This is a list of notable footballers who have played for
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...
. Generally, this means players that have played a significant amount of first-class matches for the club. Other players who have played an important role for the club can be included, but the reason why they have been included should be added in the 'Notes' column.
For a list of all Bayer Leverkusen players, major or minor, with a Wikipedia article, see
Bayer Leverkusen players, and for the current squad see the
main Bayer Leverkusen article.
Players are listed according to the date of their first team debut. Appearances and goals are for first-team competitive league matches only; wartime matches are excluded. Substitute appearances included.
Table
World Cup players
The following players have been selected by their country for the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
finals, while playing for Bayer Leverkusen.
*
Cha Bum-kun (
1986)
*
Jorginho (
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
)
*
Ioan Lupescu
Ioan "Ionuț" Angelo Lupescu (born 9 December 1968) is a Romanian former football player who played as a midfielder and a manager.
Club career
Ioan Lupescu, nicknamed ''Kaiserul'' was born on 9 December 1968 in Bucharest, Romania and started to ...
(
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
)
*
Paulo Sérgio (
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
)
*
Emerson (
1998)
*
Jan Heintze
Jan Heintze (born 17 August 1963) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a left-sided defensive midfielder and defender. He ended his career in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, where he was a part of the PSV team which won ...
(
1998)
*
Christian Wörns
Christian Wörns (born 10 May 1972) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. Wörns is widely considered one of the finest German defenders of his generation. He started his career with Waldhof Mannheim but played the ...
(
1998)
*
Ulf Kirsten
Ulf Kirsten (born 4 December 1965) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''Der Schwatte'' (dialect for ''Der Schwarze'', 'The Black One'), he is the first player in history to reach a total 100 caps play ...
(
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
,
1998)
*
Lúcio
Lucimar Ferreira da Silva (born 8 May 1978), commonly known as Lúcio, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. A tall and physically strong defender who excelled in the air, Lúcio was known for his long, s ...
(
2002)
*
Yıldıray Baştürk
Yıldıray Baştürk (, born 24 December 1978) is a retired professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Born in Germany, he was capped 49 times for the Turkey national football team, representing the team at the 2002 FIFA Wor ...
(
2002)
*
Frankie Hejduk
Frank Daniel "Frankie" Hejduk (born August 5, 1974) is an American former soccer player who played as a wingback and midfielder. At the club level he represented the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Bayer Leverkusen, St. Gallen, Columbus Crew, and the LA G ...
(
2002)
*
Carsten Ramelow
Carsten Ramelow (; born 20 March 1974) is a German former professional footballer who played as either a central defender or a defensive midfielder.
Known for his tough tackling and defensive positioning, he played professionally for Hertha BSC ...
(
2002)
*
Oliver Neuville
Oliver Patric Neuville (, born 1 May 1973) is a German former footballer who played as a striker.
During an 18-year professional career he played mainly for Bayer Leverkusen (five seasons) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (six), amassing Bundeslig ...
(
2002)
*
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack (; born 26 September 1976) is a German former professional footballer. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of the German national team. Ballack wore the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for, except 1. FC ...
(
2002)
*
Hans-Jörg Butt
Hans-Jörg Butt (; born 28 May 1974) is a German former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Known for taking penalty kicks, and for often running into the opposing penalty box in an attempt to find a winner whenever his team were trailing, h ...
(
2002)
*
Diego Placente (
2002)
*
Boris Živković
Boris Živković (; born 15 November 1975) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a full-back and centre-back. At one point of his career he even played as defensive midfielder.
Živković began his professional career with ...
(
2002)
*
Jurica Vranješ
Jurica Vranješ (; born 31 January 1980) is a Croatian former professional footballer. He was described as versatile midfielder, playing both as a defensive and a central midfielder, noted for his tackling and passing abilities.
Club career
Vr ...
(
2002)
*
Jens Nowotny
Jens Daniel Nowotny (born 11 January 1974) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender.
He played in nearly 300 official games with Bayer Leverkusen in one full decade, helping them reach the 2002 Champions League fina ...
(
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
*
Bernd Schneider (
2002,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
*
Jacek Krzynówek
Jacek Kamil Krzynówek (; born 15 May 1976) is a former Polish footballer.
He is regarded as one of the best Polish footballers. He has earned many awards and trophies, not only in Poland, but also abroad. He has earned the honour of twice bein ...
(
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
*
Fredrik Stenman (
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
*
Juan
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...
(
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
*
Marko Babić (
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
*
Assimiou Touré (
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
*
Andriy Voronin
Andriy Viktorovych Voronin ( uk, Андрій Вікторович Воронін, born 21 July 1979) is a Ukrainian professional football manager and a former player.
Voronin spent five full seasons in the Bundesliga of Germany, and last pla ...
(
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
*
Stefan Kießling (
2010)
*
Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos (born 4 January 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Kroos plays mainly as a central midfielder, but has also been deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in his career. He is kn ...
(
2010)
*
Hans Sarpei (
2010)
*
Arturo Vidal
Arturo Erasmo Vidal Pardo (; born 22 May 1987) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Flamengo and the Chile national team. His displays during his time at Juventus led him to be n ...
(
2010)
*
Tranquillo Barnetta
Tranquillo Barnetta (; born 22 May 1985) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
He was usually deployed out wide as a left winger but could also play in the centre as an attacking midfielder, or even in a more wit ...
(
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
2010)
*
Eren Derdiyok
Eren Derdiyok (born 12 June 1988) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is a former Swiss international.
Early life
Derdiyok was born in Basel, Switzerland, into a Kurdish family from Turkey. He also holds Turkish cit ...
(
2010)
*
Andrés Guardado
José Andrés Guardado Hernández (; born 28 September 1986) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and captains the Mexico national team.
Popularly known as ''Principito'' (Spanish for '' ...
(
2014)
*
Emir Spahić (
2014)
*
Son Heung-min
Son Heung-min ( ko, 손흥민; ; born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the South Korea national team. Considered one of the best forwards i ...
(
2014)
*
Tin Jedvaj
Tin Jedvaj (; born 28 November 1995) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Emirati club Al Ain on loan from Russian Premier League club Lokomotiv Moscow. He was a part of the Croatia national team's squad which end ...
(
2018)
*
Julian Brandt
Julian Brandt (; born 2 May 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a right winger, central midfielder or attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team.
Brandt made over 55 combined appe ...
(
2018)
*
Piero Hincapié
Piero Martín Hincapié Reyna (born 9 January 2002) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Ecuador national team.
Club career
Hincapié began playing football at the ag ...
(
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
)
*
Jeremie Frimpong
Jeremie Agyekum Frimpong (born 10 December 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right wing-back for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Netherlands national team.
Club career
Manchester City
Frimpong joined Manchest ...
(
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
)
*
Sardar Azmoun
Sardar Azmoun ( fa, سردار آزمون (Sardâr Âzmôn); born 1 January 1995) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Iran national team.
Azmoun made his debut for the Ira ...
(
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
)
*
Exequiel Palacios (
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
)
References
{{Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...
Association football player non-biographical articles