Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso have been a match made in heaven as they close in on Bundesliga history, writes KATHRYN BATTE

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso have been a match made in heaven as they close in on Bundesliga history, writes KATHRYN BATTE

The mastermind, the architect, the legend.

These are just a few of the words Bayer Leverkusen fans use to describe Xabi Alonso. Under his management, club football has gone from being ‘almost male’ to champions in waiting.

Scarves emblazoned with ‘Deutscher Meister 2024’ (German Champions 2024) and ‘Danke Xabi’ are already being sold outside the BayArena, while a long queue of fans lined up to buy unofficial ‘Champions’ T-shirts on Friday.