For a club that was founded in 2009, RB Leipzig has come a long way. It began as a partnership with fifth-tier SSV Markranstädt, who Red Bull bought the playing rights from, ultimately changing the club name to RB Leipzig. Intending to reach the Bundesliga in eight years through the promotion/relegation system, RB Leipzig did the impossible. It accomplished it in seven.
The year 2016 was the club’s first in the Bundesliga where it has remained ever since.
Given the very traditional format of German soccer as well as the strong opinions expressed by supporter groups throughout the country, it came as no surprise that RB Leipzig faced a lot of backlash.
Here are the 5 biggest misconceptions about RB Leipzig:
1. “Germans hate RB Leipzig”
If you listen to social media, you may think that RB Leipzig ranks as the most despised club in Germany. However, according to a 2024 Nielsen study, RB Leipzig is the seventh most-liked Bundesliga club in the country.
As hard as it may be for some to believe, several clubs aren’t as liked nationally as Leipzig, according to the same study. Those include Bayer Leverkusen, Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, and Borussia Monchengladbach.
In the surrounding regions, outside Saxony, RB Leipzig is the most-liked club, far more than Bayern Munich.
Certainly, some still despise RB Leipzig for the way that a giant corporation bought a club to advance them to the Bundesliga. But this appears to be a very small vocal minority. Bayern Munich, for example, has the honor of being both the most-disliked team in Germany, as well as the most-liked.
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2. “Foreigners hate RB Leipzig too”
Outside of Germany, RB Leipzig is the third most-liked Bundesliga team. FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund rank number one and two respectively.
Internationally, there isn’t the distaste that some Germans have for RB Leipzig. Perhaps part of that reason may be the success the club has achieved. That includes winning the DFB-Pokal in 2022 and 2023 as well as winning the DFL Supercup in 2023.
The other reason could be how multicultural the team is. Several players are from the Netherlands, Hungary, France, Norway, Mali, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, and Slovenia. No doubt that helps attract more foreign fans who naturally have more affinity with Leipzig.
3. “The club has no fan culture”
Having attended two RB Leipzig games in recent months, the fanbase is authentic. It may not be as loud or aggressive as the ultras at Eintracht Frankfurt, but Leipzig fans certainly create an electric atmosphere on matchdays. The most passionate fans are located behind the one goal where the entire area of that stadium joins in the celebration of different songs and chants.
What’s different about RB Leipzig fans, overall, is that the stadium seems more fan-friendly than other grounds across Germany. With the Red Bull Arena located near the center of the city, it feels like part of the community instead of being miles away next to the autobahn like some other clubs.
Related to that, RB Leipzig has recently launched an innovative program to go into the local schools to promote the benefits of playing soccer to students in elementary schools. It isn’t branded with RB Leipzig’s name, but the effort is an admirable one, helping educate students about the sport. It’s indirect, but it’s bound to help build a better fan culture locally for the club.
4. “Attendances for RB Leipzig are poor”
RB Leipzig has the 7th highest attendance in the Bundesliga with an average of 45,175 for the 2023/24 season. The stadium’s capacity is 47,069. So expect a full house for almost every single match throughout each season.
5. “The club has exploited loopholes in the 50+1 rules“
Technically, RB Leipzig complies with the Bundesliga’s 50+1 rule that ensures that supporters are the majority owners of each club. The club has a membership scheme, and RB Leipzig is not registered as a private company. However, very little information is available about who is part of the membership scheme, and how many of those members have voting rights.
Photo: IMAGO / Gonzales Photo.
