
Arminia Bielefeld prepare for first German Cup final – DW – 05/24/2025
Thomas Klein
05/24/2025
May 24, 2025
Germany football minnows Arminia Bielefeld are preparing for arguably the biggest game in the club's history. The third-tier team — and DFB-Final first-timers — will take on the first-division Bundesliga team Stuttgart in Berlin later today.

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03-06-2025
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Germany defender Jonathan Tah's Ivory Coast connection – DW – 06/03/2025
Jonathan Tah is one of the best defenders in Europe and a fixture on the national team. The 29-year-old spoke to DW about his career and his connection to his father's homeland. If Jonathan Tah suddenly decided to retire, he could already look back on an accomplished career. Seen as one of the best defenders in Europe, Tah played a key role in Bayern Leverkusen's unprecedented double of winning the Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2024. "As of now, I've done everything I can to be the best version of myself," Jonathan Tah told DW at the German national team's training camp in Herzogenaurach. "But of course, I can and want to always get more out of myself." Tah again performed at his consistently high level this past season, winning 65% of his tackles and completing nearly 94% of his passes. Such stats weren't lost on Bayern Munich, who swept in to sign the defender for the coming season. Hard work pays off Becoming a regular on the national team didn't come easy for the Hamburg native, who made his debut in early 2016 under then-national team coach Joachim Löw. However, he wasn't called up for any major tournaments after that. It's only since Julian Nagelsmann took over as Germany coach that Tah has become a fixture in the central defense, alongside Antonio Rüdiger. Jonathan Tah got his first call up to the national team in 2016 Image: Federico Gambarini/dpa/picture alliance "It's like life," there are always a few ups and downs," said Tah, who always believed in the value of hard work. "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but it was logical that at some point it would pay off." Credit to Alonso He credits Xabi Alonso, his coach at Leverkusen, with helping him get to where he is now. "He said I needed to maintain that focus and concentration in every game to be able to consistently deliver that level of performance at that high level." Tah signed his first professional contract with Hamburg at the age of 17, but they gave up on him, selling him to Leverkusen in 2015. Jonathan Tah is a favorite among the fans Image: IMAGO/Harry Koerber "I think talent probably brought me to Leverkusen. But everything that came after that was hard work," Tah said. "In the end, you can only reach your full potential if you work hard, not if you rely solely on your talent." Off the pitch, Tah likes to spend time with his wife, his friends and his dog, "It's good for me to step out of the role of 'Jonathan Tah, the professional footballer,' and into the role of husband and friend, not even talk about football at all." 'I felt a lot of love' One of his other passions is travel. Last month, he made a trip to a place that is particularly close to his heart as his father was born there, Ivory Coast. "The last time I was there, I was 14 years old. I wanted to visit my grandmother again and see what had changed in the country," he said. "Many said they were proud of me and of what I had achieved with Leverkusen. I simply felt a lot of love from the people. It was a very nice experience." Filled with pride Tah was impressed by how "football-mad" African fans really are. "They simply love this sport, and you can feel this passion," he said. "It's a different country, a different culture, and yet people still support you. That fills you with pride. I believe I can inspire and motivate people." Even though it was only a short trip, meeting with ordinary people in the West African country made an impression on Tah. "It was extremely grounding for me and my wife," he said. "It makes me think: 'What kind of problems do I actually have here? Are these really problems, are these legitimate complaints? Or is it actually nonsense to worry about little things?'" Tah plans to visit his father's homeland more often in the future, but now his focus is back on football and Germany as they take on Portugal in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League at his future home ground, the Allianz Arena, on Wednesday. Not only Germany fans will be pulling for him. This article was originally published in German.


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Bayer Leverkusen appoint Erik ten Hag as head coach – DW – 05/26/2025
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DW
25-05-2025
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Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso confirmed as new Real Madrid coach – DW – 05/25/2025
Xabi Alonso will take over as Real Madrid coach from June 1, the Spanish club has confirmed. The former midfield star returns after leading Bayer Leverkusen to a historic domestic treble. Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid has confirmed Bayer Leverkusen coachXabi Alonso as its new coach from June 1. Former midfielder Alonso had confirmed earlier this month he would leave Leverkusen, having last season led the club to its first Bundesliga title to end Bayern Munich's 11-year domination of the league. What do we know about Alonso's move to Madrid? "Xabi Alonso will be the Real Madrid coach for the next three seasons, from June 1, 2025 until June 30, 2028," the Spanish club said in a statement. The move had been widely expected. Basque trainer Alonso had an agreement allowing him to leave if one of his former clubs — Real Madrid, Liverpool, or Bayern Munich — wanted to hire him. His achievement of going domestically unbeaten during Leverkusen's surprise run had made him a top target for European clubs. As well as winning the league with Leverkusen last season, Alonso also completed a historic domestic treble by steering them to German Cup and German Super Cup victories. The 43-year-old takes over at the Spanish club from Italian Carlo Ancelotti, who is expected to become Brazil's national team coach ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Alonso enjoyed success as a player at Bayern Munich, whose run of league titles he would bring to an end Image: picture alliance/dpa/M Balk Despite having a year left on his contract, Ancelotti has reportedly agreed to part ways with the club after an underwhelming season and his interest in the Brazil job. What else do we know about Alonso's career? Alonso is set to join Real ahead of the expanded Club World Cup, set to take place in the United States from June 14 to July 14. He began his coaching career with Real Madrid's youth academy, managing the Under-14 team during the 2018–19 season. Alonso played for the club from 2009 to 2014, making 236 appearances and winning multiple titles, including the Champions League, La Liga, and Copa del Rey. As a player at Liverpool, Alonso won the 2005 UEFA Champions League with a crucial goal in the final. At Bayern Munich, he secured three consecutive Bundesliga titles and the 2016 German Cup. Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah