Bum-kun, first of all we wish you a very happy birthday. How are you and how will you celebrate?
Bum-kun Cha: I'm very well thank you. I will spend the day with my family and have a birthday party at my house in the country and a few of my friends will be there.
Your time at Bayer 04 began almost 40 years ago. Your signing in the summer of 1983 was a real coup. You’d won the UEFA Cup and the DFB Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt. When you returned to Germany from holiday in the summer of 1983 you didn't know where you would be playing in the new season. So it was good that Reiner Calmund was at the airport in Frankfurt to welcome you, wasn't it?
Bum-kun Cha: (He laughs) Yes, it was very fortunate, not just for my career, but also for my whole family – my children had an uncle from that point. We negotiated my contract back then at a local hotel. Bayer 04 very quickly persuaded me to accept their offer.
What are your memories of your first days in Leverkusen?
Bum-kun Cha: The training ground was very small and the stadium not yet comparable with today's Arena. And everything else was somewhat more modest. I received a really warm welcome. Above all, Calli and Jürgen Gelsdorf did a great job looking after me and my family. Falko Götz was also a good friend. We got on really well from the start.
You were a regular first choice immediately and you formed a dream partnership in attack under the Bayer Cross with Herbert Waas.
Bum-kun Cha: Yes, Herbert was a great player, incredibly quick. And I wasn't the slowest either (he laughs). On top of that, we are both good at finishing and we often set each other up. Everything just worked out perfectly for us two.
You two were amongst the most important players in the second leg of the UEFA Cup final against Espanyol on 18 May 1988. What did you feel when you scored to make it 3-0 on 81 minutes?
Bum-kun Cha: That was a dramatic moment, the most exciting and important goal of my life. We'd won a big cup competition with the team that was still being built up. Nobody believed we could do it. We really achieved something incredibly special.
You are a legend in Leverkusen. How much contact do you still have with Bayer 04?
Bum-kun Cha: The contact is still very good and I regularly come to Leverkusen. Unfortunately, the only time I couldn't visit my friends here was during the coronavirus pandemic. I played for Bayer 04 for six years. That's a long time and I grew very fond of the city. My sons went to kindergarten and school here. We had great neighbours back then and we made a lot of friendships. I'm still grateful for that today. Perhaps I will be able to come back to Leverkusen again this year.
You were awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany four years ago – an honour to your decades of commitment to German Korean relations. What does that award mean to you?
Bum-kun Cha: A lot. It's just great to know that it's not just me that really values Germany but also that Germany values what I've achieved. That makes me a bit proud.
Do you still regularly follow Werkself games?
Bum-kun Cha: I don't watch every game live as its mostly very late in the evening or in the middle of the night in Seoul. But I'm always keen to know the results and I've got my fingers crossed for Bayer 04 in the Bundesliga run-in.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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