He moved under the Bayer Cross in the summer of 1949 where he could combine his passion for football with earning money. Bayer AG offered him a job. So Bubi, as his teammates called him, moved to the Rhineland where he lived in a terraced house in Köln-Flittard.
He made 135 appearances and scored 35 goals in his seven years at the Werkself. High points during his time under the Cross were the long-awaited promotion to the First Oberliga West in 1951 and third place in that league in 1954/55. Bayer 04 were relegated a year later but he was only able to play for his team again three times. A persistent knee injury forced him to give up his playing career at the age of 31.
Nevertheless, he maintained his connection to his club in the following years where he coached Werkself youth teams and also tried it out as a coach for different amateur teams in the area. He regularly watched Werkself games in his advancing years. And he was often seen at training sessions as well.
Bubi Becks passed away on 17 April 2014, after a week in hospital, at the age of 89. The Bayer 04 legend had been honoured by the club seven days previously for 65 years of membership. He would have been 100 years old on 12 March.
Here at Bayer 04, we will never forget Bubi Becks!
Tranquillo Barnetta was born in St. Gallen in Switzerland on 22 May 1985. Quillo, as he was called in the football world, has Italian roots. His great-grandfather emigrated from Italy to the east of Switzerland. Quillo was interested in football early on and he played for the St. Gallen club FC Rotmonten from the age of six. He joined his favourite club FC St. Gallen at the age of 11. There he became a youth international. He won the European Championships with his teammates in the Switzerland U17 team in 2002. The youngsters from Switzerland beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final to become U17 European champions.
Show moreSince the establishment of the Bundesliga on 28 July 1962 for the 1963/64 season, there have been five Regional Leagues: North, Berlin, West, South-west and South. The champions of those five leagues qualified directly for promotion play-offs that were played in two groups of four teams. That included the two second-placed teams in the West and South-west Regional Leagues. The two runners-up from the North and the South played a qualifier for the eighth place in the promotion games.
Show moreIn this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of May. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
Show moreThere were high summer temperatures in Leverkusen on 25 May 1985. Matchday 32 brings FC Köln to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium with only 13,000 spectators at the derby. That is primarily due to the Werkself with Bayer 04 rarely impressing in that season and they are eleventh in the table before the game just three points ahead of sixteenth, the play-off spot. But with the two points for a win rule back then – two points were awarded for a win – and with the significantly better goal difference, the Werkself need every point to get out of trouble.
Show moreIt was all or nothing on the final matchday in the Verbandsliga in the 1974/75 season. Only now would it be decided who were champions and thereby participate in the promotion games to the Bundesliga 2 North. The earlier rivals Viktoria Köln, SC Jülich 10 and Bonner SC have fallen by the wayside.
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