Yahoo Sports Leverkusen CEO gives thoughts on Milan and recalls nearly getting Theo Hernandez
Fernando Carro might be the CEO with one of the most interesting stories at any European club, and now he is being hailed for what he has created at Bayer Leverkusen.
In the 1970s, he was a child fan of Barcelona, with no real connection to football, then in the 1980s he was a journalist in Austria, a student who earns his living by teaching at a university. By 2024 he had led Bayer Leverkusen to its first trophies since 1993, reaping the rewards after backing Xabi Alonso.
Alonso’s side set a new European record for consecutive competitive matches without a loss (49), breaking Benfica’s record of 48 games unbeaten set between 1963 and 1965, but the run would end after 51 matches, following a 3–0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final.
Die Werkself won the DFB-Pokal – beating Kaiserslautern from the second division in the final – and completed an undefeated domestic double. That meant they lost just once in 53 games in the entire season.
Carro spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published on the morning of Milan’s Champions League game against Leverkusen and he gave his thoughts on a number of interesting topics.
A Spaniard as CEO of Leverkusen. How is that possible?
“I have to start from the beginning. I was born in 1964 in Barcelona and I studied at the German school because my father was passionate about Germany and classical music, especially Beethoven and Mozart.
“I was a sports fanatic, I bought Mundo Deportivo, Marca, Sport, AS – basically, all the Spanish sports newspapers – and I read them at school. Sports and German have always been with me.”
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What was your first contact with football?
“My mother started giving Spanish lessons to Hans Krankl, an Austrian who played for Barcelona from 1978 to 1981. Then she continued with Udo Lattek, who came to coach Barça. I was just a fan, a member of Barcelona, who watched the games in standing room.
“One day I moved to Germany to study. At the end of each semester, I went to live in Krankl’s house in Vienna, wrote for Die Presse and sold my articles to foreign newspapers.”
Your mom was a language teacher, and your father?
“He wasn’t a sportsman, to be honest. He was a salesman.”
So Fernando Carro is a 100% self-made man?
“I would say so. At 20, when I went to study in Germany, I didn’t get any money from my parents. I supported myself by giving private lessons at the university, I wanted to be independent, be alone and avoid Spanish military service.”
And how do you get from there to being president of Leverkusen?
“A long road. Sport has always been with me. Over the years as a journalist I have followed many events and initiatives. In 1986, in Lausanne, when they awarded the Olympic Games to Barcelona, I was there.
“I studied economic engineering and, when they took me on at Bertelsmann, a multinational publishing company, I asked to work in the sports sector. They said no and so I worked in other sectors of the company, eventually leading a subsidiary with 70,000 employees. But my desire to stay in sport remained.
“In 2018, some headhunters contacted me again and I said I was only interested in jobs in sport. The position of CEO of Leverkusen was available, we immediately had a good dialogue and… here I am.”
So the Leverkusen president is a Barcelona fan?
“No, being a fan of Barcelona is a thing of the past. Sometimes I joke with my wife and tell her that when I retire I will run for president of Barça, but no, I won’t. I’m 100% focused on my job and I’m not that much of a fan anymore.”
Let’s talk about Leverkusen-Milan. Who wins?
“For me it’s 50-50. Two great teams, one against the other. Milan, by winning the derby, showed that they are in good shape and will have one more day of rest than us.”
In the Champions League you will also meet Inter. If you watch the Milan derby, who do you support?
“Obviously I have a lot of respect for both clubs but I have a slight preference for Milan, for its history. Ruud Gullit was one of my favourites and in my head Milan is synonymous with offensive and spectacular football.
“Inter makes me think of more defensive football. In reality, I admired Milan a lot until the 1994 Champions League final, with the 4-0 against Barcelona: they destroyed us, I still remember it. That day I was devastated.”
Any other links with this Milan?
“Theo Hernandez. In 2019 I met him in Madrid together with my former colleague Rudi Völler, now a friend, and we came close. Milan had the advantage of the preferential taxation [the Growth Decree] and took him”.
Speaking of choices, how is it possible that in 2022 you were far-sighted with Xabi Alonso, a coach relegated from the second to the third Spanish division?
“Well, if that’s the case, he was surprisingly promoted the previous year with the same team… The truth is that we have a director, Simon Rolfes, who supervises our scouting and draws up a list of candidates.
“When necessary, we discuss them and see the two or three best. When we met Xabi in 2022, we decided very quickly that he was number 1 on our list.”
How did he convince you?
“I was convinced by his personality, by his analytical skills: he is very thoughtful and intelligent. For Simon, the way Xabi sees football was more important, the two of them are very aligned.”
Was it difficult to convince him to stay this summer?
“We had agreed that if a certain club came along, we would be open to discussions. In reality, however, we have always been optimistic, we too have a lot to offer and we know that he has always appreciated the professionalism and governance of the club. In the end, the decision was his.”
Will this be its last season?
“I hope not… but it’s early, the season has just started.”
From Germany, what do you think of Italian football?
“It’s hard to judge from here but last year you were the number one nation in Europe. The interesting aspect seems to me to be the governance, in the past managers were elected who were politicians, rather than technicians.
“For me Italy is at the top for football skills and players. It is one of the great football nations, although obviously it has to face some problems.”
So, prediction: in Italy and in Europe, what will be the future of football?
“For me, clubs must be managed like companies: it’s a big business, you need professionals. The most important thing is to guarantee balanced competitions, to attract future generations and ensure that fans still follow football.
“I would be in favour of a European salary cap, NBA-style, but it will be very difficult: in Germany, the mentality is that you don’t spend more than you earn, but elsewhere it’s different… For sure, if the same team always wins, it doesn’t work.
“By the way, this was probably one of our biggest contributions in the last Bundesliga: breaking Bayern’s streak of 11 victories.”
One last thing. You openly say you are against the Super League and against the 50+1 rule that guarantees fans the majority of voting rights in a German club. Clear positions, at the cost of taking risks. Have you ever regretted it?
“I am transparent and direct, I am also ambitious but in life I have been successful. I don’t just talk, I also work hard for the things I believe in. Let’s say that I have sometimes had regrets for what I said because of my character, for example in some meetings with the fans.
“In those cases I risk being a little too open… and sometimes it is better to be more cautious. This is one of the things I am still learning in football…”
