🎞️ Xabi Alonso took charge at Bayer on October 5, 2022 with the team second bottom in the Bundesliga.
It was the second worst start of the season ever for Bayer Leverkusen since 1979.
Xabi had 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 managed a senior team having joined Leverkusen one year & half ago from Real Sociedad B.
18 months, exactly 557 days later, Bayer Leverkusen won the first Bundesliga title in 120 years of history.
It happened with 𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎 defeats and 43 consecutive games unbeaten in all competitions for this top team.
Bayer Leverkusen are also in DFB Pokal final against Kaiserslautern and in Europa League quarter finals…
It happened on Xabi Alonso’s 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭 season, first title and now dreaming for the Treble.
The only 𝐮𝐧𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧 team in top European leagues so far.
Shamar Joseph hailing from a village with 350 population, was a security guard until last year. It takes min two days to reach there on a boat and until last five years, there was no mobile and internet connection till 2018. Logging was the only profession, and he had a near death experience when a tree fell and narrowly missed him. Then decided to move to another place. Was a labourer and then a security guard, working for 12 hours. At best could play cricket only on a Sunday.
Debuted in this series. Bought an arm guard only three days before the Test. Yet scores 36 against the highly experienced Australian attack in Australia. Also takes a five-wicket haul on Test debut, as West Indies bowl out Australia in AUS for the first time since 2009 (forget even winning).
Australia were 113/2 chasing 215. From this improbable position, Shamar Joseph in just his second Test took 7 wickets in a SINGLE SPELL. This is despite suffering from toe injury.
WI's first win vs AUS since 2003.
That too at Gabba where only India could win in last 35 years.
That too in a pink ball Test where Australia won 11 out of 11 before.
Also after losing many players to various franchise leagues.
WHAT A STORY!!!
Against all the odds.
This is a film!
(Thanks to cricbuzz's Bharat Sundaresan)
TEARS IN MY EYES!
Caribbean Cricket Podcast was built for these moments to revive the rallying spirit for the diaspora & beyond
We been so downbad as a sporting institution but kept rallying throughout it all
This is sport - this is why we must always rally round the WI