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!
Christoph Daum was born on 24 October 1953 in Zwickau. As a child, he moved to West Germany with his mother and grew up in Duisburg. He developed a great enthusiasm for football at an early age, even though it soon became clear that his future lay less on the pitch than on the sidelines. Even at a young age, his passion for analysing, explaining and improving things became apparent.
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When the Bayer 04 players celebrated Christmas in 1960, they spent the winter in second place in the Oberliga West 2 on 20 points - but already five points behind leaders Schwarz-Weiß Essen. However, coach Erich Garske's team are struggling to get back on track in the new year. A goalless draw against Bonner FV at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium was followed by a 2-1 away defeat in Erkenschwick. The following home game also yielded just one point. As a result, the team's promotion ambitions dwindled to a minimum, as the gap to the coveted spot has now grown to a challenging ten points.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of February. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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It is 11 February 2006 and Schalke 04 and the Werkself kick off at 3.30 p.m. in a match that ends up being historic - at least from a Bayer 04 perspective.
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As league leaders, the Werkself welcomed the relegation-threatened team from Rhenania Würselen. On 4 February 1951, 5,000 spectators line the touchlines despite the Sunday carnival parades. And they see a home team that is superior on the pitch. Without Theo Kirchberg, who was ill, and Emil Becks, who was suspended, the hosts attacked the opposing goal from the start. Battling against a strong wind in the first half, Bayer 04 created chance after chance, but were repeatedly thwarted by the Würselen goalkeeper. With the score at 0-0 at half-time, Karl Heinz Spikofski tried his luck on 55 minutes and hammered the ball into the opposition net from 20 metres out. Rhenania can no longer counterattack. The siege of the Würselen penalty area continued right to the end, but the game ended in a narrow 1-0 win.
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