Up until it was demolished in 2007 it was not the favourite building of Leverkusen residents but it had been used three times for Bayer 04 celebrations. Three times? Yes, three times: 1988, 1993 and 1997. There was a motorcade through the city centre both to celebrate the UEFA Cup win and the DFB Cup win. In 1988, in rain and with protesting pedestrians ("Why are cars driving through the centre of the city?!" "They won the UEFA Cup yesterday." I don't care two hoots, this is a pedestrian zone and cars aren't allowed here!"). And another time in brilliant sunshine in 1993. On both occasions, a stand was built up in front of the town hall and the fans were able to celebrate.
Following the party after the DFB Cup win in 1993, the team met up in a restaurant with a big terrace and a view of the town hall square. The fans were singing and dancing there and waiting for their heroes to come out so they could throw them into the town hall fountain one after the other when they left the restaurant. It was too dangerous for me. I grinned at the lads, took a run and I dived in myself. When we finished as league runners-up for the first time in 1997 we used the balcony of the town hall this time without the motorcade. We don't have a town hall balcony any more since it was demolished in 2007 but there are definitely enough alternative venues in Leverkusen where we can celebrate. The only thing missing is the title we've been waiting almost 30 years for.
Thomas Hörster was born in Essen on 27 November 1956. As a child, he took part in high diving and judo, but was also passionate about football. After starting out at Blau-Weiß Holsterhausen-Essen, he moved on to ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen. As a U19 player, he trained with the senior side for the first time. And at just under 18 years of age, Thommy – as he is known – made his debut in Bundesliga 2. Over two-and-a-half seasons, he made 71 appearances for Schwarz-Weiß Essen.
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Bernd Dreher was born in Leverkusen on 2 November 1966 and he began playing football at SV Schlebusch at the age of five. At the age of nine, he joined the youth academy at Bayer 04. There, the goalkeeper progressed through all the youth teams and, with the U19s in 1985, he reached the final of the German Championship, that Bayer 04 lost 4-2 to Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Robson Ponte was born on 6 November 1976 in São Paulo. He began his football career in Brazil with CA Juventus. He then played for América FC and Guarani FC. In 1999, he joined Bayer 04. Robson initially played for the Werkself until 2001. He then moved to VfL Wolfsburg on a two-year loan. There, he continued to develop and gained valuable experience in the Bundesliga. In 2003, he returned to Leverkusen, where he particularly showcased his dribbling skills and his ability in attacking midfield. In total, he made 79 appearances for Bayer 04 and scored six goals.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of November. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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On Sunday, 4 November 1951, the first league derby between Bayer 04 and FC Köln took place. The FC Köln stadium in Müngersdorf was absolutely bursting at the seams for this clash. A veritable invasion of Bayer 04 fans from Leverkusen set off for Cologne by tram and bus. From midday onwards, in addition to the scheduled services, six extra tram services ran at the standard fare from Leverkusen Town Hall to the stadium in Cologne. At the same time, buses operated by Grein ran regularly from Wiesdorf market square to Cologne. In the end, over 5,000 Bayer 04 fans waved their black and red flags in the stands at the FC Köln stadium and got behind their team for ninety minutes.
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