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.
Newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg will begin the 2026/27 season as Bundesliga club number 59. The Saarland club start their first Bundesliga campaign at home to the Werkself on Saturday, 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST) at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, which is currently being rebuilt. For one Leverkusen player in the ‘Elv’ line-up, the clash will be a special reunion. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Ernest Poku is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play in the Turkish Süper Lig. The club has loaned the Dutch winger to Beşiktaş for one year. If certain criteria are met, the Istanbul club – who finished fourth in the Turkish top flight last season – will be obliged to make the move permanent.
Show more
The fixture details for the Bayer 04 Women’s first match in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been confirmed: As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning, the Leverkusen Women will face second-tier side FC Viktoria Berlin in the first round on Sunday 27 September at 14:00 CEST.
Show more
40 years of European nights, unforgettable moments and great stories. With the new European jersey, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and kit supplier New Balance are celebrating the club’s history in European competitions under the epic slogan ‘40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.’ The European jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 web shop and the Bayer 04 Fanwelt.
Show more
Here we go: the Bayer 04 European jersey has landed, and the draw for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League is coming up tomorrow. To mark the start of the 2026/27 European campaign, Bayer 04 are hosting an autograph session on Friday afternoon, 28 August, from 15:00 to 15:30 CEST at the Fanwelt, with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio. Brian the Lion will also be there.
Show more
