Patrik Schick: Bayer Leverkusen's constant is breaking new ground
Amongst the many changes at Bayer Leverkusen over the past couple of years, Patrik Schick is one of the few remaining constants. But even as those around him come and go, his ability to find the back of the net has never wavered, and 2026/27 could be his best campaign yet…
Leverkusen’s apogee was undoubtedly their 2023/24 unbeaten title-winning season, but Schick was not at his personal best. A serious injury in 2022/23 kept him out until October and left him without a goal in any competition for 284 days. While he still ended the season on 16 goals in all competitions, he had to play second fiddle to Victor Boniface up top.
The following term, Leverkusen were unable to defend their Meisterschale as they finished second to a vengeful Bayern Munich outfit, but Schick was back leading the line with 27 goals in all competitions. The summer of 2025, though, saw the break-up of the Bundesliga champions from the previous season, as Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jeremie Frimpong, Lukáš Hrádecký, Jonathan Tah, Piero Hincapié, Boniface, and head coach Xabi Alonso all moved on to pastures new.
In response, the Werkself rejuvenated the squad with a host of young talent, leaving Schick as one of the team’s elder statesmen. And, during a season that saw head coach Erik Ten Hag relieved of his duties after just two league games and Leverkusen finish sixth, Schick’s 22 goals in 42 outings were a shining light.
More key departures came this past summer, including Alejandro Grimaldo, while Carles Martínez is the new boss in the dugout. Yet Schick has barely missed a beat, continuing to finish with the clinical edge we have come to expect as a new style of play is implemented.
His strike against Elversberg on the opening day of the season was ultimately in vain as Leverkusen fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat, but he was back on the scoresheet as he and his teammates put Union Berlin to the sword on Matchday 2.
Watch: Leverkusen 4-0 Union Berlin - highlights
Schick’s next two goals were crucial to the outcome against both Augsburg and RB Leipzig. His late equaliser from the bench earned Leverkusen a share of the spoils against the former, while he opened the scoring in a 2-0 triumph at home to Leipzig – for whom he played in 2019/20.
“Obviously, it’s always nice [to score],” he said following that Matchday 4 victory. “I’m happy to be finding the back of the net. I can’t just expect to score in every game, but the most important thing is that we won. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who scores.”
While he was trying to be humble, there is no doubt Schick has been one of the division’s star players this term. He sits joint-top of the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with four strikes, while he is the only player in the division to score on each of the season’s opening four matchdays. It is also the best start to a campaign of his Bundesliga career, with this his eighth in the German top flight.
Watch: Leverkusen 2-0 Leipzig - highlights
Schick is also writing his name into Leverkusen’s history books. He now has 84 Bundesliga goals for the club, more than any other non-German player after surpassing Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov. Regardless of the opponent, the 30-year-old is capable of making a difference, finding the back of the net against 26 of the 27 teams he has faced in the division – Hamburg being the exception.
Since Schick’s arrival at the BayArena in 2020, the irresistible Harry Kane is the only player to score more frequently in the Bundesliga than the Czechia man. By now, Schick goals are a regular fixture of a Bundesliga weekend. How much of an impact they have on Leverkusen’s fortunes will become clearer as the season progresses.
