Player 'angry' for swapping shirts with current Ballon d'Or holder

Aleix Garcia acknowledged feeling "very angry" after unwittingly attracting criticism for swapping shirts with the current Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele immediately following the 2-7 loss to PSG.

Midfielder Aleix Garcia sincerely apologized to Bayer Leverkusen fans following the humiliating 2-7 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, calling it "a disgraceful result" and admitting he was "very angry" for exchanging shirts with Ousmane Dembele right after the match.

Amid the goal fest at BayArena, Garcia was a rare bright spot by scoring both goals for Leverkusen, one from a penalty and another from a stunning long-range shot. However, that was not enough to overshadow the team's poor performance on the day the new coach Kasper Hjulmand suffered his first defeat in charge. After three matches, Leverkusen has only 2 points, ranking 30th out of 36, facing the risk of an early exit from European competition.

Garcia said: "It's hard to accept. I want to apologize to the supporters. They are amazing and did not deserve to witness this. We need to improve a lot. Hopefully, the whole team will bounce back in the upcoming weekend match."

After the final whistle, the image of Garcia swapping shirts with Dembele, the new 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, sparked controversy. The Spanish midfielder explained that the shirt exchange was agreed upon before the game but admitted "if we had lost 2-7, I definitely would not have done it." Still, he showed special respect for Dembele, calling the French star "the most complete player currently."

Regarding coach Hjulmand, the Danish strategist could not hide his disappointment: "We are in a lot of pain. This result is hard to accept, but we must recover quickly." Leverkusen's management also urged the entire team to learn from this defeat and grow.

After the shock in the Champions League, Leverkusen will return to Bundesliga this weekend, hosting Freiburg at home in a match expected to be the start of their redemption journey with the fans.