That means Havertz has broken the record previously held by Dieter Müller, who reached the 35 goals mark in 1975 at the age of 21 and 18 days. Bayer04.de spoke to Müller about his record being broken.
Mr Müller, for 45 years you were the youngest player to score 35 goals in the Bundesliga. What did the record mean to you?
Müller: I was able to achieve a number of Bundesliga records in my career, including six goals in a Bundesliga match. To be honest, I wasn't really aware that I still held the record. It's okay, it's not going to get me down (he laughs). Instead, I'm happy for Kai Havertz.
What thoughts went through your mind when Kai Havertz broke your record?
It was clear to me, now we have this generation of impressive, young players, that the record could be broken one day.
How do you see the current development of our number 29?
Kai is a great lad and a very good footballer. An incredible talent and Leverkusen can be really happy to have a player like him in their ranks. He is very versatile in the attack and has a good finish. The 35 goals don't happen by accident.
What similarities and differences do you see between yourself at the age of 21 and Havertz today?
I recently published my biography and I gave several interviews. I was asked by one journalist what I thought my market value would be today. A player like Havertz already has a market value of many millions of euros at his young age, so I've probably played at the wrong time (he laughs). Players today are clearly more confident. I was more of a classic centre forward, similar to Rudi Völler. Havertz is a completely different type of player from me and he can play in different positions in attack. Nevertheless, we both regularly scored our goals of course.
Profile:
Dieter Müller was born in Offenbach on 1 April 1954. After playing for the youth teams at Kickers Offenbach, he played for the first team at OFC. From 1973 to 1981, he played for FC Köln where he made 248 appearances and scored 159 goals – including six in the game against Werder Bremen on 17 August 1977. Müller also made twelve international appearances for Germany, scoring nine goals for his country.
The Werkself are away to SC Freiburg on Bundesliga Matchday 32. The penultimate away game of the season is today Sunday, 4 May with a 17:30 CEST kick-off at the Europa Park Stadion. Read on for the latest information in today's matchday news.
Show more
Bayer 04 Women claimed victory in their final home game of the season after Cornelia Kramer’s goal first-half proved the difference against RB Leipzig. Her 11th of the campaign also saw the Werkself extend their club record in the first division to 43 points with one match still to play. Three players were given a send-off before the game as they leave for pastures new.
Show more
Could this be the year that Freiburg finally get into the Champions League. They have come close a number of times in recent seasons, but a run of three straight wins has put the Black Forest club in pole position for a historic achievement ahead of Sunday’s Matchday 32 encounter with the Werkself. Here’s all you need to know about our next opponents.
Show more
Bayer 04 are away to SC Freiburg in the penultimate away game of the season on Sunday, 4 May with the kick-off at 17:30 CEST. Ahead of the clash at the Europa Park Stadion, head coach Xabi Alonso talked about Freiburg’s strengths and he highlighted the good team play as a big plus point for SCF.
Show more
