LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Manchester, Barcelona, Milan, Leverkusen? Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Manchester, Barcelona, Milan, Leverkusen? Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Manchester, Barcelona, Milan, Leverkusen? An often-overlooked, small German city dominated by the pharmaceuticals industry is making an unlikely case to be considered one of Europe’s soccer capitals this season because of Bayer Leverkusen’s historic unbeaten streak. Coached by former Champions League and World Cup winner Xabi Alonso, the team finished an entire German Bundesliga season without a single loss, the first ever to do so. The team can finish the season with three trophies if it beats Atalanta in the Europa League final Wednesday and Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final three days later.
It’s a big step up for a team that was until recently known as German soccer’s perennial runner-up after placing second in the Bundesliga five times. It’s also a source of pride for this low-rise city of 167,000, which grew up around the factories of the pharmaceuticals giant Bayer – best known for Aspirin and Alka-Seltzer – and has little to draw tourists besides its internationally famed soccer club. “It’s definitely very important for how people identify,” Bayer Leverkusen fan Sebastian Thiel told The Associated Press ahead of the fin.
