Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Bayer 04 Leverkusen, founded in 1904 by employees of the pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, play at the compact BayArena with a capacity of 30,210. For over a century the club was known as perennial nearly men — finishing runners-up three times in the Bundesliga and losing the 2002 Champions League final — earning the nickname Neverkusen. All that changed in 2023-24, when Xabi Alonso guided Leverkusen to an unprecedented unbeaten Bundesliga season, their first-ever German title, and a domestic double. Built around the exceptional Florian Wirtz, this squad also set a record European unbeaten run of 51 games, permanently retiring the Neverkusen label.