Simon Rolfes

Former defensive midfielder and current managing director of sport for Bayer Leverkusen.

Simon Rolfes (born 21 January 1982) is a German professional football official and a former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the managing director of sport for Bayer Leverkusen.

Quick Facts

Position: Central Midfielder
Club affiliation: Bayer Leverkusen (Youth & Senior)
Debut era: Early 2000s
Key achievement: DFB-Pokal Runner-up (2008-09)
Fan status: Legendary Icon
National team caps: Germany National Team (26 caps)

Lore & Background

Rolfes started his career at Werder Bremen after progressing through their academy. He played for the reserve team, scoring 19 goals in 100 league appearances and one goal in four DFB-Pokal appearances. He was loaned to SSV Reutlingen, then moved to Alemannia Aachen in 2004. In 2005, he joined Bayer Leverkusen, where he became a fan favorite and captain. He retired after the 2014–15 season.

Reader's Guide

Rolfes made his international debut for Germany on 28 March 2007. He was part of the German team that finished as runners-up at Euro 2008, starting in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. He scored his first international goal on 6 September 2008 against Liechtenstein. He missed the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to injury.

Did You Know?

Rolfes scored five goals in 26 league appearances for Werder Bremen's reserve team during the 2000–01 season.
He made a UEFA Cup appearance for Werder Bremen's first team on 3 October 2002 against Metalurh Donetsk.
Rolfes married his wife Jenny on 12 June 2009 and they have three daughters.