Yes, I'd like to see videos dispalyed.
While still a youth player at Karlsruhe, he tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee for the first time in 1991. In May 1992, Jens made his first Bundesliga appearance for KSC in a 1-0 away win at Hamburger SV. In four years, he made a total of 103 Bundesliga appearances and scored seven goals for the club.
In 1996, he arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen as a U21 international. Coach Christoph Daum lost no time in making the then 22-year-old 'libero' his captain. 'Jenne', as he was known to his teammates, developed into the driving force behind a team that caused a sensation in Germany in the following years. With Nowotny as captain, Bayer 04 finished runners-up in the German championship four times and also made it to the DFB Cup final and the Champions League final in 2002. Unfortunately, Jenne was unable to play in both of these high-profile matches because he tore his cruciate ligament for the second time in the semi-final second leg against Manchester United on 30 April 2002. He also missed the 2002 World Cup, where he would have been a first-choice pick in the Germany back line. When he finally returned to the pitch in January 2003 in the home game against Energie Cottbus in the difficult 2002/2003 season, in which Bayer 04 were battling against relegation, it happened again: the cruciate ligament, which had just healed, tore again without any involvement by any opposition player, and Jenne faced another difficult six months.
In October 2003, he made it back into the Bayer 04 starting XI and remained an integral part of the Werkself for the next year and a half. But on 19 February 2005, in another incredible stroke of bad luck, he suffered the next cruciate ligament rupture. During the following months, disputes arose between Nowotny and Bayer 04 concerning sick pay. Although Jens was fit, he wasn't used by the club. It wasn't until the second half of the 2005/2006 season, in the home game against VfL Wolfsburg on 8 February 2006, that he came off the bench in the 80th minute and earned himself a place in the starting XI for the rest of the season. He also earned a World Cup call-up and played the full 90 minutes as a centre-back in Germany's 3-1 win over Portugal in the third vs. fourth play-off. Following the World Cup in Germany, Nowotny moved to Dinamo Zagreb. After a few months in Croatia, he decided to retire due to persistent problems with his knees.
Jenne made a total of 233 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04, scoring four goals. He made his debut for the German national team on 30 April 1997 in Bremen in a 2-0 win against Ukraine, and went on to gain a total of 48 international caps.
Today, Jens Nowotny works as assistant coach of the Germany U19s and, when time permits, still turns out for the Bayer 04 veterans' team.
All the best for your 50th, Jenne!!! Have a great celebration!
Thomas Hörster was born in Essen on 27 November 1956. As a child, he took part in high diving and judo, but was also passionate about football. After starting out at Blau-Weiß Holsterhausen-Essen, he moved on to ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen. As a U19 player, he trained with the senior side for the first time. And at just under 18 years of age, Thommy – as he is known – made his debut in Bundesliga 2. Over two-and-a-half seasons, he made 71 appearances for Schwarz-Weiß Essen.
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Bernd Dreher was born in Leverkusen on 2 November 1966 and he began playing football at SV Schlebusch at the age of five. At the age of nine, he joined the youth academy at Bayer 04. There, the goalkeeper progressed through all the youth teams and, with the U19s in 1985, he reached the final of the German Championship, that Bayer 04 lost 4-2 to Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Robson Ponte was born on 6 November 1976 in São Paulo. He began his football career in Brazil with CA Juventus. He then played for América FC and Guarani FC. In 1999, he joined Bayer 04. Robson initially played for the Werkself until 2001. He then moved to VfL Wolfsburg on a two-year loan. There, he continued to develop and gained valuable experience in the Bundesliga. In 2003, he returned to Leverkusen, where he particularly showcased his dribbling skills and his ability in attacking midfield. In total, he made 79 appearances for Bayer 04 and scored six goals.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of November. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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On Sunday, 4 November 1951, the first league derby between Bayer 04 and FC Köln took place. The FC Köln stadium in Müngersdorf was absolutely bursting at the seams for this clash. A veritable invasion of Bayer 04 fans from Leverkusen set off for Cologne by tram and bus. From midday onwards, in addition to the scheduled services, six extra tram services ran at the standard fare from Leverkusen Town Hall to the stadium in Cologne. At the same time, buses operated by Grein ran regularly from Wiesdorf market square to Cologne. In the end, over 5,000 Bayer 04 fans waved their black and red flags in the stands at the FC Köln stadium and got behind their team for ninety minutes.
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