The city council of Leverkusen is contemplating the idea of bestowing a street, square, or road with the name of Xabi Alonso, the coach of Bayer Leverkusen, in light of the team’s historic Bundesliga championship victory. Alonso’s leadership as coach guided Leverkusen to their inaugural Bundesliga title, culminating in a resounding 5-0 win over Werder Bremen on Sunday.
Inspired by the team’s success, fans took the initiative to affix “Xabi-Alonso-Allee” (Xabi Alonso Avenue) stickers to street signs, prompting the city council to consider formalizing the gesture. Alongside the street naming proposal, Alonso, along with sporting director Simon Rolfes and CEO Fernando Carro, is set to receive honorary citizenship of the city, as announced in a statement on Monday.
Rolfes expressed his delight and admitted to a restless night following the title-clinching victory. “I didn’t sleep for too long,” Rolfes revealed during an interview with broadcasters ZDF.
Although the official Bundesliga trophy presentation is scheduled for May 18, Leverkusen plans to host their title party at the BayArena on May 26, a day after the German Cup final. Rolfes emphasized the significance of the upcoming Cup final against Kaiserslautern, highlighting the club’s determination to secure another major trophy.
Despite their domestic triumphs, Leverkusen continues to vie for further success on the European stage. With an unbeaten streak of 43 matches, including a record-breaking 29-game undefeated run in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen took a significant step towards the Europa League semi-finals with a 2-0 victory in the first leg of their quarter-finals clash against West Ham.
