Bayer Leverkusen: New German Champions Shake Up Bundesliga Tradition

A new champion is good for the Bundesliga. A competition with always the same winner is simply not one. Football Germany should be happy about that. But it’s obviously not entirely straightforward and easy.

Bayer Leverkusen has a special role in German football. Controversial exceptions to the 50+1 rule, which is actually intended to limit the influence of investors, apply to Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim and Leverkusen.

Due to the tradition of close ties to the club, the Bayer Group is granted a significant share in decisions – financially, this means great security and a competitive advantage for the Werkself in return.

Most of the fans who recently used tennis balls to prevent investors from entering the German Football League have a problem with German champions Bayer Leverkusen for exactly that reason.

That is understandable.

Call it pragmatic and unromantic if I I am dealing well with the Bayer Leverkusen case due to the long-term commercialization of football.

Fantastic squad

Of course, those responsible in Leverkusen can do their own business thanks to their proximity to the global company.

On the other hand, it would have been possible for some other clubs to put together a squad similar to that of the new German champions.

Xabi Alonso came as a rookie coach – cross and free kick god Alejandro Grimaldo was only known to experts as a newcomer – Jonathan Tah was considered a temporarily unstable defensive builder.

It is a great achievement of coach Alonso and the club bosses to have built and developed a team that inspires with its football and brought down the stumbling series champions Bayern.

It’s always been fun this season to watch Granit Xhaka’s strategy, Jeremie Frimpong’s pace and Florian Wirtz’s pirouettes.

Bayer Leverkusen are German champions – and that’s a good thing.