In the past, Bayer Leverkusen has never won the Bundesliga championship even though it has finished second 5 times. Especially in the period from 1997 to 2002, this team was runner-up 4 times.

In the 1999-2000 season, they rose to the top of the Bundesliga table in the penultimate round, 3 points ahead of Bayern Munich. This means that with just 1 point against Unterhaching, Leverkusen will take the throne. But the nightmare came when Leverkusen lost 0-2. Including an own goal by the legendary Michael Ballack.

In the other match, Bayern Munich defeated Werder Bremen 3-1. The two teams ended the season with the same 73 points, but Leverkusen sadly finished second because of the difference in difference. 

It is worth mentioning that the Bundesliga organizers prepared a silver plate to give to Leverkusen and only brought a copy to Bayern’s match. But in the end, the new replica is the enhanced version as the season comes to a close.

From here, the name Vizekusen was born. This is a combination of the word “vize” meaning second place and the word “kusen” taken from the name of Leverkusen. German fans use this word to imply that Bayer Leverkusen will forever be second, or forever runner-up (even though they have won two titles before).

Later, Vizekusen had an English version called “Neverkusen”. 

In particular, the word “never” means “never”. This word translates as “Kusen never”, meaning Leverkusen never wins.

And the English version became more popular around the world than the original German version.

By the 2001-2002 season, the nickname Neverkusen was mentioned even more because of the missed treble. In the Bundesliga, Leverkusen once again lost the title to Dortmund despite possessing many advantages in the final rounds.

After that, they continued to lose in the final of the German National Cup (DFB Pokal) to Schalke. Finally, defeat in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. The moment Zinedine Zidane’s iconic volley scored appeared in this match.

Everything fell apart for Leverkusen within just 1 month and the nickname “Neverkusen” became even more popular. Many people not only see this as a nickname, but also a curse that prevents this team from ever reaching glory.

And Leverkusen fans had to be humorous and accept this “embarrassing” name. The famous global pharmaceutical corporation Bayer, owner of Bayer Leverkusen Club since its founding in 1904, was also full of wit when purchasing the copyright to the name “Vizekusen” in 2012.

But this year, things have become different as Bayer Leverkusen is facing a treble. And before their eyes, they won the Bundesliga championship. They will still have the DFB Pokal final against lower-ranked team Kaiserslautern and are almost certain to win.

In the Europa League arena, Leverkusen is also in full swing. Everything from the Bundesliga championship to the treble belief that the fans have is thanks to the talent of coach Xabi Alonso .

He came to the team in October 2022 when they were still in the relegation group. But after nearly 2 years, he completely changed everything. It is worth mentioning that at this time, Bayer Leverkusen has not lost any match in any arena they participated in.

The Bundesliga will have 5 rounds left and coach Xabi Alonso can aim to help the team have an undefeated season in the Bundesliga. If he helps Leverkusen really win the treble, he will go through a season without losing any match. That would be a crazy achievement!

At this time, Bayer Leverkusen fans began to see Xabi Alonso as a revolutionary, an architect of success. And he is also considered the one who removed the curse of Neverkusen, Vizekusen or any nickname that refers to Leverkusen as a team that will never have a title.