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’)
There won’t just be plenty of excitement on the pitch as Bayer 04 host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena at 18:30 CET on Saturday. Outside the stadium there will be collection points for food donations to the Leverkusen Foodbank, which will also benefit from the profits of a jersey raffle in the Fanwelt afterwards. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off following the passing of long-time Werkself player Dieter Herzog, before two fan clubs are honoured for their decades-long support at half-time and fans receive a talk about Orange Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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Bayer 04 go into the first of two successive clashes with Borussia Dortmund boosted by their Champions League win at Manchester City. Ahead of the Bundesliga top match on Saturday, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the tight schedule, BVB's strengths and returning squad members.
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Borussia Dortmund are doing very well in terms of points and results in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. BVB have only suffered two defeats to date this term. Now coach Niko Kovac's team are away to the Werkself on Saturday night, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET) in the top match on Bundesliga matchday 12. The two teams meet again three days later in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie in Dortmund. Two very competitive encounters are on the cards. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Bayer 04 Women clcoked up a 3-2 win in a friendly against Twente Enschede on Thursday afternoon in the last international break of 2025. In drizzle, Lilla Turanyi (16’), Kristin Kögel (65’) and Paulina Bartz (69’) scored the goals for the Werkself against the Dutch Eredivisie Vrouwen leaders, who are still unbeaten in the league.
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