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After three years at Arminia Bielefeld and FC Saarbrücken, his path led him back to Kaiserslautern. In 1990, he won the DFB Pokal with Lauterer and moved to Bayer 04 at the end of the season. Franco played mainly as a sweeper for the next four years and captained the Werkself to DFB Pokal victory in 1993. He made a total of 140 appearances for Bayer 04 and scored ten goals along the way.
Another trophy came in 1997: He also won the DFB Pokal with VfB Stuttgart. His career then took him abroad, where Franco played for FC Basel in Switzerland and SK Sturm Graz in Austria, among others. He won the Austrian league title twice with Sturm Graz and took part in the UEFA Champions League with the club.
After the end of his playing career, Franco Foda remained closely connected to football. He began his coaching career at SK Sturm Graz as a youth coach, but took on the role of assistant coach of the first team just one year later and was appointed head coach on 1 June 2006. In this role, he led the club to the Austrian league title in 2010/11. Further coaching positions followed, including at FC Kaiserslautern, before he returned to Sturm Graz as head coach in September 2014.
From 30 October 2017, Franco Foda was in the Austria dugout. He was regarded as a coach with a clear approach who placed discipline, consistency and professionalism at the centre of his work. Under his leadership, Austria qualified for the Round of 16 of the Euros for the first time in 2021 - a significant sporting milestone.
In addition to sport, Franco Foda is also particularly committed to social causes. He volunteers in the city of Graz on several occasions and initiates charity campaigns for Graz foster families and their children, among other things. As a speaker on the Day of Volunteering, he emphasises the central importance of voluntary work for the functioning of society. He also supported initiatives around corona tests and was an ambassador for youth sport. In 2021, Franco took on a central role as a broad-based ambassador for exercise and sport, thus having an impact far beyond professional football.
After his time as Austria national coach from 2017 to 2022, he took on further international roles, including at FC Zurich. Since 2024, the father of two has been the Kosovo coach, continuing his successful coaching career at international level.
Dear Franco, I wish you all the best for your 60th birthday. Stay healthy and have a good one!
Dieter Bast was born in Oberhausen on 28 August 1951. He began playing football in the youth team at DJK Arminia Klosterhardt, a local club in Oberhausen. Whilst training as a toolmaker, he moved to neighbouring club Sterkrade 06/07 to play for their U19s, where he caught the eye of Bundesliga sides Rot-Weiss Essen and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bast opted for Rot-Weiss and played in the Bundesliga from 1970 onwards. In his very first year, he made 22 appearances as a right winger, scoring three goals. Nevertheless, Essen were unable to avoid relegation.
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José Vítor Roque Júnior was born on 31 August 1976 in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As a youth, he played for São José EC, a club in the east of the state of São Paulo. His professional career began in 1995 with Palmeiras São Paulo. There, Roque Júnior quickly established himself as a key player in the team, making more than 200 appearances and enjoying significant success. With the club, he won the Copa do Brasil in 1998 and the Copa Libertadores in 1999, the South American equivalent of the European Champions League.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of August. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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The Werkself play their first top-flight match in Bayer 04’s history away at Sportfreunde Katernberg. 7,000 spectators turn up at the Am Lindenbruch stadium in that district of Essen. The Katernbergers have transformed the once ‘barren’ pitch into a real gem. On this Sunday afternoon, 19 August 1951, the lush turf provides the perfect conditions for a good game of football.
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Following a thoroughly successful start with a 2–1 home win against VfL Wolfsburg, the Werkself are organising a team event. On Wednesdays, they head to the Nürburgring together and do a few laps at speed. Manager Klaus Toppmöller welcomes this initiative, as it promotes team spirit and integration. During weekly training sessions, the team works extensively on various defensive tactics, as the manager was dissatisfied with his players’ pressing in the final minutes of the match against the Wolves.
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