1.02.2022Bayer 04

Birthday boy of the month: Markus Happe turns 50

Markus Happe was born in Münster on 11 February 1972. He signed for Bayer 04 from SC Preußen Münster in 1991 and he was very quickly given two nicknames: Some call him Happy because of his surname or Häppi in Germanised form. Others called him Jacky because of the colour of his hair and the way he played – in reference to Jack Charlton, brother of Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton. Happy played like the English central defender always taking the ball off opponents fairly and with an upright posture.

Markus played his first Bundesliga game for the Werkself in October 1991. He was the left-back in a 1-0 away in Frankfurt. A few years later, under Christoph Daum, he was converted into a central defender. Jacky also captained the team in many games and he became a key player of the side in the 1990s with his calm and serene approach both on and off the pitch. He made a total of 188 Bundesliga appearances and scored eight goals between 1991 and December 1999. His biggest success with Bayer 04 was winning the DFB Cup in 1993.

After moving on to FC Schalke 04, FC Köln and Kickers Offenbach, Happe returned to Bayer 04 in 2007, this time as an experienced leader on the pitch with the second team. He hung up his boots in 2010 and set up his company ‘Happe Personalmanagement’, for security and personnel management that brings companies and employees together.

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He still regularly visits the BayArena today. He watches most of the Werkself home games as a season card holder with a seat in F Block, where he is mostly unrecognised. So, keep your eyes peeled and perhaps you might see the DFB Cup hero on your way into the stadium. Happy, congratulations on turning 50.

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