“This news makes me very proud. My time at Bayer 04 Leverkusen was very formative for me, it was the most successful period of my life as a player,” emphasised 50-year-old Nowotny. “Back then, we were able to establish the club at the top of German football and also on the European football map. I'm particularly pleased that the honour now coincides with the club's greatest success, winning the 2024 Bundesliga.”
CEO Fernando Carro explained the award for the former Karlsruhe man as “a sign of our gratitude and recognition of his achievements. Jens Nowotny has worn the captain's armband the longest of all Leverkusen captains, a total of eight years. He is an important part of our history and is held in high esteem by our fans. We want to express this by making him an honorary captain.”
Managing director for sport Simon Rolfes justified the appointment of the former Germany international to this elite circle with the special skills that once characterised Nowotny as a player in black and red: “Jens was a world-class defender, incredibly quick, technically adept and strong in tackles. He was also a great leader. In a team with top stars like Lucio, Zé Roberto and Berbatov, he took matters into his own hands and led the way. He has earned this award.”
Nowotny was assistant coach to the Germany U17 team that won the World Cup in Indonesia in December 2023. The 48-time international still demonstrates his close ties to the Werkself today with regular appearances for the Bayer 04 veterans team.
The Bayer 04 honorary captains are Rüdiger Vollborn, Bernd Schneider, Ulf Kirsten, Carsten Ramelow, Simon Rolfes, Stefan Kießling, Lars Bender and Jens Nowotny (from 2024).
Issa Traoré is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Slovakian top-flight side AS Trencin. The club has loaned the centre-back out for one year to this year’s ninth-placed team in the Slovakian league.
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Assistant coach Remzi Kahraman is leaving the Bayer 04 Women’s team with immediate effect to take up a new challenge abroad. The club has agreed to the 31-year-old’s request to leave, although his contract was originally due to run until 2027. A decision on his successor will be announced shortly.
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At the U19 European Championship in Wales, the Germany U19 national team lost their third and final group match 4-0 to Spain. Several regulars, including Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan to SV Elversberg), who had combined for four goals and assists in the two previous victories, did not feature,. Germany had already secured their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare.
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Two weeks into the preseason, the Bayer 04 Women have secured their first victory. Coach Roberto Pätzold’s team won their first friendly 2–0 against Bundesliga newcomers Mainz 05. In front of 160 spectators at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, the two summer signings, Maja Sternad (80’) and Justine Brandau (90’), scored for the Black and Reds.
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