“This news makes me very proud. My time at Bayer 04 Leverkusen was very formative for me, it was the most successful period of my life as a player,” emphasised 50-year-old Nowotny. “Back then, we were able to establish the club at the top of German football and also on the European football map. I'm particularly pleased that the honour now coincides with the club's greatest success, winning the 2024 Bundesliga.”
CEO Fernando Carro explained the award for the former Karlsruhe man as “a sign of our gratitude and recognition of his achievements. Jens Nowotny has worn the captain's armband the longest of all Leverkusen captains, a total of eight years. He is an important part of our history and is held in high esteem by our fans. We want to express this by making him an honorary captain.”
Managing director for sport Simon Rolfes justified the appointment of the former Germany international to this elite circle with the special skills that once characterised Nowotny as a player in black and red: “Jens was a world-class defender, incredibly quick, technically adept and strong in tackles. He was also a great leader. In a team with top stars like Lucio, Zé Roberto and Berbatov, he took matters into his own hands and led the way. He has earned this award.”
Nowotny was assistant coach to the Germany U17 team that won the World Cup in Indonesia in December 2023. The 48-time international still demonstrates his close ties to the Werkself today with regular appearances for the Bayer 04 veterans team.
The Bayer 04 honorary captains are Rüdiger Vollborn, Bernd Schneider, Ulf Kirsten, Carsten Ramelow, Simon Rolfes, Stefan Kießling, Lars Bender and Jens Nowotny (from 2024).
Twelve Werkself players have been selected for their national teams in the final international break of the year, with the Leverkusen's international players competing in the final group matches in the UEFA Nations League, in qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. We round up all the results involving Bayer 04 players here.
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Five players in the Bayer 04 Women squad have been selected for the Germany U23s for two international fixtures. That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday afternoon.
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Bayer 04’s Bundesliga game at home to St. Pauli on Saturday, 7 December will be the next district matchday of the season, with the district of Hitdorf being the stage for numerous activities in the week building up to the fixture against the promoted side.
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The Bayer 04 Fanzone opens in two days time on Wednesday, 20 November in the South Stand at the BayArena. Bayer 04 fans will be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art, interactive shopping and fan experience covering more than 700 square metres. Black and Reds supporters are warmly welcome to spend an exciting day in this brand-new area at the stadium.
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It is already a fact that the Bayer 04 Women have had their best Hinrunde ever. The Werkself are fourth in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga on 23 points two behind the top team. Tickets are now on sale for the final games of the year. The tickets for the last two home matches in 2024 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium are available now. First up on Friday, 6 December (kick-off: 18.30 CET) are last season's runners-up VfL Wolfsburg and that is followed by the home game at the start of the Rückrunde against SC Freiburg on Saturday, 14 December (12.00 CET).
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