Back
1.05.2022Bayer 04

Birthday boy of the month: Christian Wörns turns 50

Christian ‘Wörnser’ Wörns was born in Mannheim on 10 May 1972. He played for youth teams at Phönix and Waldhof Mannheim. Just after finishing with the youth teams, he moved up to the senior squad at Waldhof Mannheim but his 18 Bundesliga appearances were not enough to avoid relegation. In the second year with the first team he was one of the best central defenders in the second division and he came to the attention of Bayer 04.

Christian joined Leverkusen on 1 July 1991 and he formed a very strong and reliable partnership at the Werkself in central defence with Martin Kree. Wörnser was uncompromising in tackles, a tough opponent and incredibly strong in the air. He made 211 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04 scoring 13 goals along the way. His biggest success with our club was winning the DFB Cup in 1993.

Christian_Woerns_1991_92.jpg

After seven successful years at Leverkusen, he joined Paris St Germain for 12 months but was not happy there so he returned to the Bundesliga. To the sorrow of all Bayer 04 fans, he won the Bundesliga title in 2002 with his new club Borussia Dortmund. Christian was capped 66 times for Germany and he ended his playing career in 2008 after a total of 469 Bundesliga appearances. But he stayed with football and began his coaching career. Wörnser primarily worked with youth teams for VfL Bochum, Schalke 04, SpVgg Unterhaching, FC Augsburg, 1860 Munich and, last but not least, for the German Football Association since 2019. He worked alongside a familiar face for Bayer 04 in assistant coach Peter Hermann, responsible for the 2002 intake but since March he has been the assistant coach at Schalke 04.

Wörnser, I wish you many happy returns on your 50th birthday. Stay fit and healthy.

Related News

Wolfgang Vöge
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025

Birthday boy of the month I: Wolfgang ‘Wolle’ Vöge turns 70

Wolfgang Vöge was born on 15 September 1955 in Ahlen, Westphalia and he was the fourth of seven children of a miner. His father, Erich Vöge, was a football referee as well. At an early age, Wolle, as he was called by his friends and teammates, developed a great passion for football and was an enthusiastic fan of BVB. His first success in football was achieved in the amateur game at his hometown club of SV Ahlen. He scored 26 goals in the first season and he came to the attention of scouts. That led to his move to Borussia Dortmund in 1975.

Show more
Andreas Thom
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025

Birthday boy of the month III: Andreas ‘Andi’ Thom turns 60

Andreas Thom was born on 7 September 1965 in Rüdersdorf near Berlin in Brandenburg. Andreas displayed an exceptional talent on the ball even as a child. Early on, he joined the youth section at BFC Dynamo Berlin, one of the leading football clubs in the German Democratic Republic. There he received targeted, performance-oriented training as part of the GDR sports system. His talent, his vision and his technique led him to make his debut in the first team at BFC Dynamo at the age of 17.

Show more
Jens „Melle“ Melzig
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025

Birthday boy of the month II: Jens ‘Melle’ Melzig turns 60

Jens Melzig was born in Cottbus on 28 September 1965. Melle, as he was called at Leverkusen, started his playing career at his hometown club Energie Cottbus. As a young player there he soon stood out thanks to his strength in challenges and his ability to read the game. He was in the Energie Cottbus first team in 1984 and he played for the club in the GDR league and the Oberliga. With 144 appearances and twelve goals he became one of the big players in defence. He made a major contribution to the club during this period – as a strong-tackling central defender who also displayed leadership qualities.

Show more
Lucio
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025

Legends: Lucio, the Brazilian elemental force

Lucio, full name Lucimar Ferreira da Silva, was born on 8 May 1978 in Planaltina, a suburb of the Brazilian capital Brasília. He showed his passion for football even as a child. On the dusty streets of his neighbourhood he spent hours chasing the ball – often in bare feet like many Brazilian children. Despite the simple conditions he grew up in, his family always supported his dream of one day becoming a great football player. He made his first steps in club football at small local clubs before moving onto the youth set-up at the club Guará and later he singed for the big club Internacional Porto Alegre. Bayer 04 signed the internationally completely unknown defender from there in January 2000.

Show more
Admir Mehmedi
Bayer 04 - 01.09.2025

Goals of the month: From Ökland to Mehmedi

In this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of September. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.

Show more