Personae Non Gratae
An incredible meltdown: Being sacked without notice at the "works club" is something few professionals have managed in more than 40 years of Bundesliga football at Bayer Leverkusen. On April 12, 2015, the 94-cap Bosnian international completely lost control — a volcanic eruption that ended his Leverkusen career on the spot…
The unapproachable "General": Hiring the reigning European Championship-winning coach of 1988 seemed a masterstroke for newly installed manager Reiner Calmund. The Dutchman was no stranger to the Rhineland — but his authoritarian methods proved a poor fit for the Bayer culture…
"Schmidteinander" in the stands: The Sauerland native was briefly considered a high-flyer of German coaching when he signed at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 2014 as reigning Austrian champion (with RB Salzburg). But repeated touchline bans and confrontational behaviour ultimately undermined his tenure…
Scandals paved the career of the bad blond angel: Bernd Schuster began his football career in December 1969 in the youth ranks of SV Hammerschmiede in Augsburg. He moved to FC Augsburg in 1976 and made his international debut in 1978. The "Blond Angel" became a global star at Barcelona before returning to the Bundesliga — where scandal followed him to Leverkusen…
Bayer Leverkusen suspended the Blond Angel. He moved to UNAM Pumas in Mexico City and retired from professional football in 1997.
