Double Runners-Up Season 2002
The Werkself: From 1904 to Bundesliga champions.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the Bundesliga and plays its home matches at the BayArena. Founded in 1904 by employees of the paint factory, today better known as the pharmaceutical company Bayer, the club was formerly a department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen sports club. In 1999, the football department was separated from the sports club. Bayer Leverkusen's main colours are red and black.
Quick Facts
- European result
- UEFA Champions League Runners-Up
- Top scorer
- Michael Ballack
Lore & Background
Bayer Leverkusen were promoted to the Bundesliga in 1979 and won their maiden top-flight honor, the UEFA Cup, in 1988. The club won its first domestic honour, the DFB-Pokal, in 1993. The club finished runners-up across three competitions in 2002, including the UEFA Champions League. After over 30 years without silverware, the club won their first Bundesliga title and their second DFB-Pokal in 2024, becoming the first German team to win the league or domestic double unbeaten, while setting the European record for consecutive unbeaten competitive games (51).
Reader's Guide
The club's main rival is 1. FC Köln, while the fans have had a deep friendship with the supporters of Kickers Offenbach for almost 50 years. The club plays at the BayArena.
More in Club History & Eras
Elsewhere in Bayer Leverkusen
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