15 best soccer moments of 2016

8. RB Leipzig’s rise to the top of the Bundesliga

2016 has seen its fair share of underdogs. Leicester’s unbelievable season seems to have inspired teams across the globe, particularly in Germany, where RB Leipzig are right in the Bundesliga title race. Leipzig were only formed in 2009, so their rise to the top of German soccer has been quite astonishing.

When they were promoted to the Bundesliga, not many German fans would have expected the team from Leipzig to be in the top half of the table, never mind challenging for the title. Yet after 16 games played they’re in second place and only three points behind Bayern Munich. At one point they were even the outright leaders in the league.

There’s a long way to go in the Bundesliga title race but if RB Leipzig continue at this rate they could still be challenging at the end of the season. If they managed to win the title it could be an even more amazing story than Leicester’s, considering how young the club is. The RB Leipzig story is not a completely positive one, though. Many opposition fans despise the newly founded club because of its commercial structure.

In Germany, the “50+1” rule means every club must hold a majority of their voting rights, so paying members who make up the “50+1” are able to vote on important matters closely related to the club. Leipzig’s owners, Red Bull, have found several ways to, essentially, bypass these rules, and they have as a result become one of the most hated clubs in Germany. Even so, while the ethics behind the club’s ownership structure are worth debating, it’s undeniably refreshing to see a side challenging Borussia Dortmund and, in particular, Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga.