The Werkself review 2024

A historic year comes to an end for Bayer 04. The Werkself were crowned champions of Germany for the first time in the club's history on 14 April 2024. A fairy tale with a happy ending. And a day no Bayer 04 fan will probably ever forget. The double was achieved at the end of the May by winning the DFB Pokal. The coming home event a day later was celebrated by tens of thousands of fans in the biggest party ever seen in Leverkusen. And then? A short summer break and the new season. The Black and Reds won the next title, the Supercup, in the first match of the 2024/25 campaign. Then the new season really took off. But how does a club, who only lost one of 53 games in a season, start the new term? Bayer04.de looks back at this unique year.

January: Top of the table after New Year

The new year began with some bad news: Victor Boniface suffered an injury in the build-up to the Africa Cup of Nations and was sidelined for three months. Edmond Tapsoba, Amine Adli and Odilon Kossounou all took part in the tournament and Kossounou and the Ivory Coast team ended up by winning AFCON in their own country. The hopes of Bundesliga rivals that Bayer 04 would be weakened by the call-ups were dashed. The team under head coach Xabi Alonso remained on course for success in the new year. Exequiel Palacios secured a 1-0 victory for the Werkself away to FC Augsburg with a goal in added time that sealed top spot at the halfway stage of the season on Matchday 17 in the middle of January. The late goal scored by Palacios marked the start of a crazy run of last-minute goals. A week later, Piero Hincapie sealed a 3-2 win against RB Leipzig with a late strike.

February: The BayArena goes wild – masterful against FC Bayern

The spectators at the BayArena experienced another nerve-wracking match at the end of February. In the quarter-finals of the DFB Pokal, the Werkself and VfB Stuttgart provided a clash of the highest level. As in the game against Leipzig, Bayer 04 were behind twice but showed great morale and turned the game round in the last minute. Jonathan Tah headed home the winner at 3-2 on 90 minutes. The crowd went wild, the Werkself were in the semi-finals! The next big game at home came just four days later: Bayern Munich were the visitors. The team in second place were two points behind at that point. After the game it was five. The Werkself were superior in every respect and again produced another barnstorming performance on the pitch with a 3-0 victory. FC Bayern stood no chance. That evening saw a big step forward in the race for the title.

March: Derby win and Schick's late goals

The Alonso team went ten points ahead when Bayer 04 won the away derby in Cologne at the start of March and FC Bayern were only able to draw 2-2 in Freiburg. The UEFA Europa League then brought two suspense-packed games that nobody really saw coming: The Black and Reds went 2-0 down in the Round of 16 tie against Qarabag both in the first leg and the second leg. In the first leg, Florian Wirtz and then Patrik Schick – obviously with a last-minute goal – levelled at 2-2. The second leg was even crazier: After the equaliser from Jeremie Frimpong just after going 2-0 down, the Black and Reds actually turned the whole game round in added time. Schick was the matchwinner for 'Last-minute Kusen' with his late brace (90+3' and 90+7') – and the BayArena went wild.

At the end of March, TSG Hoffenheim showed that all opponents for the Werkself have to really watch out right up to the last minute. The team from the Kraichgau were leading 1-0 on 88 minutes. Was the incredible Leverkusen run coming to an end? No! Robert Andrich levelled and Schick, who seemed to delight in last-minute goals, netted the winner at 2-1 in added time (90+1'). "I'm lost for words, what a finish," said the Czechia international beaming after the final whistle. A day before the game, Xabi Alonso announced he will be the Bayer 04 head coach next season.

April: DFB Pokal final – on the verge of the Bundesliga title

The DFB Pokal semi-final at home to Fortuna Düsseldorf at the start of April ended in a 4-0 victory. That was the 40th match without defeat. A run like that was only possible because everybody kept their feet on the ground. Because the coaches and players were always fully focused on the next game. Tah put it like this: "Take it game by game, focus on the here and now: They aren't just empty phrases for us as those words 100% reflect our attitude and day-to-day approach."

The gap in the lead over the second-placed team in the league from Munich was now 13 points. And when the Werkself beat Union Berlin (1-0) on 6 April, while FCB surprisingly lost 3-2 in their match against FC Heidenheim, the Bundesliga title was suddenly only one game away. The Werkself were on the verge of the title in the game against Werder Bremen. Everybody at the club was working flat-out to prepare for this possibly historic day. Before that the Werkself faced the quarter-final first leg in the Europa League against Premier League club West Ham United. The two goals scored by Jonas Hofmann (83') and Boniface (90+12') secured a good result looking forward to the return match in London.

April: Champions of Germany – Last-minute madness continues

And then came the day for the history books. Bayer 04 played Werder Bremen at the BayArena on 14 April 2024. Thousands of fans came out to welcome the team bus on Bismarckstraße. Flags, banners, showers of confetti – Black and Red wherever you looked. The atmosphere at the BayArena was beyond description before kick-off and the tension was palpable everywhere. The first liberating celebration in the stands came with a penalty scored by Boniface (25'). Granit Xhaka doubled the lead after the hour mark with a long-range effort. And Wirtz came off the bench to seal a 5-0 win with a hat-trick – Bayer 04 Leverkusen were champions of Germany for the first time in the 120-year history of the club. There was no holding back then. Fans stormed the pitch immediately after Wirtz' third goal. That was the start of a champions party lasting for hours at the BayArena. "History has given us the Schale," said CEO Fernando Carro, from the balcony of the executive boxes to the thousands of fans who stayed on the pitch at the BayArena. "We have the best fans in Germany, the best team, the best players, the best coach, the best club, the best staff!" Pure emotion. Meisterkusen celebrated magical moments. Everybody embraced each other, it was done and dusted. Something that so many people had really yearned for over at least two decades.

• Werkself TV: Werkself receive the Meisterschale
• Werkself TV: With the Meisterschale at the home end

May: The biggest party ever seen in Leverkusen

Bayer 04 also broke a special record across competitions in an international comparison: The Werkself remained unbeaten in 51 games – the previous record in Europe was held by Benfica (48). The fact that the incredible Bayer 04 run came to an end in the 52nd game in the Europa League final against Atalanta is a shame. The aggressive pressing from the team from Bergamo brought a 3-0 victory with a hat-trick from Ademola Lookman. 12,000 fans supported the Werkself in Dublin, creating a brilliant atmosphere and they had a acute sense that there would be no happy ending on the night. After the final whistle, the Black and Red supporters celebrated a fantastic season by their team in the Europa League with loud applause and singing.

Just three days later, over 27,000 Bayer 04 fans again provided incredible support. At the DFB Pokal final (1-0) at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Xhaka scored the winner against FC Kaiserslautern. Even with a man down – Odilon Kossounou was sent off for a second yellow card offence just before half-time – the Werkself controlled the game to the end to win the DFB Pokal for the second time since 1993. At 22.22 CEST on 25 May 2024, Hradecky held the trophy aloft to the Berlin night sky. The day after, the newly crowned double winners celebrated the biggest party Leverkusen had ever seen with tens of thousands of people lining the streets and 40,000 fans at the BayArena for the 'Coming home' event. The joy of the fans and the team, the images of the reception for the Werkself at the BayArena, the feeling of having achieved something wonderful together – all that will never be forgotten.

• Werkself TV: The Werkself 'Coming  home'
• Werkself TV: Werkself receive the DFB Pokal

June: Werkself players in action at EURO 2024 and the Copa América

The intensity of the weeks with two cup finals and the ensuing, highly emotional 'Coming Home' event ended with the break. But for several Werkself players there was not a lot of time to recover. Euro 2024 in Germany began in the middle of June with ten Bayer 04 players in action. At the end of the month the Copa América began in the USA for Palacios and Hincapie. Good news from a Bayer 04 perspective: A Werkself player was the winner at the two tournaments in the following month. While Alejandro Grimaldo and Spain were crowned champions of Europe, Palacios and Argentina retained their title in the Copa América. The first new signings at Leverkusen arrived in June: Jeanuel Belocian from the French club Stade Rennes and Aleix Garcia from the Spanish Champions League team Girona strengthened the Werkself squad.

July: Start of preseason and more new signings

Summer was all about preparation for the new season. While the players involved in Euro 2024 and Copa América enjoyed well-deserved holidays after the tournaments, head coach Alonso greeted the remaining members of his squad – with the addition of several players from the youth teams - to the first training session in the middle of July that was watched by several hundred Werkself fans. Bayer 04 announced the next new signing a couple of days later: Martin Terrier, like Belocian, joined the double winners from Stade Rennes. The two Frenchmen lined up alongside Garcia in the starting XI for the first friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen (2-1). The winning start was followed two days later by a training camp in Donaueschingen in the Black Forest.

August: First game, first trophy, first league defeat in 462 days

The intensity of the training camp ended at the start of August. The Bayer 04 group went from the Black Forest straight to a friendly in the north of France with RC Lens drawing 2-2 with the Werkself. Two other friendlies at Arsenal (1-4) and at home to Real Betis (1-1) were followed by the start of the new season in the middle of August. And how! The Werkself faced VfB Stuttgart in the Supercup. The pressure and expectations on the unbeaten champions Bayer 04 remained high, particularly from outside the club. But Alonso again and again stressed during this time: "All teams start at zero again. Last season was unique but it's over now. We are looking forward to what's ahead of us." And the full focus in the middle of the month was exclusively on the runners-up. As expected, the Swabians were involved in a close fought encounter with the Werkself. But there was more: a genuine, nail-biting thriller followed. Boniface gave the Alonso team the lead but Stuttgart levelled and then Terrier was sent off and VfB took the lead. Schick however – who else – levelled in the familiar last-minute fashion to take the Werkself to penalties, which Bayer 04 won 4-3 to secure another trophy in the first match of the season. There was good news a day ahead of the Supercup: the contract extension for Andrich by two years to 2028.

The Werkself then opened a Bundesliga season for the first time as champions of Germany a week later. Leverkusen won 3-2 away to Borussia Mönchengladbach. When was the winning goal scored? Obviously in added time! Wirtz netted in the eleventh minute of time added on to pick up three points in the opening match. The same scoreline followed a week later on Matchday 2 against RB Leipzig. However, the Werkself were not the winners this time. The Black and Reds gave away a 2-0 lead and the unbeaten run in league games ended on that night after 462 days. Between the fixtures away to the Foals and against RB Leipzig, the Werkself secured a 1-0 victory at FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the first round of the DFB Pokal. On the same day, the Werkself announced the arrival of the next new signing in loan player Nordi Mukiele and the departure of Kossounou (on loan at Atalanta). Adam Hlozek and Gustavo Puerta also left the club in August. Hlozek joined Hoffenheim, Puerta went out on loan to the English Championship side Hull City.

September: Champions League opener - Still undefeated  by FC Bayern

The first international break of the new season came in September. While there were no matches, a small delegation including Fernando Carro and honorary captain Jens Nowotny made their way to New York for a Trophy tour from 11 to 14 September. Two days later saw the premiere of the four-part Amazon exclusive sports documentary BAYER LEVERKUSEN – A DREAM COMES TRUE on Prime Video. Another event away from the pitch in this month: The Ballon d’Or nominations. Alonso was in the vote for Men’s Team Coach, Wirtz, Xhaka and Grimaldo were nominated for the Men’s Ballon d’Or and the whole Werkself were in the running for the Men’s Club of the Year award. No awards went to Leverkusen at the awards ceremony two months later but Carro talked about "exceptional recognition" after the first ever nominations in three categories of the prestigious award.

Back to the pitch: The Bundesliga resumed after the international break. The Werkself clocked up a convincing 4-1 win against TSG Hoffenheim. Along with Wirtz, Terrier scored for the first time and Boniface netted a brace. And then the Champions League started: Bayer 04 secured a 4-0 victory away to Feyenoord at the beginning of the newly created league phase. 04 Champions League debuts were made on the night (Wirtz, Boniface, Garcia, Belocian). Wirtz scored twice on his first outing and became the youngest German player to score a brace on his debut in the Champions League. The 21-year-old midfielder was also named Man of the Match. Two other such awards were to follow by the end of the year. VfL Wolfsburg provided the opposition three days after the clash in Rotterdam. The Alonso team won 4-3 in a thrilling encounter with a last-minute goal from Boniface. It was striking here that the Werkself were giving too much away during these weeks. No Bundesliga fixture in this phase ended with a clean sheet. And it remained so for the time being. Nevertheless, the Werkself produced a completely different display away to FC Bayern at the end of September. The Black and Reds followed a clear game plan and picked up a point at the Allianz Arena (1-1). For the first time in the history of the Bundesliga, the Black and Reds remained unbeaten in four games against the side from Munich.

October: Werkself stumble and give away leads

Bayer 04 fans awaited the first home game in the Champions League campaign with great expectation at the beginning of October. The visitors were AC Milan who the Werkself beat 1-0 in front of a full house and in a great atmosphere. The players on the pitch noticed that the fans at this Champions League night at the BayArena were really up for it. "The fans carried us forward right to the end," said Hradecky. The Black and Reds then played newly promoted Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga, playing in a special edition kit to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the club, but the match ended in a 2-2 draw despite the Werkself leading 2-0. The Werkself won the game against Eintracht Frankfurt after the international break (2-1) and the second round Pokal tie against SV 07 Elversberg (3-0) at the end of the month with Garcia scoring his first goal for Bayer 04 from a free kick but Leverkusen suffered setbacks in October. The team gave away leads in the Champions League at Stade Brest (1-1) and in the league away to Werder Bremen (2-2). The long-term injury suffered by Adli in the game in Brest was also a big blow.

November: Werkself back on track - Bayer 04 Fanwelt opens

At the start of November it was still evident that the Werkself were lacking stability during this period. Despite dominating the game, the team were only able to draw 0-0 with Stuttgart. The Black and Reds also suffered a late equaliser week later in Bochum (1-1). The Werkself – who did not drop any points after taking the lead last season – had already dropped eleven points. Between the Bundesliga fixtures came the big Champions League match away to Liverpool that ended in a 4-0 defeat for the Black and Reds. But there was good news shortly after that: Adli extended his contract by two years to 2028. The final international break of the year came in the middle of the month. While there were no games during this period, there was a big highlight for Bayer 04 supporters at the BayArena on 20 November: The new fan zone, the Fanwelt, a state-of-the-art and interactive world of shopping and experiences covering more than 700 square metres opened in the South Stand at the stadium. Bayer 04 used the time without games for another Trophy tour. Sporting managing director Simon Rolfes and Bayer 04 legend Paulo Sergio took the three trophies to São Paulo in Brazil.

• Werkself TV: The Fanwelt launch

Coach Alonso and his team and staff worked intensively in the international break for the remaining games of the year and analysed the performances over previous weeks. When the Black and Reds suddenly went two goals down against Heidenheim, the work initially appeared to have not brought any benefits. The Werkself did show their ability to strike back and they secured a brilliant 5-2 win. Palacios, a hat-trick from Schick plus a strike from Xhaka turned the game round. The latter was relieved: "We again showed what has made us strong in the 5-0 win against FC Salzburg in the Champions League three days later and that was followed four days by a 2-1 victory away to Union Berlin. During this phase it was clear that the Werkself had learned from the previous weeks and were back on track. And it could not have happened at a better time as…

December: Wins against Bayern and Inter - Werkself end year in peak form

…the start of December brought the DFB Pokal clash at FC Bayern. A reduced squad travelled to the Allianz Arena at the end of November with Bayer 04 having to announce injuries to Boniface, Hofmann and Terrier within three days. Mukiele, sidelined throughout November, was fit in time for the Pokal tie. The record champions went a man down early on after keeper Manuel Neuer was shown a red card for a foul on Frimpong. The Black and Reds were clinical in attack and solid in defence. Substitute Nathan Tella scored on 68 minutes and the 5,000 travelling fans jubilantly celebrated the 1-0 away win in the end. Alonso remains unbeaten in his first five matches against Bayern Munich as the Werkself coach – no other Bundesliga coach has achieved that before. Leverkusen went into the next matches in confident mood. The Werkself beat newly promoted FC St. Pauli 2-1, they dominated the Italian champions Inter Milan in the Champions League to earn a highly deserved 1-0 win. After hard work from the whole team, Mukiele cracked the Italian defence with another late strike to net the winner on 90 minutes. That puts the Black and Reds fourth in the Champions League table and in the top eight in Europe.

The year was not yet finished. Two hurdles awaited in the Bundesliga: The Werkself won 2-0 at FC Augsburg and remain unbeaten away in the Bundesliga throughout 2024. The Black and Reds have never achieved that before. The last league defeat on the road came 18 months ago. In the final match of the year, the Black and Reds sent out a message against SC Freiburg: The Werkself clocked up a 5-1 victory. For Alonso it was win number 50 in his 75th game as a Bundesliga coach, only Pep Guardiola had broken that record before. Schick scored four goals against SC Freiburg with Wirtz setting up three for the Czechia international as well as scoring himself. Ahead of the game, Bayer 04 announced the contract extension with Hincapie and the Werkself sang two Christmas songs with the fans after the final whistle. The Bayer 04 supporters presented the team with a banner with the emotional message: "Thank you for the present of our lives." Memories of an incredible summer – champions of Germany! The team also produced a banner: "Merry Christmas to all double winners." It was a atmospheric end to a unique year where the Black and Reds produced incredible and historic performances. The Black and Reds in this calendar year with 80 points in 2024. No other Bundesliga team has done that. Eight victories in succession is the current form. That means the Werkself end the most successful year in the club’s history exactly where it started: in absolute peak form.