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.
Bayer 04 are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal after a 4-0 win at Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday night. The game was paused after only 18 minutes due to a storm over the ground. After a lengthy delay, play resumed and Patrik Schick opened the scoring. Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alejandro Grimaldo made things more comfortable in the second half, as the fourth-tier side had two players sent off.
Show more
There were no goals across 115 minutes of football between Bayer 04 Women and PSV Eindhoven in Friday’s friendly. Roberto Pätzold’s team played two 45-minute periods before an extra 25 minutes two days prior to heading to Rieden for their training camp. Their Dutch opponents were preparing for their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier in 12 days.
Show more
The first round of the DFB Pokal takes Bayer 04 to Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday. The amateur club have just gained promotion to the fourth-tier Regionalliga Südwest and kicked off their campaign with two impressive wins. Here’s all you need to know as Erik ten Hag makes his competitive bow as Werkself boss at the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena (kick-off: 6pm CEST).
Show more
After two months preparing for the new season, the Werkself play the first game of the 2025/26 campaign on Friday, 15 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) away to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB Pokal. Ahead of the tie against the team newly promoted to the Regional League South West, head coach Erik ten Hag talked about his approach to the knockout game and his soft spot for cup competitions.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new Premium Partner in its ranks in Düsseldorf company LumenHaus GmbH. The leading provider of networked home energy solutions has initially agreed a one-year partnership with the Bundesliga runners-up to the end of the 2025/26 season.
Show more
