Back
17.08.2019Bayer 04

Kies and Vollborn named honorary captains

Ulf Kirsten kicked it off in 2004 and was followed in 2008 by Carsten Ramelow, Bernd Schneider came in 2010 and in 2015 finally Simon Rolfes added to the group of honorary captains at Bayer 04. Now this illustrious group has two new members: Stefan Kießling and Rüdiger Vollborn have been named as honorary captains by the club and thereby take the illustrious circle of Leverkusen legends up to six.
crop_20190817_Award_Fernando_Carro_Rudi_Voeller_58813.jpg

Ahead of the kick-off against SC Paderborn, Rudi and Kies were presented with honorary captain pennants by Fernando Carro, chairman of the board, and sporting managing director Rudi Völler. There are four selection criteria: At least 10 years with the Werkself, at least 300 competitive matches, including over 100 games as captain or deputy plus an outstanding personality.

Both goalkeeper Rüdiger Vollborn and striker Stefan Kießling have left a lasting impression on the history of Bayer 04. Vollborn, the Werkself player with the most appearances in the Bundesliga (401), was in goal for the UEFA Cup win in 1988 as well as for the DFB Cup victory in 1993. The massive extent to which Stefan Kießling is valued by the fans was evident by the emotional moments in May 2018 at the end of his career when the whole stadium honoured him in the home game against Hannover and deservedly celebrated him with a moving choreography.

Welcome to the illustrious club of honorary captains, Rudi and Kies!

 

Related News

Tapsoba
Bayer 04 - 13.01.2026

Tapsoba sidelined by muscle injury

Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without centre-back Edmond Tapsoba in the coming weeks. The Burkina Faso international returned to the Werkself from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a muscle injury.

Show more
Die PK vor dem Auswärtsspiel beim Hamburger SV | 17. Spieltag
Werkself-TV - 12.01.2026

Hjulmand ahead of #HSVB04: ‘Don't panic, stay calm and optimistic’

The Werkself are away to Hamburg SV at the end of the Hinrunde in the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign. The match at the newly promoted club is on Tuesday night, 13 January (kick-off: 20:30 CET). Ahead of the first encounter with HSV since 2018, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the strengths of the opponents, lessons learnt from the home defeat against VfB Stuttgart and provided a squad update.

Show more
Trainingslager der Frauen
Women - 11.01.2026

Algarve sunshine instead of sub-zero temperatures: Bayer 04 Women start winter training camp

In Germany, the temperatures are currently around zero, leaving even professional footballers freezing - but not the Bayer 04 Women. Roberto Pätzold's team have fled the cold to the south and are preparing for the second half of the season at a training camp in the Algarve, almost 2,000 kilometres away from home as the crow flies. The Leverkusen squad landed in Faro on Saturday morning and have already completed the first three training sessions over the weekend.

Show more
Team nach Abpfiff
Bundesliga - 11.01.2026

Werkself review #B04VfB: Honest words and looking ahead

It was a disappointing Saturday night. The Werkself lost 4-1 to VfB Stuttgart to start the new year on Bundesliga matchday 16 in 2025/26, a result that left both players and fans disappointed. "We played without any passion," said Alejandro Grimaldo honestly afterwards. Teammate Jarell Quansah was even more self-critical, emphasising: "We were miles off it in the first half. You can't put in a performance like that, especially in front of our own fans and I can only apologise to them, to be honest." Read on for the reaction, facts and stats from the clash with VfB Stuttgart in the Werkself review.

Show more