As a youth player at KSC, Jens tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee for the first time in 1991. In May 1992, the now 18-year-old played his first Bundesliga match for KSC in a 1-0 away win at Hamburg SV. Over four seasons, he made a total of 103 Bundesliga appearances and scored seven goals for Karlsruhe.
In 1996, Jens joined Bayer 04 Leverkusen as a U21 international. Coach Christoph Daum immediately made the then 22-year-old sweeper captain. With his calm on the ball, his strength in challenges, his speed and his strategic understanding of the game, Jenne, as he is called by his team-mates, developed into the driving force behind a team that caused a sensation in Germany in the following years. With Jens Nowotny as captain, Bayer 04 finished runners-up in the Bundesliga four times and also made it to the DFB Pokal final and the Champions League final in 2002. Unfortunately, Jenne was unable to play in either of these big games because he suffered his second torn cruciate in the semi-final second leg against Manchester United on 30 April 2002. He also missed the 2002 World Cup, where he would have been a first choice in the Germany defence. When he finally returned to the pitch in January 2003 in the home game against Energie Cottbus in the difficult 2002/2003 season, with Bayer 04 involved in a relegation battle, it happened again: The cruciate ligament, which had just healed, tore again without any contact with an opponent and Jenne then faced the next tough six months.
In October 2003, he made it back into the Bayer 04 line-up and remained an integral part of the Werkself for the next year and a half. But on 19 February 2005 - what bad luck! - the next torn ligament. In the second half of the 2005/2006 season, Jenne returned to the starting eleven for the match against VfL Wolfsburg on 8 February 2006. He also jumped on the World Cup bandwagon and played the full 90 minutes as a centre-back in the match for third place (3-1 against Portugal). Jenne played a total of 233 Bundesliga games for Bayer 04, scoring four times. He made his Germany debut against Ukraine in 1997. He played a total of 48 internationals (one goal) and took part in the 2000 and 2004 Euros as well as the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
After the World Cup in Germany, Nowotny moved on to Dinamo Zagreb. However, his hopes of a new start in football did not take off, as persistent knee problems limited him to just ten appearances. But he did become a champion of Croatia with this team. He ended his playing career at the beginning of 2007 due to persistent knee problems.
Jens Nowotny has always remained loyal to football. He had a farewell match at the Wildparkstadion, works as a consultant at Fortuna Köln, is involved in business and runs a restaurant in Mönchengladbach with a friend, where he is only involved in the background. From 2021, he took on various coaching roles in the youth sector of the DFB - including as assistant coach of the Germany U17s, who won the World Cup title in 2023. He also volunteers for community projects and foundations. In the summer of 2024, Bayer 04 Leverkusen honoured him with the title of honorary captain for his many years of leadership.
Today, the father of three lives with his wife in Biesfeld and, in addition to his DFB activities, he coaches the local district league club Union Blau-Weiß Biesfeld alongside another coach.
Michael Ballack was born on 26 September 1976 in Görlitz, in what was then East Germany. His talent for football became apparent at an early age. After his family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt – now Chemnitz – he began playing football for BSG Motor ‘Fritz Heckert’ Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he steadily developed his skills. From Year 7 onwards, he attended the Children’s and Youth Sports School and received systematic sporting support, which, in 1988 – due to his growing skill as a player – led to a move to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. At the age of 16, he had to take a six-month break due to growth problems, but after that, Michael was unstoppable.
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José Elias Moedim Júnior, known as Zé Elias, was born on 25 September 1976 in São Paulo. He received his football training at Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, or Corinthians for short, and was promoted to the first team at the age of just 17. PSV Eindhoven had already taken notice of him by this stage, but the move to Europe was still too early for him. The tenacious defensive midfielder established himself in the first team over the following three years. With Corinthians, Zé Elias won the São Paulo City Championship and the Brazilian Cup in 1995. With his excellent vision, his determination and his assured ball control, he made a significant contribution to his team’s success.
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In their second season in Bundesliga 2 North, the Werkself face Fortuna Köln at their home ground, the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, on matchday 7. Both teams are level on seven points, sitting eighth and ninth in the table.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of September. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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September gets off to a disastrous start, though not for the Werkself: the German national team, featuring Bayer 04 players Jens Nowotny, Michael Ballack and Oliver Neuville, suffer a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of England in a World Cup qualifier at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Jens Nowotny, in particular, came in for sharp criticism. With this defeat, Germany’s direct qualification is now hanging in the balance.
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