Who are RB Leipzig?

A look at the Eastern German side taking on Spurs in the Champions League Round of 16.

What started with Red Bull’s purchase of the playing rights of Oberliga side SSV Markranstadt (fifth tier) in 2009 is now one of the most interesting stories in the Bundesliga.

Rassen-Ballsport Leipzig reached the top flight of the Bundesliga in 2016 and managed to finish second behind Bayern Munich (15 points back). While they would be eliminated at the group stage that year in the Champions League, they would reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League before falling to Olympique Marseille.

After a sixth place finish in 2017-18 in the Bundesliga, coach Ralph Hasenhuttl resigned after being denied an extension and Ralf Ragnick would take over for one season and then make way for then Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann in 2019-20. Last season, RB Leipzig finished third to make the Champions League and are currently sit second in the Bundesliga a point behind Bayern Munich. In the Champions League, they topped a group consisting of Lyon, Benfica, and Zenit St. Petersburg.

Their success, however, has been met with scorn in some circles.

DFB laws state that German clubs must operate on a “50+1” rule, meaning members – essentially fans – own fifty percent of the club’s shares plus one and can influence decisions such as ticket prices. Bayer Leverkusen (Bayer) and VfL Wolfsburg (Volkswagen) are “grandfathered” given their traditions as factory clubs.

Rivals feel RB Leipzig exploited the system by having just 17 members with voting rights – most are either employees or agents of Red Bull – and got around a law stating teams must not be named after sponsors by officially calling the club RasenBallsport Leipzig, which translates as LawnBallsport Leipzig.

Leipzig’s travels have been met with backlash from opposing fans ranging from boycotts to Borussia Dortmund supporters tossing cans and stones at Leipzig supporters.

Despite that, Leipzig pushes on with crowds averaging around 40,000 and affiliate clubs in RB Salzburg, New York Red Bulls, and Red Bull Brasil. That system has recruited Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch towards being an assistant with Leipzig and then coach of Salzburg leading them to the Champions League this season. It also supplied stars such as Naby Keita who has since moved on to Liverpool.

Current stars include Timo Werner who is second in scoring in the Bundesliga, Swedish winger Emil Forsberg, Danish striker Yussuf Poulsen, and Austrian winger Marcel Sabitzer.

So that in a nutshell is RB Leipzig who are set to take on Spurs on Wednesday in the Champions League Round of 16. While not universally loved in Germany, there’s no denying people such as Ralf Ragnick and Julian Nagelsmann, with the backing of Red Bulls, has given this team wings.