First in the Berlin Oberliga and after 1990 in the Oberliga North East. He signed for FC Nürnberg in 1995. In the second division, the defender is unable to prevent the team being relegated to the third tier but he does catch the attention of a range of Bundesliga scouts in 33 appearances. At the age of 22, he joined the Werkself along with his brother Niko who came from Hertha Berlin. In his first season under coach Christoph Daum he was not a regular first choice but then he broke through and ended up playing 162 games for the Werkself.
In 2001, the international player, who gained 84 caps for Croatia and took part in two World Cups (2002 and 2006) and two European Championships (2004 and 2008), signed for Bayern Munich. In the next four years at Bayern he won the Bundesliga title twice, the DFB Pokal twice and the World Club Cup in 2001.
His next club for two years was the top Italian side Juventus although, after Robert's first season, they were demoted due to a match fixing scandal. He stayed in Turin and regained top-flight status with the Old Lady. In 2007 he returned to the Bundesliga to play for Borussia Dortmund. He ended his playing career in the winter of 2010 for the Croat serial champions Dynamo Zagreb where he won two titles. Robert hung up his boots after that season.
As assistant coach to his brother Niko he worked with the Croatia team from 2013 and later for Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich and AS Monaco. The Kovac brothers are currently at VfL Wolfsburg.
Dear Robert, many happy returns on your 50th. Have a great time and stay fit and healthy!
Hans Sarpei was born on 28 June 1976 in Tema, Ghana, and came to Germany with his parents at the age of three, where he grew up in Cologne. Even before he was born, his mother and father worked in Hamburg in the import-export sector. There they met an older man who introduced them to German culture and supported them. Out of gratitude, Hans was later given his first name, although this man died before he was born. Hans comes from a sporting family; his older brother Edward and his nephews Hans Nunoo Sarpei and Kingsley Sarpei were or are also professional footballers.
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On 3 June 1953, Hans-Josef (‘Sepp’) Kretschmann became the fifth coach in the history of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Born in Allenstein, East Prussia, on 21 March 1902, the football coach first studied to become a teacher before later switching to football. He took over the Werkself from Franz Strehle, under whom the team twice managed to stay in the 1st Oberliga West. However, Strehle did not extend his contract in Leverkusen after these two very successful years.
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After promotion to Bundesliga North 2 in the summer of 1975, Bayer 04 are fighting relegation just eight months later. The club expects full commitment from everyone in this precarious situation. Promotion coach Manfred Rummel is to give up his main job as a teacher at the Mülheim special school and become a full-time coach at Bayer 04. The coach, who is very popular with the team, does not see himself in a position to fulfil the club's request. Despite a 2-0 home win against SpVgg Erkenschwick, Manfred Rummel is put on gardening leave by "mutual agreement".
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Bayer 04, already been promoted to the 1st Oberliga West, played friendly after friendly in the second half of May 1951. And that continued throughout the following month.
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Jacek Krzynowek was born on 15 May 1976 in Kamiensk, Poland, and grew up as a typical country boy. He spent his childhood less in structured training sessions and more on simple pitches, where he spent hours playing football with older boys. He realised early on that he had exceptional shooting power and enormous stamina. But for a long time, he didn't appreciate just how much talent he had. While others dream of a great career, professional football initially seems like a distant world to him that he only knows from television.
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