history to lead Real Madrid over Laverkusen in the Champions League final.
“We never expected this would happen, we hoped, but never thought it would,” said one fan after last week’s game. “Especially after what happened.”
But this year, something changed. 10,000 fans greeted the team’s bus when they arrived at the stadium before the match. They sold shirts depicting Alonso and Wirtz as saviors. And they delivered. Nigerian striker Victor Boniface netted a penalty in the 25th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka added a second to extend the Laverkusen lead to 2-0 in the 60th minute. Energy swelled. And then, pandemonium. Wirtz scored in the 67th. He scored again in the 83rd. At 4-0, fans stormed the field to celebrate. They lit flares, and the stadium filled with red. Officials had to clear the pitch, and the game was delayed. When it was eventually restarted, Wirtz scored a third to complete his hattrick in stoppage time. The referee didn’t even bother to blow the whistle this time.
Laverkusen were champions at last.
In the throng of cheering supporters, midfielder Robert Andrich found a TV camera. “Now it’s Bayer Leverkusen’s time,” he said.
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