Bayer Leverkusen were founded on 1 July 1904 as the sports club of Bayer's employees. On 1 July 2027 the "Werkself" turn 123. And only a few years ago they lived through a season no other team has ever had in the Bundesliga.

A letter from the factory

In 1903 worker Wilhelm Hauschild wrote to the management of Friedrich Bayer & Co. asking for support to set up a sports club. The letter was signed by 170 to 180 of his colleagues, depending on the source. The company said yes, and so the Turn- und Spielverein 1904 of Bayer was born.

The football department was created in 1907, at a meeting in the Wiesdorfer Hof inn. In 1928 the footballers split from the gymnasts and became SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen. In 1999 football became a separate company.

Red and black

Red and black were established as the footballers' colours in 1907. At the 1928 split the footballers kept these colours, while the gymnasts took blue and yellow.

After the 1984 reunification, the team wore red and white for about ten years, even though the football department officially stayed red and black. Today red and black dominate the shirts and badge again. That is why fans also call the team "Die Schwarzroten", the Black and Reds.

The Bayer cross and the nicknames

The club's first emblem, from 1907, was the Lion of Berg. It was replaced by the Bayer cross, which first appeared on the shirts in May 1936 and is still there today. The current version of the badge dates from 1994.

The nickname "Werkself", the factory team, recalls that many players worked at the plant until the late 1970s. For years it was meant mockingly, but after 2000 the club proudly adopted it. More bitter was "Vizekusen", born in 2002, when the team finished second in the league, the cup and the Champions League.

From the UEFA Cup to the unbeaten 2024

The first major trophy came in 1988, in the UEFA Cup final against Espanyol. Leverkusen lost 3-0 in Barcelona, won the return leg 3-0 and took the trophy on penalties. In 1993 they won the German Cup 1-0 against Hertha's amateur side, with a goal by Ulf Kirsten.

The big moment came in 2023-24. The title was sealed on matchday 29, with a 5-0 win over Werder Bremen.

In the end Leverkusen won their first league title without a single defeat (28 wins, 6 draws, 90 points), something no team had ever done in the Bundesliga, and added the cup with a 1-0 win over Kaiserslautern. The unbeaten run ended at 52 games, with a 0-3 loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final.

Werkself legends

Ulf Kirsten is the club's all-time top scorer with 240 goals, while goalkeeper Rüdiger Vollborn has the most appearances, 487. Michael Ballack, Lúcio, Bernd Schuster, Rudi Völler and Florian Wirtz also wore the Leverkusen shirt.

Today the team plays in the Bundesliga. In 2025-26 they finished sixth, and since July 2026 their coach has been Carles Martínez Novell.

Celebrate with us

A workers' letter became the club that achieved the impossible: a whole league season without a defeat. Happy 123rd birthday to Leverkusen, with many more red-and-black celebrations to come!

See our Bayer Leverkusen jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The BayArena in Leverkusen – Arne Müseler, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.