Reiner Calmund, general manager at Bayer 04 from 1978 to 2004 as well as director of football later on, describes how Rudi Völler became the sporting director at Bayer 04:
"The photo of Rudi putting his arm round the crying Andreas Brehme in consolation after the relegation thriller against Kaiserslautern in May 1996 still touches my heart today and it has long since become iconic. Rudi's farewell match was just 72 hours later – with the Germany team. In the same week we set off on a tour of the USA and Mexico where Rudi had to play for the very last time.
When I asked Rudi a few months earlier if he could imagine a new job at Bayer 04, he was rather reticent. He had offers to carry on playing at the age of 36. His former club AS Roma and, above all, the Major League Soccer, who wanted him to bring in the crowds in New York, were all after him. Bernard Tapie, then the president of Rudi's former club Olympique Marseille, told him of approaches from Paris and Lisbon. His wife Sabrina helped us to convince him. It was exactly the right decision for Bayer 04 as well as for Rudi Völler. With his great knowledge of football, Rudi was much more than an apprentice manager from the start. We all recognised that in the first few weeks. The first job in the summer of 1996 was to appoint a new head coach. We had three candidates in Giovanni Trapattoni, Nevio Scala and Christoph Daum. Some of the club management were in favour of the two Italians but I was more for Daum. I said to Rudi: 'If you want an Italian then we'll do it. You speak perfect Italian.' But he gave a short and sharp answer: 'I prefer to take Christoph.' That marked a swing in the club to Daum.
His job with signing players was not initially negotiating wages or transfer fees. Rudi was worth his weight in gold for us as an international legend as a player and that certainly helped us to convince lads like Emerson, Ze Roberto, Michael Ballack and Bernd Schneider to sign for Bayer 04. Beyond that, he again and again suggested changes over the years and the current outstanding infrastructure at the club on the footballing side is primarily down to him.
Rudi had both his feet on the ground as a player and as sporting director. Today, I have to say bringing him to Leverkusen as a player in 1994 and making him sporting director two years later were two of my best decisions. Let's be honest: Where would Bayer 04 be without Rudi Völler?"
#DankeRudi – Part I: Hermann: "A slick operator full of ambition"
Calling all Bayer 04 fans: The Werkself will play Pisa SC, newly promoted to Serie A, at the BayArena as part of the season opener. The clash with the club from Tuscany is on Tuesday, 5 August with the kick-off at 18:00 CET. Entrance to the stadium with a wide range of entertainment provided is possible from 15:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales for the season opener.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen have signed the 17-year-old forward Dustin Buck. The Germany youth international joins from the youth set-up at FC Augsburg. The technically gifted and fast attacker will strengthen the Werkself U19 squad.
Show moreSeveral Bayer 04 Legends, Bayer executives, club officials, current defender Arthur and, of course, dozens of enthusiastic children turned out on Saturday on the south side of Sao Paulo for the official opening of the Bayer 04 Football Academy, located at Club Bayer on the campus of Bayer Brazil.
Show moreA great night for 'Calle': Bayer 04 new signing Carlotta Wamser helped Germany to an opening win in the Women's Euro in Switzerland with an impressive performance. After coming on as a substitute in the 2-0 victory over Poland in Group C, the winger provided an assist and helped set up the second goal. The 21-year-old earned great praise from her coach and teammates in her first tournament match.
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