The best comes at the end

Manfred Vetter, a Werkself player from 1969 to 1975, is now an author. The 69-year-old has researched the 60-year history of the Bayer 04 Veterans team and produced a unique book with lots of attention to detail.

"I can't imagine any other Bundesliga team telling the story of their Old Boys in this way," said Vetter. And the pride of making club history come to life and be easy to understand in this vivid and visually stunning way can clearly be read on his face. The development of the Veterans team from its foundation in 1959 by the former Bayer 04 legend in goal Alfred 'Fredy' Mutz over six decades through to the fourth title win in the big Berlin Masters tournament at the Max Schmeling Hall in 2019 – Manfred Vetter has not left anything out. In 180 pages he has busily listed and immortalised all he has discovered during those memorable times. He has collected several thousand photographs including ones Vetter took himself on countless trips and tours with the team and he has also made use of images from the two Leverkusen sports photographers Fritz Heppekausen and Harry Stiem.

There are many precious items amongst them that tell the exciting and moving story of the club with a touch of black and red: The first game for the Veterans on 18 April 1959 against Fortuna Düsseldorf with over 1000 spectators at the Stadtpark witnessing a 4-1 win for Leverkusen, including team members ‘Bubi’ Becks, Theo Kirchberg and Peter Röger. In addition, there are countless photos of the unofficial German championship of the Old Boys in Bad Münster am Stein, which the Leverkusen team won nine times between 1962 and 1993. Another highlight: a handwritten greeting from Sepp Herberger on the tenth anniversary of the group ("Warm greetings to the members of the Bayer 04 Veterans team"). In addition to all the sporting elements there are countless snapshots of the inner workings of the team in the book – from the annual tours with wives to Barcelona, Izmir, Prague, Berlin, Majorca, Crete, Switzerland or to Vienna. "We were top drawer in the matches but we were world-class on holiday. We got every Alpine chalet rocking," said Vetter with a glint in his eyes. Anybody who sees the boozy photos of trips and birthdays, carnival celebrations and other communal events, will believe his every word.

Manni Vetter, who made 141 appearances for Bayer 04 in his playing days as a midfielder and sweeper and was part of the promotion team from the second division in 1975, worked on the book with his heart and soul for three years. With an extended stage of repeat work that was made necessary due to his computer crashing and months of intensive work lost: "Fortunately, I made copies and was able to reconstruct the whole thing with the help of some big staples." In parallel to the history of the Bayer 04 Veterans team, he was also busy with his own career – and he also came up the idea of a second book title: "My little football story." And he was successful with the publication of an engaging work full of historical images and memories.

In 1985, Manfred Vetter made his debut for the Bayer 04 Veterans, which the then manager Heinz Heitmann put on a more professional level at the beginning of the 1990s, ten years after the end of his playing career. He remained a core member of the team for 20 years. And in 2005 put on his boots for Bayer 04 for the last time in the Oldie Masters in Chemnitz against Real Madrid. "That was my crowning glory," said Vetter. But he made a big mistake there – he only achieved his crowning glory almost exactly one year ago: When his book was finally published.

ON THE BOOK:

His book, '60 years of the Bayer 04 Veterans team', put into words and images by Manfred Vetter after three years of research and work, was thought up by himself and he had the book printed and bound at a local chemist's shop. The cost was €170. Up to now Vetter's book is a one-off. "But we are looking for a way of making this treasure of club history available to other Bayer 04 fans in the future," said Dirk Dreher, the general manager of the Bayer 04 Veterans team.