Bayer Leverkusen are known as Bayer ‘Neverkusen’ for their history of always finishing as runners-up. They are on the brink of ending one of football’s strangest curses in astonishing fashion as well.
Xabi Alonso‘s men are currently enroute to an unbeaten season in the Bundesliga, and clinching the title and putting an end to their streak of falling short.
The end of Bayer’s curse is within sight let’s look at other cases of football’s strangest curses.
1. Liverpool’s 30-year title wait
Liverpool waited 30 years to win their 19th Premier League title, and finally did it in bizzare circumstances in 2019.
Legend, Bruce Grobbelaar, poured his own urine on the goalposts at Anfield to help the team break their title “curse”.
2. Legendary manager curses Benfica
One of Benfica’s greatest manager, Bela Guttman, left the club with a curse after the club denied him a pay rise. He led Benfica to two successive European championships before walking away, declaring:
“Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champions again”. Since then, they have lost all nine European finals they have played in.
3. Birmingham’s 100 year Barren run
Birmingham City faced a gypsy curse after moving to their current stadium, St Andrews, in 1906. Despite efforts by managers to remove the curse, it wasn’t until 2006 that they broke the curse and went on to win the League Cup.
4. Guardiola’s Champion’s League curse
Yaya Toure’s agent placed a curse on Guardiola in 2018 for the Spaniard’s handling of Yaya at City. He claimed African Shamans laid a curse that meant Guardiola won’t win another champion’s league title.
Guardiola indeed struggled in the champion’s league losing one final and failing to reach the final on other occasions.
Dimitri Seluk finally claimed the curse has been lifted in 2023, and of course City went on to Win the UCL that season.
5. Pirates of Argentina: Dead cats means no titles
Racing Club faced a curse after Independiente fans buried seven dead cats near their stadium. The club attempted to break the curse by different means, even try out exorcisms. They ultimately failed to win the title until the seventh cat was found after 34 years.
