Xabi Alonso has Bayer Leverkusen flying at the top of the Bundesliga and has set records along the way, but can he lead them over the line with Bayern Munich hunting them down?
The Bundesliga is a league that has been dominated by the Bavarians in the past decade: they have won 11 league titles in a row, since Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund claimed back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012.
Alonso’s Leverkusen have dropped points just four times across 19 matches and are the only unbeaten team left in any of Europe’s top five leagues this season. Their form has led to speculation that Liverpool could attempt to make the Spanish coach their next manager, with Jurgen Klopp stepping down at the end of the season.
The Sporting News headed to Germany back in November to dive inside the fascinating work of Alonso and how he has propelled Leverkusen to the top of German football, despite being just 42 years of age. You can read here what the man himself has had to say on his work in Germany.
Here, we look at Leverkusen’s record in the Bundesliga and whether they have got their hands on the title before.
MORE: The top contenders to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool
Have Bayer Leverkusen ever won the Bundesliga?
Bayer Leverkusen have never won the Bundesliga but have finished as runners-up five times, which is the most of any club never to have won the title. They last finished second back in 2010/11.
The club have gone 31 years without winning a trophy, their last being the DFB-Pokal in 1992-93, when they defeated Hertha BSC II 1-0 in the final.
However, Alonso may have something to say about that as he has the side running the show in Germany this season, while they are also in the quarterfinals of Germany’s domestic cup and in the knockout phase of the UEFA Europa League, having won all six of their group games.
Leverkusen won that tournament back in 1988, when it was still in the old format of the UEFA Cup. They also fell short at the final hurdle in the 2001/02 Champions League when they lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in the final in Glasgow.
This season, Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen became the first team in German football history to remain unbeaten after the first 25 games of a campaign across all competitions.
The heir to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool throne?
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— Squawka (@Squawka) January 26, 2024
Full list of Bundesliga champions
Bayern Munich are the kings of the Bundesliga and are on a record run of 11 consecutive titles with their latest triumph coming on the final day of the 2022/23 season.
| Season | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1963/64 | FC Koln | Meidericher SV |
| 1964/65 | Werder Bremen | FC Koln |
| 1965/66 | TSV 1860 Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1966/67 | Eintracht Braunschweig | TSV 1860 Munich |
| 1967/68 | FC Nurnberg | Werder Bremen |
| 1968/69 | Bayern Munich | Alemannia Aachen |
| 1969/70 | Borussia Monchengladbach | Bayern Munich |
| 1970/71 | Borussia Monchengladbach | Bayern Munich |
| 1971/72 | Bayern Munich | Schalke 04 |
| 1972/73 | Bayern Munich | FC Koln |
| 1973/74 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| 1974/75 | Borussia Monchengladbach | Hertha BSC |
| 1975/76 | Borussia Monchengladbach | Hamburger SV |
| 1976/77 | Borussia Monchengladbach | Schalke 04 |
| 1977/78 | FC Koln | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| 1978/79 | Hamburger SV | VfB Stuttgart |
| 1979/80 | Bayern Munich | Hamburger SV |
| 1980/81 | Bayern Munich | Hamburger SV |
| 1981/82 | Hamburger SV | FC Koln |
| 1982/83 | Hamburger SV | Werder Bremen |
| 1983/84 | VfB Stuttgart | Hamburger SV |
| 1984/85 | Bayern Munich | Werder Bremen |
| 1985/86 | Bayern Munich | Werder Bremen |
| 1986/87 | Bayern Munich | Hamburger SV |
| 1987/88 | Werder Bremen | Bayern Munich |
| 1988/89 | Bayern Munich | FC Koln |
| 1989/90 | Bayern Munich | FC Koln |
| 1990/91 | FC Kaiserslautern | Bayern Munich |
| 1991/92 | Vfb Stuttgart | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1992/93 | Werder Bremen | Bayern Munich |
| 1993/94 | Bayern Munich | FC Kaiserslautern |
| 1994/95 | Borussia Dortmund | Werder Bremen |
| 1995/96 | Borussia Dortmund | Bayern Munich |
| 1996/97 | Bayern Munich | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 1997/98 | FC Kaiserslautern | Bayern Munich |
| 1998/99 | Bayern Munich | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 1999/00 | Bayern Munich | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 2000/01 | Bayern Munich | Schalke 04 |
| 2001/02 | Borussia Dortmund | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 2002/03 | Bayern Munich | VfB Stuttgart |
| 2003/04 | Werder Bremen | Bayern Munich |
| 2004/05 | Bayern Munich | Schalke 04 |
| 2005/06 | Bayern Munich | Werder Bremen |
| 2006/07 | VfB Stuttgart | Schalke 04 |
| 2007/08 | Bayern Munich | Werder Bremen |
| 2008/09 | VfL Wolfsburg | Bayern Munich |
| 2009/10 | Bayern Munich | Schalke 04 |
| 2010/11 | Borussia Dortmund | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 2011/12 | Borussia Dortmund | Bayern Munich |
| 2012/13 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2013/14 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2014/15 | Bayern Munich | VfL Wolfsburg |
| 2015/16 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2016/17 | Bayern Munich | RB Leipzig |
| 2017/18 | Bayern Munich | Schalke 04 |
| 2018/19 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2019/20 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2020/21 | Bayern Munich | RB Leipzig |
| 2021/22 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2022/23 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
