A day to celebrate again

Where were you on 14 April 2024? – This question will probably be asked a lot in Leverkusen today. And can there be anybody in this city who doesn't have an answer to hand? Hard to imagine. That Sunday exactly a year ago was too special. Too big. Too stirring. Too incredible. Everybody will have their own personal memory of that historic day. As everybody was there somehow. Even those who were unfortunately unable to get a ticket for the game of games against Werder Bremen.

Anybody unable to support the team inside the BayArena could at the least get to the BayArena. For the overwhelming reception for the team bus on Bismarckstraße with pyrotechnics, a sea of chanting fans and showers of confetti. Or to the big screen at Konrad-Adenauer-Platz organised by the Lev-Szene 86 fan club. Who would stay at home on the day that promised to be the biggest in the 120 years of the club's history? Perhaps also the biggest in the hundred years of the city's history. No, there was only one thing to do: Head for the stadium. To the centre of the action. To soak up the special atmosphere in the summer like weather. Be there. And feel the incredible anticipation. Us.FOR.OUR.DREAM.

In the previous days, Leverkusen had spruced itself up with all parts of the city showing their colours. Flags, pennants, banners, balloons, stickers, shirts – Black and Red displays of affection everywhere: on windows, balconies and roundabouts, in schools and nurseries, on cars, lorries and bicycles. What happened in the city on those days was incredible. 'King' Xabi Alonso and his players aroused a feeling of community that had never been seen before in Leverkusen with their football and their performances. Suddenly nationwide media were interested in the city between the Bayer Works and the Wasserturm. Der Spiegel, die Welt, die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and TV broadcasters including ARD, ZDF, Sky, RTL – all reported on Leverkusen. And here they wanted to capture the clearly unbelievable euphoria ahead of the equally unbelievable title win.

And now, on that 14 April, the whole city is up and about. Tens of thousands get themselves ready for the biggest open-air party Leverkusen has ever experienced. Because who doubted that it would happen with the title this time round. Many people said you never know what might happen in Leverkusen. But with a 16-point lead over Bayern and Stuttgart with six games to play? What could possibly go wrong. No it was done and dusted. Just one game needed.

The final minutes before kick-off – difficult to bear. The Werkself fans at the BayArena are waving hundreds of silver Meisterschale trophies in the air. Like a rally. Will the tension in the stands diminish when the game gets going? No. Not at all at the start. Xabi Alonso made seven changes to the side that beat West Ham United 2-0 in the Europa League. The usual rotation. Granit Xhaka – in the starting XI as usual – and Co. get off to a quiet start. A good thing too. At least for everybody who needs a bit of time to get control of their nerves. And then the desire for the first goal is palpable in the stadium, almost touchable. Get it done. Please don't wait for the last-minute madness again. Not today.

And the team see it. Victor Boniface unleashes celebration and relief with his converted penalty on 25 minutes. The roof is raised at the BayArena. The 1-0 scoreline at half-time settles people down a bit. But not more. Then Florian Wirtz comes on to the pitch for the second half – the fairy-tale is getting going. Granit Xhaka hits a shot from distance into the net on the hour mark. And that releases the brakes. The fans sing ‘SVB will be the champions of Germany’. And there is so much certainty in that wonderful song. Again and again the sound of champions of Germany. In the middle of the singing, Flo Wirtz makes it 3-0. And when the Werkself number 10 puts his team 4-0 up on 83 minutes after a brilliant solo run there is a moment for eternity. Wirtz clearly gestures to stop the fans invading the pitch. It's almost too much to bear. The photographer Ralf Ibing captured that moment and his photo "restrained celebration" and it is named the sports photograph of the year 2024 a few months later. Yes, it is a photograph that really says more than a thousand words.

Full time draws closer, the pressure is growing more and more. People in the stands are getting ready to invade the pitch and champions shirts are being handed out on the bench. But Wirtz isn't finished. He completed his hat-trick on 90 minutes to make it 5-0. And then there is no holding back. Like a broken dam. In a flash there is a Black and Red mass on the pitch. The referee blows the final whistle but it is hard to hear. Bayer 04 Leverkusen are champions of Germany. For the first time in 45 years in the Bundesliga. Really! Crazy! Friends and strangers embrace. Jeremie Frimpong is carried by the fans. Tears are flowing. Including for Robert Andrich. "Completely broken down at the end. I can't find the words," stutters our midfield enforcer full of joy. And Jonathan Tah is also moved: "Difficult to put into words what it means to me. It was very hard work. The fans have been brilliant at every game. I'm very proud of what we've achieved today."

What to do with all the emotion? Everybody experiences these minutes in their own way. Many shout out their joy, others touch the pitch for a moment or smile to themselves lost in thought.

Fernando Carro, CEO, recalled: "There was a very special moment on the day. When it became clear we would win I suddenly asked myself: Where do I want to experience that moment now? Do I go down into the middle of the melee or do I stay here to watch everything from above? I'm normally somebody who doesn't hesitate a second in moments like that and wants to be close to the action. But I stood still up there and really enjoyed the moment in that way."

 

And Simon Rolfes, sporting managing director, will never forget that 14 April and a profound moment: "Everything was perfect on the day. The weather was fantastic, my family and I were in the East Stand for the bus reception and everybody felt: It will happen today. Then the game, five goals, Flo's hat-trick, the stage… Xabi and I went straight into the dressing room after the final whistle. And then we stood there – alone. Nobody else was there, just us two. It felt quite bizarre. We embraced and congratulated each other. And then we asked ourselves: How do you turn the television on here? (he laughs) I will never forget the feeling on that day. I think the further this season is in the past the more we will see how special it was.

It was a long night in Leverkusen on that 14 April. The players celebrate each other and later their coach (drawing the post-match press conference) with a beer shower. Xabi Alonso sings and dances in the dressing room. The fans wait on the pitch and want to see their team again. The whole team appears on a balcony in the South Stand. And Fernando Carro calls out to the animated crowd: "History owed us a trophy. We have the best fans in Germany, the best team, the best players, the best coach, the best club, the best staff!"

Then the party carries on. For the fans on the streets in and around the BayArena and in the pubs and bars in this city. For the players and their families initially in the business area in the stadium were Rudi Völler and Xabi Alonso embrace to the cheers of the guests. "I've never been able to bear the concept of 'Vizekusen' – that is history now. An absolutely justifiably so," Völler said later. And, of course, Reiner Calmund, the former Bayer 04 general manager and chairman of the board, is also there. "For me, Xabi Alonso is not just the king of Leverkusen but also the whole of the Bundesliga," said the visibly moved Calli. It remains a highly emotional evening for many more hours. At the BayArena. And in the city. A day nobody will ever forget if they were able to experience it.

And where were you on 14 April 2024?

Show us and send us your best memories of the champions day HERE.