In 2000, Bayer Leverkusen needed only a draw against SpVgg Unterhaching to win the title, but an own goal by Michael Ballack helped send the team to a crushing 2–0 defeat, while Bayern Munich clinched the title with a 3–1 victory over Werder Bremen. The 2008–09 season got off to a great start for Bayer Leverkusen under new manager Bruno Labbadia, who the club had acquired from 2. [22] Former Germany national team manager Rudi Völler, who had been named sporting director prior to the season, took charge of five matches as caretaker manager. However, Heynckes decided not to extend his contract and left Bayer Leverkusen in the 2011 close season to take over at Bayern Munich for a third time. The 2002 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. Early in 2005, Augenthaler was fired as manager after the club got off to its worst Bundesliga start in over 20 years, with only one win in its first four league matches and a 0–1 home loss to CSKA Sofia in the first leg of its UEFA Cup match-up. The next year saw the club in the Regionalliga West, tier II, where their performances over the next few seasons left them well down the league table. [7] In the culture of sports in Germany at the time, there was significant animosity between gymnasts and other types of athletes. It was formerly the best-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports including the RTHC Bayer Leverkusen (rowing, tennis and hockey). Their local rivals are 1. This is regarded as one of the most important moves in the club's history, as Calmund ushered in a decade and a half of the club's greatest successes through shrewd, far-sighted player acquisitions. The new club took red and white as its colours. Charismatic coach Klaus Augenthaler took up the reins in the last two games of the season and helped avoid disaster with a win over his previous club, 1. After the German reunification in 1990, Reiner Calmund was quick to sign East German stars Ulf Kirsten, Andreas Thom and Jens Melzig. [20][21] The club finished sixth during the 2004–05 season to qualify for the next season's UEFA Cup. In the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, Leverkusen reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2008,[31] but were ultimately knocked out by Inter Milan in a 2–1 loss. [12][13], The team earned a series of four-second-place finishes from 1997 to 2002. In 1999 the football department was separated from the sports club and is now a separate entity formally called Bayer 04 Leverkusen GmbH. Founded 1904 Address Bismarckstr. That following season's run in the Champions League saw the club get some measure of revenge on Real Madrid, opening its group stage campaign with a 3–0 rout of the Spanish giants,[18] helping Leverkusen to win the group. Eventually this contributed to a split within the club: on 8 June 1928, the footballers formed a separate association – Sportvereinigung Bayer 04 Leverkusen – that also included the handball and fistball players, athletics, and boxing, while the gymnasts carried on as TuS Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The club's main colours are red and black, both having been used as the main shirt colour and with red and black stripes also having been used as home colours. For the women's football club, see, 2. "Factory team", "Millhanders") or "Pillendreher" (Eng. [37][38], Bayer Leverkusen's corporate origins, however, are far from unique. [8] That was also the year that the club wore the familiar "Bayer" cross for the first time. The club competes in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, and plays its home matches at the BayArena. In addition to becoming an established Bundesliga side, the club earned its first honours with a dramatic win in the 1988 UEFA Cup. [7] The company agreed to support the initiative, and on 1 July 1904 Turn- und Spielverein Bayer 04 Leverkusen was founded. FC Köln.[6]. It was a weekend for strikers in Fantasy as Haaland, Mateta and Kramaric racked up the points on Matchday 8. Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. [32] The BayArena has the reputation of being one of the most family-friendly football stadiums in Germany. [41], In March 2020, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and RB Leipzig, the four German UEFA Champions League teams for the 2019/20 season, collectively gave €20 million to Bundesliga and 2. The club also signed charismatic players, such as Bernd Schuster, and Rudi Völler, helping to ensure the team's popularity and growing success. SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen took with them the club's traditional colours of red and black, with the gymnasts adopting blue and yellow. The team then flirted with relegation through most of the 2002–03 season, leading to the firing of Klaus Toppmöller, who had coached the team during its most successful year, and he was replaced by the inexperienced Thomas Hörster. Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The sky is very much the limit for this quintet of young attackers... From Alario to Hernandez, bundesliga.com looks at the players who have impressed the most at each club so far this season. The three players would become instant crowd favourites, and make significant contributions to the team. Alario double helps Leverkusen past Freiburg. Two years later, the club surrendered a five-point lead atop the league table by losing two of its last three matches while Borussia Dortmund swept ahead with three consecutive victories in its final matches. [30] In the 2012–13 and 2015–16 seasons, Leverkusen finished third with coach Sami Hyypiä and Roger Schmidt respectively, but were knocked out in the round of 16 of the Champions League the following season both times. Venue Name BayArena City Leverkusen Capacity 30210. [19] Leverkusen, however, was defeated in the first knockout round by eventual champions Liverpool. Leverkusen appeared in the final for the … Patrik Schick was back in the Leverkusen starting line-up for the first time since Matchday 2 this weekend. Lucas Alario scored twice for the second game in a row to help unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen come from behind and cruise past hosts Freiburg 4-2. [4] Bayer were first promoted to the Bundesliga in 1979, and have remained in the top division ever since. Calmund also established groundbreaking contacts in Brazilian football, befriending Juan Figer, one of Brazil's most powerful player agents. [28] Shortly thereafter, Leverkusen presented Jupp Heynckes as its new manager, who had previously managed Bayern Munich after Jürgen Klinsmann's departure. [26] As the season progressed, however, the team failed to achieve any wins against top clubs in the Bundesliga. Daum was later to be famously fired for a cocaine scandal that also cost him his ascent to the role of the Germany national team coach. Leverkusen did manage to reach the DFB-Pokal final on 30 May 2009 in Berlin, but fell 0–1 to Werder Bremen. Four years later, the club handily secured a place in the Bundesliga to start to play there in the 1979–80 season. [24] Skibbe turned Leverkusen's season around and guided the club to a sixth-place finish in 2006, earning another UEFA Cup place, and then repeated that feat with a fifth place Bundesliga finish in 2007. In view of this tradition, UEFA allows Bayer Leverkusen to use the brand name Bayer in European club competitions while disallowing such naming practices most notably to Red Bull Salzburg. The club was founded in 1904 by employees of the German pharmaceutical company Bayer AG, whose headquarters are in Leverkusen and from which the club draws its name. The club has won one DFB-Pokal and one UEFA Cup. Bayer | 3.255.083 seguidores en LinkedIn. "Tablet twisters"). Bayer Leverkusen also lost a lot of its support towards the end of the season: in the 1–2 home loss against Hertha BSC, the Leverkusen fans caused much commotion, with fans chanting for the sacking of Skibbe, while some Ultras, who had seen enough, set fire to their jerseys and threw them onto the field. Other clubs, including PSV, Carl Zeiss Jena and Sochaux, share a similar reputation of being works teams. In the 2002 off-season, the team lost influential midfield stars Michael Ballack and Zé Roberto to archrivals Bayern Munich. He then led Bayer Leverkusen to a third-place finish and a Champions League place the following year. FC Nürnberg. On 27 November 1903, Wilhelm Hauschild wrote a letter – signed by 170 of his fellow workers – to his employer, the Friedrich Bayer and Co., seeking the company's support in starting a sports club. [5] Bayer also finished runner-up in the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, falling 2–1 to Real Madrid in the final. [24], The 2007–08 season was not a successful one for Leverkusen despite a good start to the season; five out of the last ten league matches were lost to clubs in the lower half of the table. Down 0–3 to Espanyol after the first leg of the final, Bayer Leverkusen drew even in the return match and then captured the title on penalty kicks, 3–2.[9][10]. Bundesliga after just one season spent in the third division. Bayer missed the chance to go second, but are still to lose in this season's Bundesliga following their 0-0 draw with Hertha. Squad of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Filter by season 20/21 19/20 18/19 17/18 16/17 15/16 14/15 13/14 12/13 11/12 10/11 09/10 08/09 07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04 02/03 01/02 00/01 99/00 98/99 97/98 96/97 95/96 94/95 93/94 92/93 91/92 90/91 89/90 88/89 87/88 86/87 85/86 84/85 83/84 82/83 81/82 80/81 79/80 78/79 77/78 76/77 75/76 72/73 71/72 69/70 67/68 66/67 65/66 64/65 63/64 62/63 55/56 [8] They made their first appearance in upper league play in 1951, in the Oberliga West and played there until 1956, after which they were relegated. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Bundesliga teams that were struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.[42]. Summary; Matches; Squad; Statistics; Transfers; Trophies; Venue; Info Official website. Cologne stunned Dortmund while Bayern beat Stuttgart and Wolfsburg and Bremen played out an eight-goal bonanza on Matchday 9. After a near disaster in 1996 when the club faced a relegation battle, Bayer Leverkusen established itself as a powerful side, offering a technically pleasing offensive style of play under new coach Christoph Daum, who was also helped by the signing of players such as Lúcio, Emerson, Zé Roberto and Michael Ballack. Bundesliga club SpVgg Greuther Fürth. By the mid-1980s, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen had played its way into the upper half of the league table and was well-established there by the end of the decade. [34] Although they are a financially healthy club with a stable of strong players, many fans of the traditional clubs denounce Bayer Leverkusen as being a "plastic club" without traditions or a committed fan base, existing solely as a creation of their rich pharmaceutical company sponsor – Bayer AG. The club captured its next honour in 1993 with a 1–0 win in the DFB-Pokal over a surprising Hertha BSC amateur squad on 12 June 1993. Who leads the way, after Thomas Müller set a new single-season Bundesliga assist record last term? The club was relegated again in 1973, but made a quick return to what was now called the 2. [7] On 31 May 1907, a separate football department was formed within the club. Michael Skibbe was sacked soon thereafter, leaving the club on 21 May 2008, with club officials stating that his departure was due to the failure to qualify for the following season's UEFA Cup group stage.[25]. Bayer Leverkusen Results All Competitions German DFB Pokal UEFA Europa League German Bundesliga UEFA Champions League Club Friendly UEFA Cup hidden 2020 … [8] In 1936, they earned promotion to the second highest class of play of the period. SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen would not return to the upper leagues until 1962, just one season before the formation of Germany's new professional league, the Bundesliga. At the same time, we aim to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. [3] The club competes in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, and plays its home matches at the BayArena.[4][1]. 122-124 51373 Leverkusen Country Germany Phone +49 (214) 866 00 Fax +49 (214) 866 0512 E-mail info@bayer04.de. [14][15][16] Leverkusen was the first team to reach the final of the Champions League without ever having won a national championship.[17]. This proved so popular with the fans that, very shortly thereafter, the team reverted to its "retro" colours of red and black, colours used on all home jerseys ever since. [32] Ironically, Bayer 04 was the first Bundesliga club whose fans identified themselves as Ultras and the city of Leverkusen is one of the old industrial cities of Germany. Leverkusen's ferociously fast French winger chats with bundesliga.com about loving Bundesliga life, training speed and Euro 2020. Over the next few years, budding superstars, such as Jorginho and Paulo Sérgio, joined the team, as did Czech star Pavel Hapal. [35][36] As a result, the club and their fans have started to emphasize their industrial origins with pride, calling themselves "Werkself" (Eng. "Bayer Leverkusen" redirects here. Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen [ˌbaɪ̯ɐ ˈleːvɐˌkuːzn̩], Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. [24][27] Leverkusen finished the season in ninth place in the Bundesliga table and Labbadia moved to Hamburger SV in June 2009. The show-piece event was contested between Bayer Leverkusen of Germany and Real Madrid of Spain at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland on Wednesday, 15 May 2002, to decide the winner of the Champions League. In contrast to many other German football clubs, which hold close ties to their working-class roots, Bayer Leverkusen strives for a clean, family-friendly image. Bayer Leverkusen have finished five times runner-up in the Bundesliga without winning the competition, a record in German football. [39][40] As distinguished from the various Red Bull teams (Salzburg, New York and Leipzig) which has been established or redefined in the recent past primarily for commercial reasons, the formation of Bayer Leverkusen was motivated by the idea of promoting the living conditions of local factory workers early in the 20th century. Bundesliga to Bundesliga, UEFA Cup, and DFB-Pokal, "Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Our Lineup 2013/14", "The Early Years – It all Started with a Letter", "The Thirties – The Bayer Emblem on the Shirt", "1987/88: Resurgent Leverkusen hold their nerve", "Germany Unity Series: From Messiah To Judas – Christoph Daum and the Cocaine Scandal", "Bayer Leverkusen closing in on first their Bundsliga title to end 'Neverkusen' jibes", http://www.soccerbox.com/blog/bayer-leverkusen-team-profile/, "Leverkusen 1 – 3 Liverpool (Aggregate: 2 – 6)", "The New Millennium – Knocking on Europe's Door", "Labbadia heuert als neuer Trainer in Leverkusen an", "Coach Jupp Heynckes to leave Bundesliga side Leverkusen", "Our next opponents: Star-studded squad assembled", "The impact of company-run clubs in German football", "Champions League scouting report: Bayer Leverkusen can cause Manchester United problems on the break", "Germany's forgotten team want to be noticed", "Werkself secure 1–0 win against Augsburg", "Football: Economic plight throws spanner in the works", "From spare-time sixth-tier coach to hard-pressing Bundesliga-topper: The rise and rise of Roger Schmidt", "Bundesliga Champions League Starters Donate €20 Million To Help With Coronavirus Crisis", Bayer Leverkusen formations at football-lineups, Borussia Mönchengladbach 12–0 Borussia Dortmund, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bayer_04_Leverkusen&oldid=991353420, Association football clubs established in 1907, Works association football clubs in Germany, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using football kit with incorrect pattern parameters, Articles with German-language sources (de), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 November 2020, at 16:45. It was during this time, in 1984, that the two-halves of the club that had parted ways over a half century earlier were re-united as TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen e.V. Featuring the likes of Jadon Sancho and Alphonso Davies, this is the Bundesliga-themed team you will want to build in Career Mode on FIFA 21. The club went through startling reversals of fortune in the next two seasons. [29] In the 2010–11 season, Bayer Leverkusen finished runner-up thus qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2005. Through this period, and into the 1930s, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen played third and fourth division football. Michael Skibbe was heavily criticised towards the end of the season after he continuously changed his starting line up. [10][11] In the following season, in a game also known for its 45 m "German Goal of the Year" by Schuster (a goal which was later also named "Goal of the Decade"), Bayer played Eintracht Frankfurt early in the season, and, as both a "tip of the hat" to its own history as well as an attempt to perhaps upset the Frankfurt team, Bayer played in its new third colours, which were old-fashioned red and black stripes, similar jerseys to those Frankfurt generally wore at the time. Lucas Alario has been key to Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten start - and is even outperforming some of the best forwards in the world. That same year, long-time Bayer Leverkusen executive Reiner Calmund became the general manager of the club. All info, news and stats relating to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 2020-2021 Bundesliga season Our products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. The Austrian's first strike in almost two years helped Leverkusen make it five wins in a row, despite an incredible own goal from Hradecky. Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen [ˌbaɪ̯ɐ ˈleːvɐˌkuːzn̩], Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 2002 season has been dubbed the "Treble Horror", as Bayer Leverkusen were also beaten 4–2 in the DFB-Pokal final by Schalke 04 and lost the UEFA Champions League final 2–1 to Real Madrid, which also led to some of the English-language media dubbing them "Neverkusen". [33], Bayer Leverkusen is perceived by some to have an ongoing image problem of a different sort. SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen made something of a breakthrough in 1968 by winning the division title, but was unable to advance through the playoff round to the first division. The finishes of 2000 and 2002 were heart-breaking for supporters as on both occasions the team had the Bundesliga title within its grasp. [23][24] Michael Skibbe, who was Völler's assistant coach with the national team, was named as his successor in October 2005. Not sure which players should be in your Fantasy team?