Bayer Leverkusen kicked off the 2026/27 Bundesliga season with a commanding 4-0 home victory over Union Berlin. The team under manager Carles Martínez displayed a clear Spanish-Argentine identity.
The match at the BayArena started with a bang. After just 43 seconds, Ezequiel Fernández scored the earliest goal of the new campaign. "It was important to get the win and on top of that, I managed to score a goal," said the Argentine after his 22nd top-flight appearance for Leverkusen. Before halftime, summer signing Facundo Medina from Marseille made it 2-0 with his first shot and first goal for the club. "I’m truly very happy," the defender said of his debut.
Miguel Gutiérrez, signed from Napoli, was involved in four of Leverkusen's nine shots before the break and created two goals. In midfield, Aleix García controlled the game, completing 91 percent of his actions under high pressure. These performances show the club's strategic reset. With the departure of Alejandro Grimaldo, who scored 30 goals in 145 competitive games, and the arrivals of Martínez plus players like Medina and Gutiérrez, a noticeable transformation is underway. Even CEO Fernando Carro is Spanish, completing the cultural shift.
Carles Martínez, who joined from Toulouse, brought his experience from Barcelona's La Masia academy, where he helped develop talents like Fermín López, Gavi, and Xavi Simons. His focus on technically gifted, Spanish-speaking players is now shaping the squad. This approach paid immediate dividends in the first match of the season, earning the team three important points. This puts Bayer Leverkusen in seventh place in the standings after two matchdays. Their record shows six goals scored and three conceded, for a goal difference of plus three.
The club is currently without several injured players. Guéla Doué, Kennet Eichhorn, Montrell Culbreath, and Nathan Tella are all sidelined. The team sits three points behind surprise leaders FC Augsburg. That very opponent awaits next, on Saturday, September 12, 2026. The away fixture against the table-toppers will be the next major test for Martínez's side.
The emphatic opening win provides momentum for the new era under Carles Martínez. It shows the new signings are integrating quickly. The team proved it can be offensively potent even without long-time contributor Grimaldo. The coming weeks will reveal if this form can be maintained. The next opportunity comes in the clash with Augsburg. Preparations for this top-of-the-table encounter are already underway.
