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 ...

had a solid season, where it managed to qualify for another Champions League campaign, following a 4th-place finish. Unlike the previous season, it failed to actively challenge for the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

title for the second year running, also going out of the Champions League already in the group stage. The most important players of the season included

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 ...

, who scored 15 goals, plus attacking midfielder

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 ...

, who cemented his position as Germany's new dominant playmaker.

Squad

Goalkeepers

Pascal Zuberbühler Pascal Zuberbühler (born 8 January 1971) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played in the Swiss Super League for Grasshopper, Basel and Neuchâtel Xamax. He also had a season on loan to Bayer Leverkusen of ...

* Adam Matysek * Frank Jurić *

Tom Starke Tom Peter Starke (born 18 March 1981) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for six German Bundesliga clubs throughout his career that lasted for 18 seasons. Starke is currently working as a goalkeeper co ...

Defenders

* Vratislav Gresko *

Torben Hoffmann Torben Hoffmann (born 27 October 1974) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. Hoffmann works as a field reporter for Sky Sport News HD as a field reporter in Southern Germany and Austria.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 ...

* Jörg Reeb *

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 ...

* Boris Živković *

Robert Kovač Robert Kovač (; born 6 April 1974) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He was known for his ability with the ball and skill at dispossessing opponents. His older brother is football manag ...

* Diego Placente

Midfielders

* Andreas Neuendorf * Marko Babić *

Robson Ponte Robson Ponte (born 6 November 1976) is a Brazilian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He spent most of his career at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Germany and Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan. Club career Ponte was born in São Paulo ...

Zé Roberto José Roberto da Silva Júnior (born 6 July 1974), commonly known as Zé Roberto, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a left wing-back or as a midfielder. Currently, he is a technical advisor to Palmeiras, acting directly ...

* Jurica Vranjes * Pascal Ojigwe *

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 ...

Marquinhos Marcos Aoás Corrêa (born 14 May 1994), known as Marquinhos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, which he captains, and the Brazil national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can ...

* Bernd Schneider * Landon Donovan *

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 ...

* Anel Džaka

Attackers

* Ali Mousavi *

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 ...

Paulo Rink Paulo Roberto Rink (born 21 February 1973) is a former footballer who played as a forward. Most commonly known for his time at Bayer Leverkusen, the Brazilian-born player earned 13 caps representing Germany. He retired in 2007. Club career Bor ...

Dimitar Berbatov Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov ( bg, Димитър Иванов Бербатов; born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer. A striker, he captained the Bulgaria national team from 2006 to 2010, and is the country's all-ti ...

Thomas Brdarić Thomas Brdarić (; born 23 January 1975) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the current head coach of Indian Super League club Chennaiyin. Club career Brdarić was born in Nürtingen, Baden-Württemberg, ...

Squad

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Attackers

Kits

Sources

Match reports

Other