Miscellaneous: 40 years under the Bayer Cross

I officially started at Bayer 04 40 years ago. I signed the contract, which came into effect on 1 July 1981, in Leverkusen in April. I'll never forget how I went down to the pitch to a corner flag at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium immediately after signing. I had a good look round and said to myself: "You'll celebrate your success here."

But, of course, I never dreamt I would still be here 40 years later. Where have those 40 years gone? Sometimes I don't even know myself. You can get nostalgic looking back over that long period of time.

pride and gratitude

My years as a player at this great club stand out in my memory. Winning the UEFA Cup win on 18 May 1988 and the DFB Cup on 12 June 1993 are the sporting highlights. But my other jobs at the club have always been fun whether that's as a goalkeeping coach, fan liaison officer or storyteller. At the same time, the sun doesn’t always shine. For example, I'll never forget the tears of 20 May 2000 in Unterhaching.

Titles, wins, defeats, dramas, friendships: I've got 40 exciting years behind me and I'm proud of that time and grateful to the club close to my heart Bayer 04 for being able to experience all that.

And now a few moving images from my playing career. In the video you will find a few saves but also my two worst howlers.