The Leverkusen city administration is in the process of evaluating the prerequisites for officially christening a street, plaza, or avenue after the coach of Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso.
Under Alonso’s guidance, Leverkusen clinched their inaugural Bundesliga championship in a historic triumph, sealing the title with a resounding 5-0 victory against Werder Bremen on Sunday.
Prior to kickoff, fans decorated street signs with stickers proclaiming “Xabi-Alonso-Allee,” prompting the city to explore avenues for its official designation.
Alonso, sporting director Simon Rolfes, and CEO Fernando Carro are poised to be conferred honorary citizenship of the city, as announced in a statement on Monday.
Admitting to a sleepless night after the club’s historic title win, Rolfes clarified that he wasn’t the last one to exit the celebratory gathering.
“I didn’t sleep for too long,” Rolfes told broadcasters ZDF in their Morgenmagazin morning show.
He admitted he couldn’t tell how long the party lasted on Sunday evening “because the players kept it going.”
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The Bundesliga trophy will be handed over to Leverkusen only when the curtains close on the season, scheduled for May 18, while insider details from DPA reveal that the grand ceremony is planned for May 26 at the BayArena, a day post the German Cup final.
“We still have a few goals, the big party will take place after the German Cup final. Yesterday everything was very spontaneous, but these are usually the most beautiful celebrations,” he said.
Leverkusen are favourites to win the Cup final against Kaiserslautern on May 25.
“This is something very special, and we will do everything to achieve it,” Rolfes said.
The possibility of securing a treble season looms large, as they moved one step closer to the Europa League semi-finals with a commanding 2-0 victory in the initial leg of their quarter-final bout against West Ham.
Leverkusen’s dominance continues unabated, with an unblemished record across all 43 fixtures of the season, highlighted by a record-breaking 29 consecutive victories in the Bundesliga for the 2023–24 season.