Perennial bridesmaids Leverkusen have a long history of finishing second best. But Peter Bosz’s side now have a chance to end their trophy drought in Saturday's German Cup final.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Wittek
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Most German football fans will be familiar with the "Neverkusen" tag that Bayer Leverkusen have carried around with them since the turn of the century.
Runners-up in the Bundesliga four times in six straight seasons, they concluded the last of those second-place finishes in 2002 with losses in both the Champions League and German Cup finals.
The trifecta of disappointments has haunted them ever since.
It will have been with some relief, then, that Leverkusen saw off fourth division side Saarbrücken with a comfortable 3-0 win in the German Cup semifinals last month.
"Every athlete dreams of competing in a final. I'm really up for it and so is the team," Kerem Demirbay said postgame.
Demirbay's dream will become a reality on Saturday when the "Werkself" face league champions Bayern Munich in the German Cup final. The game represents a massive chance for Leverkusen to defy their standing as the Bundesliga's perennial bridesmaids and end an almost 30-year wait for silverware.
Defining game for Bosz
This final will be just as much a test for coach Peter Bosz and his trophyless career as it will for his team.
The Dutchman's unfaltering love for high-tempo, high-pressing football inspired Leverkusen's 2-1 victory over Bayern back in November. Though he couldn’t repeat the feat in the return fixture, where Hansi Flick’s well-oiled machine beat Leverkusen at their won game in a 4-2 victory.
Bosz, having struggled to impose his tactics in his time in charge of Borussia Dortmund, has often been dismissed as a one-trick, attack-obsessed entertainer.
Peter Bosz is yet to win a trophy as a coachImage: picture alliance/dpa
He failed to steer Leverkusen towards Champions League qualification this season. Though it was an extraordinary tussle — the club’s points tally of 63 would have been enough in each of the past 15 campaigns.
Despite that disappointment, a German Cup victory would prove satisfying vindication for Bosz’s progression at the club.
Stars in demand
With recent signings Nadiem Amiri, Kerem Demirbay, Moussa Diaby, and Edmond Tapsoba finding consistent form and a squad boasting depth across the pitch, it's an exciting time for Leverkusen.
Though they missed out on next season's Champions League by finishing fifth in the Bundesliga, they are among the favorites to win the Europa League when it resumes in August.
Budding star Kai Havertz could soon be out the door, however, with a number of top European clubs, including Bayern, showing interest.
Leverkusen have maintained they will not accept a coronavirus discount on the transfer market, but reports in May suggested Chelsea are leading the chase with an €80 million ($90.9 million) bid.
The rise of Kai Havertz
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Now or Neverkusen
Leverkusen have never won the Bundesliga and last tasted success in the 1993 German Cup final, which, amazingly, also featured Hertha Berlin's reserve team.
Almost 30 years later, they're in a great position to lay down a marker for a club that often suffers ridicule for its non-traditional origins and the team's bad luck when it comes to clutch matches.
Turning the Neverkusen legend into a myth would be a crowning moment for Bosz, especially if he were to prevent the Bavarian giants from winning a second consecutive domestic double.
Bundesliga: The 10 youngest players
Just days after his 17th birthday, Florian Wirtz made his debut for Bayer Leverkusen on Monday. But he's still not the youngest player to appear in the Bundesliga, that record belongs to a Borussia Dortmund star.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/J. Pitman
1. Nuri Sahin - 16 years, 335 days
Financial problems meant Borussia Dortmund increasingly relied on their youth setup in the 2005/06 season. Coach Bert van Maarwijk saw something special in Sahin and promoted him for the first game of the season against Wolfsburg. The midfielder played for the club for 10 years over three spells (2005-2007, 2008-2011, 2013-2018) and has been with Werder Bremen since 2018.
Image: Imago Images
2. Yann Aurel Bisseck - 16 years, 362 days
The central defender made his Cologne debut late in 2017 in a 2-0 loss to Hertha Berlin under coach Peter Stöger. It was to be one of only three appearance that season and he was sent on loan to second tier Holstein Kiel when Cologne were relegated. But he struggled to break through there too and has now loaned to Dutch second division side Roda Kerkrade. At 19, time is still on his side.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Eisenhuth
3. Florian Wirtz, 17 years, 15 days
The return of the Bundesliga after the coronavirus stopped play was memorable for many reasons, but for Florian Wirtz it was even more so. The winger dethroned Kai Havertz as youngest player to represent Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Germany's top flight after being handed a professional contract shortly after his 17th birthday when he joined Bayer 04 from Cologne.
Image: imago images/O. Krschak
4. Jürgen Friedl - 17 years, 26 days
After Frankfurt suffered a goalkeeping injury crisis in March of 1975, Friedl rose from fourth to first choice, making his debut in a 5-1 win over Hannover. He was the youngest player in the Bundesliga for almost 30 years until Sahin replaced him. Friedl played only three Bundesliga games, but won all of them. But at just 1.75 meters tall, the club felt he was too short to make the grade.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
5. Ibrahim Tanko - 17 years, 62 days
In the 1990s, the Ghanaian and 18-year-old Lars Ricken, formed the so-called "baby storm" at Borussia Dortmund. Tanko made his debut on 24 September 1994 when BVB beat Stuttgart 5-0. However, in seven years at the club he was never able to nail down a spot. After a positive doping result following marijuana consumption he was sacked and moved to Freiburg, where he ended his career.
Image: Imago Images/Pressefoto Baumann
6. Giovanni Reyna - 17 years, 66 days
The American playmaker was four days older than Tanko when he made his debut in Dortmund yellow and black last season. Reyna made his debut as a substitute in January in a game against Augsburg. He follows in the footsteps of his father who played in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg. Dad Claudio was sporting director at his first club, New York City.
Image: picture-alliance/D. Ewert
7. Josha Vagnoman, 17 years 89 days
The German-Ivorian grew up in Hamburg and joined the club's youth setup as a 9-year-old in 2010. He made his first-team debut for HSV in March 2018 during a 6-0 whooping against Bayern Munich. The wing-back went down with Hamburg to the second division. He remains under contract with the club.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Hase
8. Simon Asta - 17 years, 107 days
On May 12, 2018, Freiburg were already leading 2-0 when Augsburg's then-head coach Manuel Baum brought off Jan Movarek and put on young defender Simon Asta with 10 minutes remaining. It was Asta's only Bundesliga appearance until he played on the final matchday of last season. He otherwise plays for the club's under-19 team.
Image: Imago Images/Krieger
9. Maximilian Beier - 17 years, 114 days
Hoffenheim's Maximilian Beier was also a key player for his club's under-19 side. In February 2020, he got his first sniff in the Bundesliga. Coach Alfred Schreuder brought on the attacker, who, in 2018, moved to Hoffenheim from Energie Cottbus' youth setup, in a game against Freiburg two minutes before the final whistle.
Image: imago images/Werner Otto
10. Julian Draxler - 17 years, 117 days
The beginning of a World Cup-winning career: On the 18th matchday of the 2010-11 season, the young Schalke midfielder replaced Ivan Rakitic in Hamburg, though only for the last seven minutes. The 17-year-old received more playing time throughout the rest of the season and became one of Schalke's stars. Draxler received his first cap at 18-years-old and won the World Cup with Germany in 2014.
