He played for Rot-Weiß Hütte, a small club in the town Troisdorf, up to the younger year for the U19s. He then moved on to join the U19 team of the "bigger" SV Siegburg 04, playing in the top Middle Rhine U19 league that included Bayer 04. Playing against the Werkself, the attacking midfielder came to the attention of Bayer 04 boss Reiner Calmund who then brought him to the Bayer Cross to play for the U19 team.
He first played for the Bayer 04 reserve team before the Leverkusen head coach Erich Ribbeck brought him into the first-team squad in 1986. He very quickly established himself as a valuable squad player. The ball-winning Jean Pierre could play in midfield as well as in both full-back positions and as a central defender.
He made his first Bundesliga appearance on 22 November 1986. John Pierre came on as a substitute on 85 minutes in place of Herbert Waas in a 2-1 away win at FC Homburg. He made a total of 81 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04 scoring one goal. Up to 1991 he also played in six DFB Pokal and ten UEFA Cup games. His biggest success with Bayer 04 was winning the UEFA Cup in 1988. John Pierre played in five of the twelve games in that competition.
After his time at Leverkusen, he played for second division VfL Osnabrück. He ended his professional career at the end of the season and in 1992 he played as an amateur for VfL Hamm/Sieg. He also played for FV Bad Honnef and he played his last football match for the district league club SpVg Wesseling-Urfeld. He gave up the attempt to stay in football as a coach. He quickly recognised that it wasn't for him.
Nevertheless, Jean Pierre, who speaks fluent Dutch, French, English and German, is still to be seen on football pitches around the Middle Rhine. First as the chair of FC Blau-Weiß Büsdorf and since 2015 as the sporting director at SC Fliesteden.
Since 2019, the father of two children has lived with his English wife Samantha in Rheidt-Hückelhoven, a small community near Bergheim/Erft. The owner of two industrial companies that produce products for pipeline construction he has extended the stables in the style of old farms.
Dear Jean Pierre, I wish you all the best on your 60th birthday. Enjoy the celebrations and remain fit and healthy.
Michael Ballack was born on 26 September 1976 in Görlitz, in what was then East Germany. His talent for football became apparent at an early age. After his family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt – now Chemnitz – he began playing football for BSG Motor ‘Fritz Heckert’ Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he steadily developed his skills. From Year 7 onwards, he attended the Children’s and Youth Sports School and received systematic sporting support, which, in 1988 – due to his growing skill as a player – led to a move to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. At the age of 16, he had to take a six-month break due to growth problems, but after that, Michael was unstoppable.
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José Elias Moedim Júnior, known as Zé Elias, was born on 25 September 1976 in São Paulo. He received his football training at Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, or Corinthians for short, and was promoted to the first team at the age of just 17. PSV Eindhoven had already taken notice of him by this stage, but the move to Europe was still too early for him. The tenacious defensive midfielder established himself in the first team over the following three years. With Corinthians, Zé Elias won the São Paulo City Championship and the Brazilian Cup in 1995. With his excellent vision, his determination and his assured ball control, he made a significant contribution to his team’s success.
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In their second season in Bundesliga 2 North, the Werkself face Fortuna Köln at their home ground, the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, on matchday 7. Both teams are level on seven points, sitting eighth and ninth in the table.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of September. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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September gets off to a disastrous start, though not for the Werkself: the German national team, featuring Bayer 04 players Jens Nowotny, Michael Ballack and Oliver Neuville, suffer a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of England in a World Cup qualifier at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Jens Nowotny, in particular, came in for sharp criticism. With this defeat, Germany’s direct qualification is now hanging in the balance.
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