He started playing club football at the age of four at Eintracht Bamberg before moving on to FC Nürnberg in 2001. There he quickly made a name for himself as a prolific, strong striker with great commitment. In Nuremberg, he developed into one of the most promising young forwards in Germany.
from nuremberg to Leverkusen
In 2006, he made the move to Bayer 04 - to the club that would become his home from then on. Stefan arrives as a young, ambitious player who is set to play up front alongside the elegant Dimitar Berbatov. It was a difficult start and expectations were high. After Berbatov's move to Tottenham Hotspur, enormous responsibility suddenly rests on his shoulders. Critics mocked him as the "most expensive sausage from Nuremberg". But ‘Kies’, as he is known to his team-mates and fans, is undeterred. He trains harder than ever before, fights for every ball and works his way through every crisis. He has come to stay - and that is exactly what he does.
Over the years, he becomes the face of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. He wore the Werkself jersey for twelve years, played 344 Bundesliga games for the Black and Reds scoring 131 goals. This makes him the Bayer 04 player with the second highest number of goals in the Bundesliga behind Ulf Kirsten. Including his games for FC Nürnberg, he made 403 appearances in Germany's top flight - an impressive record. He played a total of 443 games for the Werkself and put the ball in the back of the opposition net 162 times. The highlights of his time under the Bayer Cross are the 2009 DFB Pokal final, which unfortunately ended in a 1-0 defeat against Werder Bremen, and being a runner-up in the Bundesliga 2011.
In his twelve years at Bayer 04, Kies has also impressed with his team spirit, discipline and loyalty. He didn't play for glory, but for the team. Coaches and team-mates praised him as an absolute team player, as a striker who not only scores, but also works - both up front and in defence. Former Bayer 04 coach Jupp Heynckes called him "one of the most hard-working and team-minded players" he has ever coached.
top scorer in 2013 with 25 goals
In the 2012/13 season, Stefan experienced his personal best: He became the Bundesliga's top scorer with 25 goals. In the final minute of the last Bundesliga match at Hamburg SV, he scored the decisive goal against his former team-mate René Adler. His team-mates and the Bayer 04 fans celebrated the goal like a title win. It is his well-deserved reward for years of consistency. But even at that moment, he doesn’t think about himself. He has a small duplicate of the top goalscorer trophy made for each team-mate and staff member and thanks everyone involved.
