Red Bull Leipzig 2016/2017 Home Shirt

RB LEIPZIG - HOME SHIRT 2016/2017

RB Leipzig were founded in 2009 in Leipzig, Saxony, when Red Bull bought the playing rights of fifth-tier SSV Markranstädt. Nicknamed die Roten Bullen (the Red Bulls), they play at the Red Bull Arena. The trivia writes itself: in just seven years the club rocketed from the fifth division to the Bundesliga, one of the fastest rises German football has seen, and few clubs have divided opinion so sharply along the way.

The 2016/2017 season, during which this striking home shirt was worn, was Leipzig's first ever in the Bundesliga, under Ralph Hasenhüttl, who had replaced Ralf Rangnick that summer. It was a stunning debut: Leipzig finished 2nd on 67 points (20 wins, 7 draws, 7 defeats, 66 goals scored), behind only champions Bayern Munich, and qualified for the Champions League. They went unbeaten through their opening 13 league matches, a record start for a Bundesliga newcomer.

With no European football and a jarringly early cup exit, the drama was concentrated in the league. Leipzig were dumped out in the first round of the DFB-Pokal by second-division Dynamo Dresden, beaten on penalties after a 2-2 draw in front of a raucous Dresden crowd, a rare stumble in an otherwise remarkable campaign.

Timo Werner was the season's revelation, top-scoring with 21 Bundesliga goals and forcing his way into the Germany squad. Midfielder Emil Forsberg pulled the strings with a stream of assists, while Naby Keïta, signed from RB Salzburg for a then club-record 15 million euros, dazzled in the engine room before his later move to Liverpool.

Follow the club on X: @RBLeipzig