"Rudi recounts…"

...the tales of yesteryear. Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, is Bayer 04’s record appearance holder in the Bundesliga with 401 games, and is the only Leverkusen player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB-Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red encyclopaedia takes Werkself fans on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month with our series ‘Rudi recounts…’.

Topics

Peter Zanter wird 60 | Geburtstagskind des Monats November I
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2025

Birthday boy of the month 1: Peter Zanter turns 60

Peter Zanter was born on 11 November 1965 in Wermelskirchen in the Rhineland. His passion for football was evident from an early age: As a child, he played enthusiastically for the youth teams at SV Dabringhausen and SV Wermelskirchen. His ability and discipline did not go undetected for long - and he joined the youth section at Bayer 04 at a young age.

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Boris Zivkovic wird 50 | Geburtstagskind des Monats November II
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2025

Birthday boy of the month 2: Boris Zivkovic turns 50

Boris Zivkovic was born on 15 November 1975 in the Bosnian town of Zivinice, which is now part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He played for FK Sarajevo at a young age. However, his youth was characterised by the turmoil of the wars in the former Yugoslavia. At the age of just 17, he was also called up and took part in the fighting - a fate shared by many young men of his generation.

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Rüdiger Vollborn mit Dr. Jürgen Schwericke
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2025

Legends: Under the Cross for 44 years

For once, this is going to be about me. About my path into football, my years as a goalkeeper at Bayer 04 and my ‘career after my career’ at this great club. So, come with me on a little journey through time...

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crop_19851101_Hoerster_Zechel_Waas_Glass_Schreier.jpg
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2025

Match of the month: 40 years ago - Bayer 04 hit the jackpot

It is 1 November 1985, a Friday evening, floodlights on. The leaders Werder Bremen with their coach Otto Rehhagel come to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. 15,000 spectators want to watch this top match, as the Werkself, with their new coach Erich Ribbeck, are in fourth place in the table, just five points behind the leaders.

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Hakan Calhanoglu
Bayer 04 - 01.11.2025

Goals of the month: From Demuth to Calhanoglu

In the video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of November. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.

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