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The energetic and combative midfielder joined the Belgian champions Lierse SK in 1997 and faced the Werkself with the club – in their first ever Champions League match. He went on to play for Genclerbirligi Ankara, where he became a Poland international (14 caps), and in 2003/04 he signed for VfL Bochum. The midfield maestro became the captain at VfL.
Following a dispute with coach Marcel Koller and a subsequent suspension, he moved under the Bayer Cross in January 2009. At Leverkusen, Thomas Zdebel became the back-up for the Chile international Arturo Vidal and he stayed for 18 months going on to play 12 Bundesliga matches for Bayer 04. At the end of his playing career he played for Alemannia Aachen in Bundesliga 2 for a season.
Today he lives in Bergisch-Gladbach with his wife and his two children. He started his coaching career there and that brought him to Leverkusen in 2019 as the assistant coach for the U17 team. His daughter Sofie is also a successful football player with the Werkself Women’s team in the FLYERALARM Women's Bundesliga.
Thomas, I wish you all the best and another youth title for Bayer 04.
Michael Ballack was born on 26 September 1976 in Görlitz, in what was then East Germany. His talent for football became apparent at an early age. After his family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt – now Chemnitz – he began playing football for BSG Motor ‘Fritz Heckert’ Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he steadily developed his skills. From Year 7 onwards, he attended the Children’s and Youth Sports School and received systematic sporting support, which, in 1988 – due to his growing skill as a player – led to a move to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. At the age of 16, he had to take a six-month break due to growth problems, but after that, Michael was unstoppable.
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José Elias Moedim Júnior, known as Zé Elias, was born on 25 September 1976 in São Paulo. He received his football training at Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, or Corinthians for short, and was promoted to the first team at the age of just 17. PSV Eindhoven had already taken notice of him by this stage, but the move to Europe was still too early for him. The tenacious defensive midfielder established himself in the first team over the following three years. With Corinthians, Zé Elias won the São Paulo City Championship and the Brazilian Cup in 1995. With his excellent vision, his determination and his assured ball control, he made a significant contribution to his team’s success.
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In their second season in Bundesliga 2 North, the Werkself face Fortuna Köln at their home ground, the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, on matchday 7. Both teams are level on seven points, sitting eighth and ninth in the table.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of September. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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September gets off to a disastrous start, though not for the Werkself: the German national team, featuring Bayer 04 players Jens Nowotny, Michael Ballack and Oliver Neuville, suffer a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of England in a World Cup qualifier at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Jens Nowotny, in particular, came in for sharp criticism. With this defeat, Germany’s direct qualification is now hanging in the balance.
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