The new top position for RB Leipzig: how a club made it to the top in 10 years

Leipzig football club with a contested history

On Football Today, fans can follow the latest results, trends and odds. One thing is clear here, Leipzig have had a good season and are stubbornly holding on behind leaders FC Bayern. The club looks back on an eleven-year history. The brewing company Red Bull founded the club on 19 May 2009 from the Oberliga Nordost. The first Bundesliga year followed in 2016. Leipzig now has a firm place in the Champions League and was able to reach the DFB Cup final in its tenth year of existence. That is an unprecedented story, even if it is not undisputed.

The footballing path of this club remains impressive from the 2009 Oberliga straight up to the top of the first Bundesliga. Thus, in a very short time, a fifth-division team has become an internationally recognised club. This is reflected not least in the increasing number of spectators. In 2009, 1065 spectators were still interested in the club and attended a match that Leipzig played against Budissa Bautzen. The match took place in the Leipzig suburb of Markranstädt. It was to be 10 years before 40,000 fans cheered on the Bundesliga match in the completely renovated Red Bull Arena in the heart of Leipzig.

But it would be wrong to assume now that Leipzig had been on an unshakeable winning streak. Many unforeseen stops marked the road to success. For example, the release of head coach Tino Vogel. He achieved promotion together with the club in the first season and was then released on his birthday. There is no question that the club reaped great gloating when he failed to achieve promotion from the Regionalliga over two seasons. The many new players didn't help either.

Chaos and personnel changes at RB Leipzig

If you look behind the scenes at RB Leipzig, you can also discover chaos. First of all, the president, Andreas Sadlo, caused discord in the Oberliga season, for example by dismissing the sports director, Joachim Krug. A year later, however, Sadlo also had to jump ship. At the time, he took with him sporting director Thomas Linke, who had only been in office for three months. Due to the many changes and chaos in the personnel, RB Leipzig quickly slid into a siding and many no longer trusted it to achieve great things. (Source: https://www.bestbrokerreviews.com/review/forex-com/)

But one person then turned the tide: Ralf Rangnick. His first act at the club was to replace the coach Peter Pacult, who at the time was concepted for him, with Alexander Zorniger. Admittedly, the coach was a blank slate and relatively unknown at the time. But both were able to bring a breath of fresh air to the club, which was so necessary.

Fulminant rise & change of symbol

Suddenly, completely new strategies and approaches were to be discovered not only in the club but directly on the pitch. RB Leipzig found itself in first place in the Regionalliga Nord Ost immediately after the change. Through the legendary promotion games against Sportfreunde Lotte, Leipzig managed a brilliant march directly into the second Bundesliga. However, strict conditions were attached to this promotion. The legality of these conditions was in doubt for a long time. 

RB decided on a compromise and replaced the club's management personnel. In addition, the club logo was changed. Apparently, RB wanted to distance itself from the financial backer Red Bull. To what extent this succeeded, everyone can decide for themselves. For critical voices, it was only a symbolic act until then. What remains is a team that is indispensable in the Bundesliga and Champions League. It remains to be seen what RB Leipzig will still achieve this season. However, the position of leader is likely to go to another club. One thing is certain: this club will deliver exciting games until the end of the season.