The New York Times’ Rory Smith pointed out that “Leverkusen has illuminated the European season like no other team in winning its first German championship, after 120 years of trying. And it has also overtaken Benfica as the owner of the longest unbeaten run in European soccer since World War I."
Top U.S. sports outlet The Athletic wrote "for 54 games, Bayer 04 held the world’s attention... aside from the flowing football, the growth of Xabi Alonso, the flagging careers coming back to life (Granit Xhaka, Jonas Hofmann, Alex Grimaldo) and new stars being born (Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Victor Boniface), it all just looked so much fun!"
World's leading business paper from the UK, Financial Times, wrote that Bayer Leverkusen's impressive performance this season will be "hailed as a chance to boost Bundesliga’s global appeal" while its U.S. counterpart the Wall Street Journal labeled Leverkusen "the team that forgot how to lose" with a headline last week as it pointed to Bayer 04's historic 51-match unbeaten streak.
The Guardian wrote that there is likely more to come: "The double is just the start of the journey for evolving Bayer Leverkusen." Continued writer Andy Brassell: "Alonso’s side have been a juggernaut, trampling all in their way and, on the occasions they have found themselves behind, eventually reeling in their opponents with increasing inevitability. They have transformed Germany’s and the continent’s expectations of them, and their expectations of themselves."
So continued many other top sports dailies across Europe. "Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen completes the double in a spectacular season," wrote Spain's leading sports journal Marca, while France's L'Equipe wrote that "Bayer Leverkusen put an exclamation point on its historic season by capturing the double."
"Thanks to a fireball from Xhaka in the 17th minute, Xabi Alonso's men made up for the defeat in the Europa League final and ended the season with the double," said Corriere dello Sport in Italy.
CBS Sports (USA) wrote "the first German double winners to go through an entire domestic campaign without defeat. That there was no Europa League title to go with it should barely dull the triumph for a club that has so often borne witness to the glory of others."
Said ESPN soccer insider Alejandro Moreno after the season concluded: "now Bayer 04 Leverkusen have become the talk of the town, the talk of the league, the talk of Europe! They are attracting the attention from everywhere."
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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