Bayer Leverkusen finally lost this season but at the worst moment possible. Yesterday, in the Europa League Final, Atalanta BC defeated Leverkusen 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Many Leverkusen fans were shocked at the lineup from the start, as their only natural striker was Amine Adli. Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong played right behind them in the attack, but they struggled to create clear chances on goal. In the second half, the rest of the strikers, like Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface, came onto the pitch, but they couldn’t find the back of the net. Cristiano Ronaldo has been rumored to be wanted by Xabi Alonso next season, and now, after witnessing the first loss of the season and the matter of how they lost, the Spanish manager may consider signing CR7 sooner rather than later.
@goat.things34 Atalanta 🆚 Bayer leverkusen🔥⚽️ #europeleaguefinal #football #arabic #commentary🔥
♬ original sound - ꧁𝙒𝙖𝙦𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙞𝙞_𝙠𝙝𝙖𝙣꧂
Bayer Leverkusen will be in the Champions League next season, but now, after this loss, Xabi Alonso may start to think about which players should go and which players should stay before he plans to possibly bring CR7. Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr expires in the summer of 2025, and if Leverkusen wants to sign him this summer, the German champions will need to pay a transfer fee. Ronaldo’s market value is around $15 to $20 million, according to Transfermarkt. The fee would need to be around that number to convince Al Nassr to sell him this summer.
Ronaldo played 42 matches in all competitions for Al Nassr this season. CR7 scored a total of 42 goals and provided 13 assists, which means the Portuguese striker had 55 goal contributions this season across all competitions in Saudi Arabia. Although the numbers are impressive, many believe that the level in the Saudi Pro League is very poor, but his experience is what could help Leverkusen shine even more next season, especially in the Champions League.
@foxsoccer Cristiano Ronaldo scores Al-Nassr's first goal of 2024 🐐 #CR7 #Ronaldo #Cristiano #AlNassr #Goat
♬ original sound - FOXSoccer
What is next for Bayer Leverkusen?
Despite losing the Europa League Final against Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen has another final to play this season. This weekend, Leverkusen will play in the DFB Pokal Final against 1. FC Kaiserslautern at the Olympiastadion Berlin. If Leverkusen loses that Cup final as well, questions will grow in the Bayer Leverkusen squad as players are inexperienced in big Cup Final games.
