At the age of 26, the Jena-born player joined Bayer 04 from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 1999. The midfielder went on to make over 260 appearances for the Black and Reds and he developed into a key player and a crowd favourite. Schneider was twice a Bundesliga runner-up with the Werkself (2000 & 2002), played in the 2002 Champions League final and in two DFB Cup finals (2002 & 2009).
‘Schnix’ ended his contract with Bayer 04 at the age of 36 on 26 June 2009. A back injury in April 2008 put an end to his career on the pitch. His contract with the Werkself was due to run to the end of the 2009/10 season.
In the first half of the testimonial, the midfield maestro played for the ‘Schnix All Stars’ and for Bayer 04 in the second 45. The game ended in a 6-5 win for the All Stars. In addition to current players, Schneider’s call was taken up by former teammates including Diego Placente, Michael Ballack, Zé Roberto, Oliver Neuville, Dimitar Berbatov and Ulf Kirsten – and it was an emotional and unforgettable night for ‘Schnix’, the scorer of four goals, together with the fans.
The obligatory substitution on 65 minutes and a full lap of honour in front of the fans was followed after the game by a farewell party in the Premium Lounge at the BayArena that included speeches from Rudi Völler and Wolfgang Holzhäuser plus Reiner Calmund.
The ‘Schnix All Stars’ line-up: Bräutigam (Lehmann 46’) – Bindewald (Gebhardt 27’/Zimmermann 54’), Nowotny, Zivkovic (Schur 61’), Placente (Babic 52’) – Schneider (Beinlich 46’), Ramelow (Brinkmann 61’), Hamann (Ziegner 46’/Ballack 66’), Zé Roberto – Neuville (Berbatov 25’), Bastürk (Kirsten 31’/Rink 58’)
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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