“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).
Freiburg’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend left them two places but a whole 10 points behind Bayer 04. Their results in general may be mixed, but Julian Schuster’s side are a force to be reckoned with at home, where they have earned 24 of their 33 points. Leverkusen may choose to look for the aerial route if they’re to get the better of their hosts, who have conceded more headed goals than any other team. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game in our matchday news.
Show more
A boost for the second Bundesliga away game in a row: The Werkself take on SC Freiburg just three days after the convincing 1-0 win at Hamburger SV. Ahead of the game on Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the lessons learned from the rearranged fixture at HSV, a trio on yellow cards and young players like Christian Kofane and Montrell Culbreath.
Show more
SC Freiburg suffered their eighth away defeat of the season in Frankfurt last weekend. But at home, at the Europa Park Stadion, coach Julian Schuster's team are clocking up one win after the next. SCF are unbeaten in the last 16 matches at home. On Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), they will be looking to keep the run going in the clash with the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
For the third time in a row, the Leverkusen eSports players have made it through to the final round of the VBL Club Championship. From 7 to 8 March, they will compete for the German Club Championship at XPERION in Hamburg. At the start of the final round, they face Hamburger SV in the Round of 16. The match starts at 19:30 CET on Saturday, 7 March and will be broadcast live on the VBL Twitch channel. The eSports preview.
Show more
The German Football League (DFL) has scheduled Matchdays 28 to 30 in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The fixtures at a glance.
Show more
