Fun Facts
Dass Bayer Leverkusen eine „Titel-Allergie“ anhaftet, ist bekannt. Weniger bekannt sind diese Fakten…
"Herbert did it!" Or rather: Herbert Waas, the first German international provided by Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The Passau native made his national team debut on June 7, 1983, aged 19 years, eight months and 30 days — only six months older than Kai Havertz at his debut on September 9, 2018.
Leverkusen can be champions after all: A Bundesliga season with Bayer Leverkusen as champions never happened through 2019/20. But a second-division season did. Bayer finished the 1978/79 campaign as champions of the 2. Bundesliga Nord.
Two World Cup winners on the bench: The turbulent 2000/01 season gave Bayer 04 the rare pleasure of employing two World Cup winners as head coach. Sporting director and national team coach Rudi Völler (1990 World Cup winner), stepping in after Christoph Daum's cocaine own goal, masterfully managed his third hat as caretaker coach.
Table-toppers among non-champions: "Vizekusen" — there's something to it! This stat doesn't help: 70 times Bayer 04 stood at the top of the Bundesliga table (as of December 2019), yet they never finished as champions through 2018/19. The two other non-champions in the Bundesliga's top-10 of table-toppers — Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt — at least won the title once.
Bayer in first place: This happened for the first time on matchday 3 of the 1986/87 season. That year, only Bayer managed a win over champions Bayern (3-0 in Munich), but it only yielded sixth place.
The Bayern nemesis: Ulf Kirsten scored eleven times against mighty FC Bayern München in 20 Bundesliga matches. Only three players bettered that record during their Bundesliga careers: former Bayer coach Klaus Toppmöller and World Cup runner-up Klaus Fischer (12 goals each) and the Ruhr striker Manfred Burgsmüller, who passed away in May 2019.
The horror year: 2002/03 was a nerve-shredding season that Reiner Calmund "wouldn't wish on his worst enemy." Only on the final matchday did Bayer 04 escape relegation in a direct duel at 1. FC Nürnberg (1-0) — and this in the season after the 2002 "Vice-Triple." Coaches Klaus Toppmöller and Thomas Hörster had to go before club stalwart Thomas Hörster steadied the ship.
Relegation: 16th place in the 1981/82 season meant not only Bayer's worst finish in the top flight, but also a trip to the Bundesliga play-offs. In the inaugural edition of these deciders, Leverkusen prevailed against Kickers Offenbach 1-0 and 2-1 — and stayed up!