Back
1.05.2024Bayer 04

'Rudi recounts…': Vollborn’s May highlights from Bayer 04

Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, is Bayer 04’s record appearance holder in the Bundesliga with 401 games, and is the only Leverkusen player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB-Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red encyclopaedia takes Werkself fans on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month with our series ‘Rudi recounts…’.
crop_Vollborn_170724_12643.jpg

Vollborn looks back at goals, matches, people and stories away from the pitch during Bayer 04’s history. For the month of May, the Leverkusen legend takes fans back 45 years to the final games of the 1978/79 promotion season and provides in-depth insights as a former player from back then.

Also for the month of May: highlights from the 1978/79 cup quarter-final against Fortuna Düsseldorf, a report and photos from a big comeback against Bayer 05 Uerdingen in the same year, plus highlights from two birthday boys in May. Click here for all the articles!

Related News

Olympiacos downed: Werkself celebrate after Schick brace in play-off first leg | Play-offs UCL
Werkself-TV - 18.02.2026

TV highlights of the 2-0 win at Olympiacos

Werkself TV shows highlights of the 2-0 win at Olympiacos in the first leg of the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league...

Show more
OLYB04
Champions League - 18.02.2026

Olympiacos downed: Werkself celebrate after Schick brace in play-off first leg

The Werkself beat Olympiacos 2-0 in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off first leg to claim a crucial victory in the Greek capital. After a focused first-half display with a number of presentable chances, Patrik Schick crowned a textbook counter to hand the Werkself the lead on the hour (60’). The Czech rounded off his brace when he headed in from a corner just 144 seconds later. Bayer 04 maintained their lead with aplomb to achieve a good position for the return leg in Leverkusen.

Show more
Kurzpässe vor #OLYB04 Play-offs
Champions League - 18.02.2026

Matchday news #OLYB04: ‘Seize the chance for revenge’

Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.

Show more
Marc Landwehr
eSports - 18.02.2026

#B04eSports: Bayer 04 miss out on offline round and top eight

A bitter end to the fifth showdown of the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship as the #B04eSports team failed to take any points in the three remaining matches of the preliminary online round of the fifth and final showdown, missing out on the offline round. They can no longer take points in the overall table. Bayer 04 slipped out on the top eight, so direct participation in the final event for the German Club Championship is no longer possible, with Bayer 04 having to contest the play-offs.

Show more