Overcoming the sadness of being a runner-up in the last decade with ‘Positional Play’ and strong mentality
The European leagues, which started in August last year, are now in their final stages ahead of May. Amid fierce competition to rank players, some leagues have already seen their championship decided, leading to a flurry of neighborhood events. For example, Milan-based Inter Milan, known as Inter Milan in Korea, has reclaimed its title of league title in three years, securing its 20th “scudetto” (an emblem attached to the uniform of Serie A championship team in Italian, which means “shielding”). With the inclusion of stars inscribed on every 10 championships, the team will be able to play the ground with two stars on top of its club emblem starting next season.
The German Bundesliga has also been decided early on. However, Bayer 04 Leverkusen won the title for the first time in its history this season, drawing keen attention from the soccer community. It ended its reign in Bayern Munich, which had continued for 11 years since the 2012-2013 season, and confidently rose to the top of the league. 메이저놀이터
11 Years of Ending the World in Bayern Munich
The Bundesliga in Germany has a huge gap between the top-tier and other teams, with some saying, “Bona Mana is a win for Bayern Munich.” Leverkusen, however, crushed SV Werder Bremen 5-0 at home on April 14 (local time), confirming its win regardless of the results of the remaining five matches. It was its first league championship since its foundation in 1904. The spectators were so excited that they were ready to rush to the ground even before the game ended. Eventually, the spectators restrained the spectators, who were so excited that the game was suspended.
Leverkusen, known to Korean soccer fans as the team where Cha Bum-keun and Son Heung-min played, has strong image as No. 2 player in Germany. The team has a long history and tradition of having Bayer, a pharmaceutical company famous for aspirin, as its parent company. Leverkusen has been proud of having won the 1988 UEFA Cup (former Europa League) when Cha was a player. With five trophies to go to second place in the league, three trophies to Pocals, and one UEFA Champions League runner-up, the team had to shed tears as it failed to overcome the last hurdle.
In particular, Leverkusen frequently missed out on the championship, given its previous record of being the runner-up in the league. In the 1999-2000 season, Leverkusen was the top-ranked team by three points with one game remaining, but lost to SpVgg Unter-Hahing in the last game, giving it the lead. It had the same point as Bayern Munich, but lost to goal difference and thus missed the championship. In the 2001-2002 season, the team had to watch Borussia Dortmund win by a one-point margin, as it had one draw and two losses to Hamburg SV, Bremen and Nuremberg from the 31st round. The 1996-1997 season was also just two points behind Bayern Munich, the leader. Notably, the 2001-2002 season saw the team fail to win the title in the League, the UEFA Champions League, and the Pokal, as it was about to achieve its greatest achievement of winning three gold medals. As Leverkusen, which has such a long history, won its first championship in the league, fans naturally cannot control its emotions.
It was young coach Xavi Alonso who won the Leverkusen title in 1981. Born in Basque, Spain, he played for Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich as an outstanding central midfielder, and has won numerous trophies as a player. When he won three consecutive major championships that lead to the Spanish national team’s Euro → World Cup → Euro, Alonso also played as a member of the invincible fleet. After retirement in 2017, Alonso immediately transformed himself into a leader, coached by Real Madrid’s youth team and coached by Real Sociedad B team, before becoming Leverkusen manager in October 2022. Former coach Gerardo Ceoane inherited his team’s leadership despite a difficult situation in which it was dismissed due to poor performance, but he showed promise of ranking sixth in the league and advancing to the semifinals of the Europa League, raising expectations for next season.