Bayer 04 Leverkusen celebrated its first Bundesliga and did so early: the home victory against Werder Bremen, this Sunday, established it as champion, with five games remaining, an unprecedented event for the club and which, in addition, cut 11 Bayern Munich title seasons.
The team led by the Basque Xabi Alonso achieved the first of the three titles it intends to win this season and is the owner of an impressive undefeated record.
On May 25 they will play the German Cup final against Kaiserslautern and are four games away from winning the Europa League.
The consecrating victory against Werder Bremen was the 25th in a season in which they also had four draws and still did not lose. What’s more, they are only five appearances away from being the first team to complete a season of the German competition undefeated. In total, they have 42 games without defeats (37 wins and 5 draws).
The news of Leverkusen’s title (after five runners-up finishes) hit our Professional League closely because two of its foreigners exploded here. Sunday was also the consecration of Exequiel Palacios, made in River and world champion in 2022 with Argentina, and also of Piero Martín Hincapié Reyna.
The 22-year-old Ecuadorian defender was key since he arrived in 2021, from Talleres. Bayer bought the Ecuadorian for 7.5 million dollars from a pass that was shared by the “T” (it had 65%) and Independiente del Valle de Ecuador (the remaining 35%).
In this Bundesliga, Hincapié played 22 games, scored one goal and assisted once. His total numbers in Leverkusen are 110, 4 and 3 respectively.
His market value is 35 million euros, according to Transfermarkt. His next sale will be a great deal for the German club and also for the “T” and the Ecuadorian club, since they will have a capital gain.
How it was done in Workshops
“We have great expectations of what it can generate in Talleres. You will have to adapt and work physically. We think that in two years he will be able to be a high-level player, because he already has international experience with his country’s youth teams. As always, we continue to trust in young players that Alexander Medina, with his great coaching staff, will be able to grow,” was the complete analysis made by Albiazul president Andrés Fassi, days after announcing the purchase of half of the pass.
El Mundo Talleres, almost everything, hesitated. He was a kid, he was bought in the middle of the pandemic, when the football industry was stopped, although he came from an important quarry at the South American level like Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, a market that Fassi already knew from his experience as one of the owners of the Group Pachuca.
The kid had been seen in the Half World Cup and arrived in Córdoba in mid-2020. The “T” had put a million dollars for half of the pass for the player who arrived at the age of 18. A few days later, he contracted Covid-19, but he could not make his debut immediately even if he had recovered.
It had to be “worked on” by Alexander Medina’s coaching staff. Hincapié arrived with 67 kilos and had to reach 73 at least, something that would take his time. That work of the “Cacique”, the PF Alexis Olariaga and the rest of his collaborators was the one that was not seen. The one that was done in silence and the one that was worth the most.
Football resumed, starting with the Maradona Cup and the Albiazules centre-backs were Rafael Pérez and Juan Komar, while Hincapié took his first steps in practice, including as a full-back. When the Albiazul captain reached the fifth yellow and had meniscus surgery, Hincapié made his debut against Colón (January 10, 2021), on the last date and played a great game.
Talleres was third and was left out of the final between Banfield and Boca by only one point. Hincapié received the best grades, which predicted a good future.
On the triple front (Professional League Cup, South American Cup and Argentine Cup), the Ecuadorian stood out. He was the best along with Federico Navarro, Diego Valoyes and Carlos Auzqui. His progress was noticed by Gustavo Alfaro, the coach of Ecuador, who followed him closely and on a daily basis, since his nephew Ángelo Martino is also in Talleres. Hincapié had already played in his country’s youth teams, but playing in the major league was his goal.
First was the call for the friendly with Bolivia on March 19, to which the Albiazul board did not give it up as it was not for the points. Then, the kid was called up for the qualifying matches against Brazil and Peru, in which he was a substitute and was confirmed on the final list for the Copa América.
“I’m fulfilling a dream,” said the kid as soon as he started training with Alfaro’s team. This Sunday, he gave himself against Colombia.
As he did in Talleres, he put his knee on the ground, looked at the sky, and thanked God.
He played 22 games in total for Talleres and people could not appreciate it because, due to Covid, people returned to the fields at the end of September. Yes, yes, people couldn’t enjoy the crack in the stands. Only on TV or streaming or summaries on different platforms.
Their last match in Talleres was on May 25, 2021, when the first team defeated Emelec of Ecuador 4 to 1, at the close of their participation in Group G of the Copa Sudamericana.
Capital gain
He was then sold to Bayern Leverkusen for $7.5 million. The “T” sold the 65% percent it owned and was left with a capital gain of 20%. The German club also bought the remaining percentage that belonged to Independiente del Valle and the kid signed until June 30, 2026.
As reported by Talleres, “the transfer was made for seven and a half million dollars, which preserved 20% of a capital gain for a future transfer” for the Barrio Jardín entity. The capital gain is the difference between the total amount of the initial sale, in this case 7,500,000 dollars, and that of a new one made by Leverkusen. Of that difference, Talleres will charge 20% and must divide it with the Ecuadorian club.
The Qatar World Cup followed, third place in the Bundesliga, participation in the Europa League, Champions League and an unprecedented title in German football. Two more titles remain, according to what Alonso intends.
For the defender, Real Madrid and several Premier clubs will come. Guardiola wants him at City and Tottenham to partner with Cristian Romero from Córdoba. In the national team he will play in the Copa América from June 20.
The best is coming.
