The 2016-17 campaign was a turbulent, transitional season for Bayer Leverkusen, with Die Werkself ultimately finishing 12th in the Bundesliga following the mid-season sacking of manager Roger Schmidt. Despite the domestic struggles, the team showed resilience in Europe, going unbeaten in the Champions League group stage before being knocked out in the Round of 16 by Atlético Madrid. Leading the charge was the clinical Mexican striker Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández, whose 11 league goals anchored the attack. The season remains memorable for the emergence of a 17-year-old talent, Kai Havertz, and for Karim Bellarabi scoring the Bundesliga's historic 50,000th goal, marking a challenging but significant chapter for the club.