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After the war, he moved to Slavonski Brod in Croatia, where he joined NK Marsonia. There, the uncompromising man-marker made his breakthrough at senior level. In 1996, he signed for the Zagreb club NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac - which translates as "Croatian Volunteers". During this time, Zivkovic also attracted attention and made his first appearances for the Croatia U21 team.
His talent did not go unnoticed abroad. Bayer 04 boss Reiner Calmund became aware of the robust defender and brought him to the Bundesliga in 1997. Over the next six years, Boris became an integral part of the Werkself. He made 208 appearances and scored 12 goals. And on 14 October in Bremen, he also kept goal for three minutes after Bayer 04 keeper Pascal Zuberbühler was sent off and the Werkself had already used the maximum number of substitutes quota. Boris was unable to save the ensuing penalty, but he was not tested in the final minutes of the game. With the Werkself, he was a runner-up three times and reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2002. Even though the legendary final against Real Madrid ended in defeat, that season will be remembered as one of the most important in the club's history.
After the difficult 2002/2003 season, when Bayer 04 only avoided relegation on the final matchday, Boris joined Portsmouth in England. Although he would have liked to stay at Leverkusen, the club could no longer afford his wages. Boris rejected a lower offer - and he went to England.
However, his stay in England was short-lived. After just one year, he returned to the Bundesliga - this time to VfB Stuttgart. But things didn't really go to plan for the defender in Swabia: In two years, he only made 23 Bundesliga appearances. In the 2005/06 season, he was loaned out to FC Köln, but even in the cathedral city of Cologne he was denied a place in the starting eleven.
In the 2006/2007 season, Boris finally moved on to Croatia to join Hajduk Split. There he regained his former strength and became a regular player. After three successful years, he ended his playing career in 2009.
Boris can also look back on an impressive career on the international stage. During his time in Leverkusen, he was called up to the Croatia team for the first time and he played in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Although he was shown a red card in the first group game, he made a total of 39 appearances for his home country and was regarded as one of Croatia's most reliable defenders.
Even after the end of his career, he remained loyal to football. He is an occasional guest at the BayArena and, when time permits, plays for the Bayer 04 Veterans team. Boris Zivkovic has been married to his wife Ivona for over 20 years. Together they have a son who now plays for Dinamo Zagreb - following in his father's footsteps.
Dear Boris, I wish you all the best for your 50th birthday! Stay healthy and celebrate.
Hans Sarpei was born on 28 June 1976 in Tema, Ghana, and came to Germany with his parents at the age of three, where he grew up in Cologne. Even before he was born, his mother and father worked in Hamburg in the import-export sector. There they met an older man who introduced them to German culture and supported them. Out of gratitude, Hans was later given his first name, although this man died before he was born. Hans comes from a sporting family; his older brother Edward and his nephews Hans Nunoo Sarpei and Kingsley Sarpei were or are also professional footballers.
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On 3 June 1953, Hans-Josef (‘Sepp’) Kretschmann became the fifth coach in the history of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Born in Allenstein, East Prussia, on 21 March 1902, the football coach first studied to become a teacher before later switching to football. He took over the Werkself from Franz Strehle, under whom the team twice managed to stay in the 1st Oberliga West. However, Strehle did not extend his contract in Leverkusen after these two very successful years.
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After promotion to Bundesliga North 2 in the summer of 1975, Bayer 04 are fighting relegation just eight months later. The club expects full commitment from everyone in this precarious situation. Promotion coach Manfred Rummel is to give up his main job as a teacher at the Mülheim special school and become a full-time coach at Bayer 04. The coach, who is very popular with the team, does not see himself in a position to fulfil the club's request. Despite a 2-0 home win against SpVgg Erkenschwick, Manfred Rummel is put on gardening leave by "mutual agreement".
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Bayer 04, already been promoted to the 1st Oberliga West, played friendly after friendly in the second half of May 1951. And that continued throughout the following month.
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Jacek Krzynowek was born on 15 May 1976 in Kamiensk, Poland, and grew up as a typical country boy. He spent his childhood less in structured training sessions and more on simple pitches, where he spent hours playing football with older boys. He realised early on that he had exceptional shooting power and enormous stamina. But for a long time, he didn't appreciate just how much talent he had. While others dream of a great career, professional football initially seems like a distant world to him that he only knows from television.
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