Birthdays and a chorus of praise

Where hasn’t he been: From his native Holland, the pro footballer Bosz went to Japan via France. The came a six-month spell at Hansa Rostock and his playing career ended in 2000 after time at several other clubs in the Netherlands. Bosz then moved on to being a coach: Feyenoord in Rotterdam, Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israeli record champions), Ajax in Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund – and now eleven months at Bayer 04. The core belief of the coach, whose football philosophy was strongly influenced by Johan Cruyff: “The primary aim for us is always wanting to win. But we also want fans to be excited after the game when they go home and to have experienced a wow effect over the 90 minutes.”

Another birthday boy

In addition to the coach, Christian Hausmann celebrated his 56^th birthday on Thursday. The West Berliner signed for Bayer 04 from the Reinickendorfer Füchsen in 1986. He won the UEFA Cup with the Werkself in 1988. Hausmann now works in the fan/community affairs section at Bayer 04 and is also assistant coach of the Veterans team. Happy Birthday!

Praise and nomination for Havertz

World Cup winner and European Champion Günter Netzer showered great praise on the Bayer 04 youngster and Germany international Kai Havertz at the Germany v Northern Ireland international (final score: 6-1). “If you understand football then you have to admire him from the very first sight,” said the 75-year-old. “He’s brilliant, he has a view of the game like nobody else. He’ll definitely be a great player.” Germany coach Joachim Löw called up the 20-year-old to his squad. Havertz suffered a thigh injury a few days before the international break and was forced to drop out.

In addition to Netzer’s praise, Havertz can also be happy about his nomination for the vote for the North-Rhine Westphalia Footballer of the Year. In addition to the Bayer 04 pro, Marco Reus (Dortmund), Yann Sommer (Mönchengladbach), Alexander Nübel (Schalke 04) and Oliver Fink (Düsseldorf) have been nominated. The ballot ends on 1 December and votes can be cast at nrw-sportlerdesjahres.de.

Calhanoglu on Bayer 04

Hakan Calhanoglu has not forgotten his time at Bayer 04. This week, the 25-year-old said in an interview with Sport Bild: “I still have a soft spot for Leverkusen. Bayer will always be my home.” The Turkey international scored 28 goals for the Werkself in 115 games before moving on to AC Milan in the summer of 2017.

Schneider remembers

Bernd Schneider wore the Bayer 04 shirt for ten years (1999 to 2009). He played for the Werkself in the DFB Cup and Champions League finals and he was in the Germany team in the World Cup final. ‘Schnix’ never lifted a trophy but still looks back at his career as a player with great pleasure. “I achieved a lot of what I dreamt about as a teenager,” said the 46-year-old, who was voted into the Bundesliga Allstars by the Werkself fans, in the current DFL magazine.

Wendell answers

This week, Bayer 04 TV interviewed the Werkself left back Wendell. When asked about his idol, the Brazilian named two people – including a fellow countryman who played under the Bayer Cross. Other areas discussed included: the competition for places, Brazilian cuisine and the 26-year-old’s beard. The video is on the Bayer 04 Facebook page.