Willi Korth moved under the Bayer Cross for the 1978/79 season. In his first year at Leverkusen he was part of the Bundesliga promotion team but only made seven appearances as a substitute. It was even worse for him in his second season at the Werkself. He didn't play a single minute for Bayer 04 in the first campaign in the Bundesliga. So Korth decided to return to Essen.
He remained true to Essen from 1980 to 1991 and was a crowd favourite as defender. When he started his long runs he was greeted with a drawn out cry of ‘Williiiiiiii’ at the Uhlenkrug Stadium. In 2008 Willi Korth was voted into the all-time Oberliga team of the last 30 years at Schwarz-Weiß and even now he is an ETB legend.
After his playing career ended, Willi stayed at his ETB (Essener Turnerbund Schwarz-Weiß e.V.) as head of the Uhlenkrug commercial company and as a board member before he had to retire due to health reasons.
Dear Willi, I wish you all the best on your 70th birthday. Enjoy the celebrations and remain fit and healthy.
Willi Korth was born in Essen on 12 April 1955. He was a youth player at TuS Essen 81. After coming to the attention of Schwarz Weiss Essen, he signed for them in the Bundesliga 2 North for the 1977/78 season. He made 24 appearances and scored one goal. The Black and Whites from Essen were relegated at the end of the season.
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Rudolf ‘Rudi’ Völler was born in Hanau on 13 April 1960. His father took the young Rudi as an eight-year-old to training at TSV 1860 Hanau. In the sedate Hessen town on the Main he came to the attention of Offenbach Kickers. But Rudi completed his secondary school and started training to become an office administrator.
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Jean Pierre de Keyser was born in Cologne on 13 April 1965 as the son of a Belgian NATO soldier stationed in Spich and a German mother. His childhood dream of becoming a vet was resolutely followed at school initially. But football threw a spanner in the works.
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The third last matchday in the 1954/55 season brings a big showdown at the Stadion Am Stadtpark – the Werkself entertain second-placed SV Sodingen. A win for Bayer 04 would take them above Sodingen and qualify for the finals of the German championship if the last two games of the season in the Oberliga West 1 are also won.
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In this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of April. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
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