Bayer Leverkusen might be the most improbable success story in modern sports history. From fighting off relegation to posting the longest undefeated streak in major European soccer history, they were David, Goliath and the Cardiac Kids wrapped in one.
- Max Ogden
FanSided Editor
How this fandom is changing sports
Bayer Leverkusen entered the 2023-24 season as an afterthought. It experienced a remarkable turnaround under manager Xabi Alonso in 2022-23, but still finished 21 points shy of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund — the clubs that had tied at the top of the table that season, with the former winning an 11th consecutive league title. In the blink of an eye, everything that fans knew about the Bundesliga had been turned on its head. Leverkusen not only shocked the masses with its success but put together an unblemished season and ended Munich’s 11-year reign at the top of the table. Building from within with homegrown talent, and using the transfer market to add under-appreciated players such as Granit Xhaka for veteran leadership, Leverkusen proved that you don’t need a world-breaking budget to become champions.
What we’ll remember about this fandom a decade from now
It would’ve been enough to be remembered as the team that ended Bayern Munich’s 11-year reign of dominance over the Bundesliga. That feat on its own should live on as one of the greatest in modern sports history. What makes Leverkusen’s success story so profound, however, is that they set the all-time European record for games unbeaten under the UEFA banner — a sample size of 69, going on 70, years. At 51 games unbeaten, Alonso’s Leverkusen side will be remembered as the most unbeatable team in modern football history.