Thrilled by the new squad

The fantastic atmosphere at the UEFA Europa League matches in Monaco and against Roma at the end of the previous season already gave a hint that the new campaign could be a special one. When Bayer 04 started unveiling their new signings in July, the fans were thrilled. Granit Xhaka arrived from Premier League club Arsenal, Jonas Hofmann from league rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach and Victor Boniface from Belgian club Saint-Gilloise. Bayer 04 had previously signed Alejandro Grimaldo from Benfica as well as the talented Arthur and Gustavo Puerta. Fernando Carro (CEO), Simon Rolfes (managing director, sport), Werner Wenning (chairman of the shareholders' committee) and coach Xabi Alonso were lauded by the media for their squad planning. The fact that the Spaniard signed an early two-year contract extension with Bayer 04 at the beginning of August until 30 June 2026 only added to the joy and confidence felt under the cross.

Impressive start and a first record

After two wins in friendlies against Olympique Marseille (2-1) and West Ham United (4-0), it was time for the competitive matches. The first game was the 8-0 win in the first round of the DFB Pokal against Regionalliga side FC Teutonia Ottensen. And even before the league opener against RB Leipzig, Bayer 04 had broken their first record: never before had the club sold more than 19,350 season tickets. That barrier had now been shattered. Membership figures were also rising rapidly. The new home jersey with the cross on the chest was selling like hot cakes. There was already a palpable sense of euphoria.

The 3-2 win against Leipzig and the away success at Mönchengladbach (3-0), kicked off the Werkself's incredible unbeaten run, which would last 51 games. Alonso's team wowed the fans with their enthusiasm in the first few games of the season. All the new signings hit the ground running. And in August, the Black & Reds strengthened their squad with three more players: goalkeeper Matej Kovar was signed from Manchester United, Nathan Tella joined from Southampton and Josip Stanisic arrived on loan from Bayern Munich.

Incredible support away from home too

Speaking of FC Bayern: The clash with the record champions in mid-September was the matchday's standout fixture. League leaders Bayer 04 travelled to the runners-up from Munich and, despite twice going behind, ended up earning a point thanks to an Exequiel Palacios penalty.

The Werkself then entered the Europa League group stage and impressed with a 4-0 win against BK Häcken. And they continued to be successful in the Bundesliga, beating 1. FC Heidenheim (4-1) and 1. FSV Mainz 05 (3-0). Around 4,000 fans travelled to the state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate to celebrate not only the victory, but also the best start to the league in Bayer 04's history. With six games played, the team had already amassed 16 points.

Goal guarantors Grimaldo and Boniface

Alejandro Grimaldo also played a big part in that. The Spanish set-piece specialist not only converted two direct free-kicks, but also set up two more goals. By the turn of the year, the left winger would go on to score 13 goals in 16 league appearances. What a track record! Victor Boniface was also in outstanding form. In September alone, the striker scored five goals and set up two more. Boniface's well-deserved reward: his debut for the Nigerian national team.

Derby win and ‘Goal of the Year’ from Wirtz

Captain Lukas Hradecky and Co. continued their successful run in October. In the home derby, 1. FC Köln stood no chance against the Werkself and went down 3-0, with Jonas Hofmann scoring the opener and setting up another goal. That meant the Germany international was directly involved in at least one goal in nine of his first ten competitive matches for the Werkself, an outstanding start. This was followed by narrow 2-1 wins against VfL Wolfsburg and SC Freiburg in the league. Florian Wirtz scored an absolute stunner against the Breisgau side after a breathtaking solo run, which was voted ‘Goal of the Month’ in October and, later, also 'Goal of the Year' for 2023.

Wirtz dribbled, passed, ran his socks off and worked his magic in the Europa League too, scoring one goal himself and setting up three others in a 5-1 win against Qarabag. In doing so, the youngster set a new record: since his Europa League debut in August 2020, no player had been directly involved in as many goals in the competition as the Leverkusen playmaker (ten goals, 12 assists). However, the victory against Qarabag wasn't the only reason to celebrate. In the game against the Azerbaijani champions, Patrik Schick made his eagerly anticipated comeback at the BayArena after 231 days out injured.

November began with a business trip to Baden-Württemberg. In the 2nd round of the DFB Pokal, the Werkself won 5-2 at third-division club SV Sandhausen - and were supported by around 3,000 Black & Red fans. The support from the Bayer 04 fans continued to be phenomenal, not only in the BayArena, which was consistently sold out, but also away from home.

Another new benchmark

In the league, Xabi Alonso's side stormed to victory after victory. The 4-0 win against 1. FC Union Berlin was their 16th in their 17th competitive match. Bayer 04's 31 from a possible 33 points after 11 Bundesliga matchdays equalled FC Bayern's old record from the 2015/16 season. In the Europa League, the Werkself wrapped up the group win early after two wins at Qarabag (1-0) and Häcken (2-0). Gustavo Puerto was handed a first start in Sweden, Noah Mbamba celebrated his Europa League debut and Ayman Aourir made his first appearance for the senior team.

Record international appearance-maker Granit Xhaka

And this was new too: In November, almost all of the Werkself's players were on the road with their national teams in the final international break of the year. Three Leverkusen players - Robert Andrich (Germany), Nathan Tella (Nigeria) and Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain), made their international debuts, while Granit Xhaka became Switzerland's record appearance-maker when he got his 119th cap.

Unbeaten and league leaders at Christmas

The final push in December was another tough one for Bayer 04: six games in 17 days, five of them at home at the BayArena. The two top clashes against Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart both ended 1-1, while the Black & Reds won in the round of 16 of the DFB Pokal (3-1 against SC Paderborn) and in the final EL group match against Molde (5-1). That made Bayer 04 the only club to have won all six group games in the Europa League that season. Also worth noting: goalkeeper Niklas Lomb returned to the starting XI against Molde for the first time since February 2021. Ken Izekor came off the bench in the 77th minute to make him Bayer's youngest competitive debutant at 16 years and 204 days and the youngest German ever to play in an EL match (or UEFA Cup). And Patrik Schick, making his first start for the Werkself after more than 400 days, scored six minutes after kick-off to make it 1-0.

Just a few days later, in the last game of the year, the Czech scored a remarkable hat-trick in a 4-0 win over VfL Bochum in front of a home crowd. Xabi Alonso surprised everyone by putting out a starting XI with no Africa Cup of Nations players in it. It was a decision that paid off for the games after the winter break. The Werkself, who honoured their 40,000th Bayer 04 club member before the kick-off against Bochum, headed into the winter break as league leaders and with an atmospheric Christmas carol sing-along, and were the only team in German professional football still unbeaten after their first 25 competitive matches of the season.

Boniface sidelined, Kossounou wins AFCON

2024 starts with bad news for Bayer 04: Victor Boniface suffered a groin injury at the Nigeria training camp in preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations. The striker, unable to take part in the tournament, returns to Leverkusen straightaway and is out of action for three months. His Leverkusen teammates Edmond Tapsoba, Amine Adli and Odilon Kossounou compete for their national sides in the AFCON tournament.

For Kossounou and the Ivory Coast, AFCON in their own country ends in triumph: The hosts beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final. The Werkself defender said on his return to Leverkusen: "I experienced everything at the tournament. It was painful losing 4-0 in front of our own fans in the group stage. But we carried on and won in the end. That helps me and my mentality – hopefully I can pass on some of that to the team here in Leverkusen."

Top at the winter break in January

The tenuous hopes of Bundesliga rivals that Bayer 04 could be weakened by three players being away on international duty and the loss of Boniface are dashed. The Alonso team maintain their winning ways in the New Year. A goal in added time from Exequiel Palacios secures a 1-0 win in Augsburg to ensure top spot at the winter break on matchday 17 in the middle of January 2024. Leverkusen go into the second half of the season with a one-point lead over Bayern Munich. The late goal from Palacios is the start of a run of last-minute goals."

‘Last-minute Kusen’ are unstoppable

Bayer 04 also win the second tricky away game a week later with a 3-2 victory over RB Leipzig – and the team’s comeback qualities are demonstrated after going behind twice. Nathan Tella and Jonathan Tah both level to cancel out Leipzig leads. Piero Hincapie lands the knockout blow, once again in added time.

The crowd at the BayArena experienced another nail-biting match at the beginning of February. This time in the DFB Pokal. The Werkself and VfB Stuttgart compete on equal terms in a tight game in the quarter-finals. The Black and Reds again go behind twice against the impressive Swabians. Bayer 04 show grit and determination in hitting back with goals from Robert Andrich and Amine Adli. And Leverkusen again secure a last-minute winner with a header from Jonathan Tah on 90 minutes. The stadium goes crazy. The Werkself are in the semi-finals. It feels like anything is possible.

Masterful against the record champions

The next football fest on Bismarckstraße follows four days later. Bayern Munich are the visitors. The team in second are two points behind the league leaders from Leverkusen at that point and are looking to knock Bayer 04 off top spot. But that doesn't happen. The Werkself dominate the game, are on top in all areas and once again produce thrilling football in a 3-0 win. Bayern have no chance and they go behind to a goal scored by Josip Stanisic, the loanee from the Munich side. "Of course, it was a special moment," said the goalscorer after the game. "You don't play every day against the club you come from and are actually still at." Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong net the other goals against the record champions. Bayer 04 extend the lead to five points. A big step forward to taking the title.

The Werkself send out clear signals to the rivals in February: They win all four Bundesliga matches in addition to the DFB Pokal quarter-final. At the beginning of March, Bayer 04 win the away derby in Cologne 2-0 with goals from Frimpong and Grimaldo while Bayern Munich only draw 2-2 in Freiburg extending the lead for the team led by Xabi Alonso to ten points.

Schick's late goals against Qarabag

Leverkusen make the Round of 16 tie against Qarabag in the Europa League very exciting. The Azerbaijani side, previously played in the group stage, are 2-0 up on 70 minutes in the game in Baku. First, Florian Wirtz pulled a goal back with a lob and Patrik Schick levelled in added time to set up a good position for the return match in Leverkusen. After no goals in the first half, Qarabag are again two goals up in the second 45. Hradecky and Co. are on the verge of the first defeat of the season and an exit from the Europa League. Then the almost impossible happens again: Frimpong pulls a goal back at 2-1. And the Black and Reds turn the game round in added time with two goals from Patrik Schick. The Czechia international is the match winner for 'Last-minute Kusen' with his late brace (90+3' and 90+7') – and the BayArena goes crazy again.

Xabi Alonso: "I'm in the right place here"

At the end of March, TSG Hoffenheim experience in the Bundesliga what all the opponents of the Werkself have to watch out for up to the final kick of the game. The day before the match, Xabi Alonso announces he will be the coach under the Cross next season. "I'm in the right place here, I'm staying at Bayer 04," said the Spaniard who was greeted with applause from his team for that. The Spaniard can rely on the strong mentality of his players in the game against Hoffenheim as well. TSG lead 1-0 at the BayArena on 88 minutes. Is the incredible Leverkusen run actually coming to an end this time? No! Robert Andrich nets the equaliser, Patrik Schick, who clearly found pleasure in last-minute goals, put the ball in the back of the net in added time to secure a 2-1 victory (90+1’). "I'm speechless, what a finish," said the Czechia international beaming after the final whistle. "We kept believing right to the end. It's incredible."

DFB Pokal final for the fifth time

Less exciting, but no less thrilling, is the semi-final of the DFB Pokal against Fortuna Düsseldorf four days later. The Werkself are on top from the kick-off and win 4-0 on 3 April with goals from Frimpong (8'), Amine Adli (20') and Florian Wirtz (36'/60') and thereby go through to the DFB Pokal final for the fifth time. "This team only knows 100%," said midfield maestro Granit Xhaka after the win. "The machine carries on," reports the kicker sports journal. And the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung sees "fleet of foot Leverkusen players" who remain unbeaten for the 40th game in succession.

A run like that is only possible because everybody has their feet on the ground. Because players and coaches dedicate themselves to the next challenge with the highest possible level of concentration. Jonathan Tah puts it as follows: "Take it game by game, focus on the here and now: Those are not just empty words for us, they reflect our attitude and daily approach 100% ."

Between the Bundesliga and Europa League

The gap in the league to second-placed Bayern Munich is now 13 points. And, as the Werkself beat Union Berlin 1-0 on 6 April at the An der Alten Försterei Stadium and FCB surprisingly lose 3-2 in Heidenheim, winning the Bundesliga is suddenly just one game away. With a comfortable 16-point lead, Bayer 04 were able to seal the title at home at the BayArena against Werder Bremen on matchday 29. Match points for the Werkself! Everyone at the club is working flat out to be prepared for that potentially historic day.

But before that, there is the first leg in the Europa League quarter-finals against Premier League West Ham United. Xabi Alonso knows there could be the need for a patient approach against the Hammers. And the Bayer 04 head coach is right again with that assessment. For a long time it looks as though the game at the BayArena will end in a goalless draw. Then Alonso's subs find the target: Jonas Hofmann puts the Black and Reds ahead with a powerful shot (83'). And Victor Boniface finally makes it 2-0 with a header (90+12'), a good result looking ahead to the return match in London.

14 April 2024: Champions of Germany for the first time!

And then comes a day for the history books, a day never to be forgotten! Bayer 04 entertain Werder Bremen on 14 April 2024. A win would make the Werkself champions of Germany first time in the club's history. Thousands of fans welcome the team bus on Bismarckstraße. Flags, banners, confetti. Black and red wherever you look. There's something in the air. The atmosphere at the BayArena is indescribable before the kick-off. Tension and excitement evident everywhere. The Werkself are fully focused going into the special match. The first celebration in the stands comes on 25 minutes when Victor Boniface converts a penalty. Granit Xhaka doubles the lead on the hour mark with an impressive long-range effort. And substitute Florian Wirtz rounds off the 5-0 victory with a hat-trick – Bayer 04 Leverkusen are champions of Germany for the first time in the 120 years at the club's history. There is no restraint. Fans storm onto the pitch after Wirtz nets his third goal. Referee Harm Osmers takes the diplomatic option and blows the final whistle on 89 minutes. That marked the start of a champions party at the BayArena that lasts for hours. "History has given us a Schale," calls out CEO Fernando Carro from the balcony on the box level to the thousands of fans gathered on the pitch at the BayArena. "We have the best fans in Germany, the best team, the best players, the best coach, the best club, the best staff!" Sheer emotion. Meisterkusen celebrate magical moments. Everybody's embracing each other. It's done and dusted. Something that many have really wanted for at least two decades.

The last-minute madness continues

But the season is far from over. There is still more in it for the Werkself. On the one hand, they want to continue their unbeaten run until the final matchday. On the other hand, they also want to continue their journey in the Europa League. Four days after the championship celebrations, the quarter-final second leg at West Ham United in the Europa League is on the programme. Alonso's team must quickly pull the lever again and deliver. And they did. Jeremie Frimpong equalised the Londoners' early lead in the 89th minute. Bayer 04 qualifies for the semi-finals with a 1-1 draw against the Hammers.

And the last-minute madness continues. In Dortmund, Josip Stanisic scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time to equalise at 1-1. A week later, Robert Andrich saves a draw against VfB Stuttgart with his goal to make it 2:2 - in the sixth minute of stoppage time. It's hard to believe anymore.

Bayer settles unfinished business with Roma

As in the previous year, AS Roma awaits in the semi-finals of the Europa League. There is still a score to settle. And once again, the clash with Roma was nerve-wracking. Although Black & Red won 2:0 in the Stadio Olympico thanks to goals from Wirtz and Andrich, the Giallorossi suddenly took a 2:0 lead in the second leg thanks to two penalties. The Werkself missed many good chances. But they fought and, as always, believed in themselves right to the end. An own goal by Mancini in the 87th minute finally put them ahead.

Bayer 04 make history

And the run continues to matchday 34, the day the Werkself are presented with the Meisterschale. Bayer 04 make history with the 2-1 win against FC Augsburg as the first club in the history of the Bundesliga to go a whole season unbeaten. When the skipper Lukas Hradecky receives the Schale at 17.38 CEST on 18 May 2024 that is the reward for an incredible season for Leverkusen where numerous club records have been beaten:

• 28 wins in a season – the previous record for Bayer 04 was 21 wins in 1996/97 and 2001/02
• 90 points – 17 more points than the previous best in 1999/2000 and 40 (!) more points than in the previous season
• 89 goals – 80 goals in 2021/22 was the previous highest
• 24 goals conceded – old record: 30 conceded in 1998/99
• 17 away games unbeaten (only Bayern Munich achieved that twice before)
• 10 league wins on the bounce
• 7 away wins in succession
• 16 clean sheets

Bayer 04 also break a special record across competitions in Europa: The Werkself remain unbeaten in 51 games – the previous European record was held by Benfica who went unbeaten in 48 games in succession between 1963 and 1965.

EL final: Only Atalanta beat the Werkself

It is a shame that the incredible Bayer 04 run ended on match number 52 in the Europa League final against Atalanta. But the Werkself proved to be good losers. Jeremie Frimpong admitted after the game: "We are very disappointed, we’ve lost the final. But Atalanta were the better team, they deserved to win." 12,000 fans supported the Werkself in Dublin, produced a great atmosphere and sensed there would be no happy ending on that evening. Three goals for Ademola Lookman seal a 3-0 victory in the final. But the Black and Reds supporters pay homage to a fantastic Europa League season for their team after the final whistle with loud applause and songs.

Hradecky and Co. secure the double in Berlin

Just three days later, over 27,000 Bayer 04 fans again provide incredible support at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin for the DFB Pokal final against FC Kaiserslautern. Granit Xhaka nets the winner with a long-range strike on 60 minutes. Even with a man down – Odilon Kossounou was sent off just before half-time for a second yellow card offence – the Werkself control the game to the end and win the DFB Pokal for the second time after 1993. At 22.22 CEST on 25 May 2024, the Werkself captain Lukas Hradecky hoists the trophy into the Berlin night air. The day after that, the double winners celebrate a ‘Coming home’ event with tens of thousands of people on the streets and 40,000 fans at the BayArena creating the biggest party Leverkusen has ever seen. The joy amongst the fans and team, the images of the reception for the team at the BayArena, the feeling of having achieved something wonderful together, all that will never be forgotten.