Xabi Alonso, Victor Boniface, Alejandro Grimaldo, Florian Wirtz. That would be the most common answer among Bayer Leverkusen if you asked them who is the biggest contributor for their first title in the history of Bundesliga. But those with more football knowledge would probably put Granit Xhaka just after Xabi Alonso. Former Arsenal captain came back to Germany this season and had a pivotal role in this title winning season. He is the coach on the field and is linking defense with offense beautifully. So it was not a surprise that after Alonso’s decision to stay in Leverkusen despite offers from Liverpool and Bayern Munich, Xhaka was next.The ‘Eternal Bridesmaid’ finally said YES after 120 yearsBayer’s former player and a current sporting director Simon Rolfes announced today that both Granit Xhaka and the next big star Florian Wirtz will stay in the club for another season.”Granit is staying, Florian too. Wirtz is a figure people can identify with. With his grit and his willpower, he’s a very special and important player for future successes. If we make any big changes in June, it would only be to bring in top people like Granit who are regular players” he said to Spiegel. Bayern hails the new champion, Alonso gets a beer showerThat probably means that other players will stay too, for example the Nigerian duo Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella. And Granit Xhaka praised the Super Eagles’ duo, as well as Nigerian fans who massively supported Leverkusen.“It’s difficult to find the right words but I had a very good experience in Nigeria, won the U-17 World Cup there, defeating them in the final. Jokes aside, I say thanks for the support, it is always good to have worldwide support and we gave our best for the season” the versatile midfielder told Soccernet.ng.Boniface scores as Bayer finally win the Bundesliga titleAs for Tella and Boniface, Xhaka not only praised them, but all Africans as well. “For Boni and Nathan, they’re very good, very positive, always with a smile on their faces. With them, we have a lot of quality in the team, on and off the pitch, and it’s so nice to be a part of them and the team. I grew up with lots of African people. I love the culture, the mentality and how kind they are. Boni is a great guy, with a great family too. You can see the club and how special it is to have family enjoy every moment with us, you can’t see that everywhere, and big respect to the family who are supporting us” Xhaka concluded.##NAJAVA_MECA_8028169##
