Bayer 04 Leverkusen

If the word Bayer looks familiar, it’s because you saw it on a bottle of aspirin — and it’s the same Bayer. The city is Leverkusen, but the Bayer company is based there, and in 1904 they started an athletics club that included a football team. And hence the 04 in their name, which isn’t generally used in casual reference.

They haven’t been part of that club since 1999, but they have been in the top-tier Bundesliga since 1979. They hold the record, at five times, for finishing second in the league without every winning it. They do have trophies in the cabinet, though, most from the glory years of the late 80s to the early 2000s.

Their first major honor was the 1988 EUFA Cup, basically today’s Europa League. They won at Barcelona in the quarterfinals, then beat fellow Germans Werder Bremen in the semis. In those days the final was two legs, and they lost the first, 3-0, at Espanyol of Spain. But they won the second at home by the same score, forced penalties, and won those, 3-2. Here’s a video with the dejected Spanish announcer.

They added a German Cup, the DFB-Pokal, in 1993, and then between 1997 and 2002 they finished second in the league four times, once with a home loss on the last day. In 2001-2002, they made a dramatic run to the Champions League Final, but lost to Real Madrid, 2-1, in Glasgow. That same season they lost the Cup final and blew the league by losing two of their last three. The German media began calling them “Neverkusen.”

They have had several more top-four finishes since but not won anything. Last season they made the semifinals of the Europa League, losing 1-0 on aggregate to Roma,  and they are back in that competition after finishing 6th in last season’s Bundesliga.

2022-23 SEASON: 6th in Bundesliga, Round 1 of DFB-Pokal, Semifinals of Europa League.

2023–24 SEASON: Bundesliga (since 1979), Europa League.

As we mentioned above, Bayer are one of several big clubs in the immediate area, which is Germany’s industrial heartland. Cologne (Köln in German) is the biggest rival, but so are Borussia Mönchengladbach, an hour away, and Fortuna Düsseldorf, 30 minutes away — though the last are currently in the second tier. Any of these games would be pretty heated, as would presumably be a visit from Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund, the latter of which are also just an hour away by train.

Bayer’s women’s team, part of the club since 2008, actually plays their home games in Cologne, which is where they were based before joining Bayer Leverkusen. They play in the Frauen-Bundesliga, the top tier of German women’s football. They have never finished higher than fifth in the league or won the cup. Check the team’s website for fixture information.

The pregame anthem is called “Leverkusen – wir sind die Macht am Rhein,” which translates as “we are the power on the Rhine.” It seems a pretty standard kind of rock anthem, but fans get into it pretty well.

Here they are giving it a go:

The 30,210-seat BayArena is a lovely, modern, comfortable thing set in a leafy residential area. It was originally built in 1958, but completely rebuilt from 1997 to 2009, and it was the first in the country to include a family section. It is still rated as one of the nicest, most family-friendly stadiums in the country, which means some of the more working-class clubs accuse Bayer of being a lame “plastic” club. But we’ve been there and think it’s great; there’s even a hotel attached to it, if you want to make it really easy.

The home rowdies will be in the north end, or Nord Kurve, and the away fans in the southwest corner. So a seat in the east stand would be best if you can swing it — just bring a hat if it’s sunny.

TOURS: Offered about once a week, including on game days, for 10 Euros. Check the club website for more.

GETTING THERE: The closest train station, reached direct from Cologne, is Leverkusen-Manfort. It’s an easy 20-minute walk from there, but bus 222 also goes there.

PUBS: There isn’t a lot going on near the stadium, but as with many German clubs, local places become beer gardens on game days. Look for a youth soccer club called SC Leverkusen 2017, just west of the stadium, and another club across the road called TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which has more seating and food. There’s also a bar in the stadium.

GRUB: Aside from the above, there will be some vendors offering sausages and the usual football fare.

AROUND TOWN: Honestly, if there is anything else to do in Leverkusen, I would love to know about it. I rolled in, went to the game, and rolled back out. But there appears to be a 1913 Japanese garden; and old castle (the Schloss Morsbroich) that is now a modern art museum; and a 238-foot-tall water tower with an observation deck. But let’s just say Cologne is more interesting to visit.