The match between FC Bayern and Bayer 04 Leverkusen this Saturday afternoon is not only the highlight of the 21st matchday of the Bundesliga, but also a match with a lot of Bundesliga history. Not only are they two great historic clubs in the league, but also many important players for both clubs played for the other. Here we bring you a list of them:
Lúcio joined Bayer 04 in the 2000/01 winter transfer window and played a total of 236 Bundesliga games for Leverkusen (92 games, 15 goals) and Bayern Munich (144 games, 7 goals) until the summer of 2009. With Bayern Munich he won the Bundesliga three times in five years.
Trained in the FC Bayern youth academy, Emre Can celebrated his professional debut against Borussia Dortmund in the 2012 Super Cup. A year later, he was transferred to Leverkusen. There, the Frankfurt native quickly became a key player under coach Jupp Heynckes, who also worked on the benches of both clubs.
Robert Kovač spent a total of nine years and therefore a large part of his active career at Bayern and Leverkusen. Of which the first 5 were at Bayer 04 and the other 4 at FC Bayern.
The Brazilian footballer first played for Leverkusen between 1989 and 1992, before moving to Munich. With FC Bayern he won the German championship in 1994, thanks in part to his spectacular goal on the last day of the season against FC Schalke 04.
Like his brother Robert, Niko Kovač also played for FC Bayern and Bayer 04. The defensive midfielder played three years for Bayer, between 1996 and 1999 and after another team in between, then he played two more years with the Bayern Munich. In 2018, the Croatian returned to Munich, but this time as head coach.
The three-time Champions League finalist scored 26 goals in the Bundesliga, making him the highest-scoring goalkeeper to date. Of these, he scored 7 goals for Leverkusen and only one for Bayern Munich.
The 1.80 meter midfielder, who was nicknamed “Warrior”, among other things for his style of play, played four seasons for Bayer before signing for Juventus Turin. After that, he would sign for the German giant where he spent several years. In his three years at FCB, Vidal won three league titles (15/16, 16/17, 17/18), two Super Cups (16/17, 17/18) and one DFB Cup (15/16).
The former captain of the German national team for several years, Michael Ballack, also played for Leverkusen and FCB during his time as a footballer. In the summer of 1999, the midfielder, coming from the Chemnitzer FC youth academy, moved from 1. FC Kaiserslautern to Leverkusen, where he initially played for three years. During this time, Ballack matured into one of the most goal-scoring midfielders in the world. After the 2002 World Cup, he signed for FCB, and he stayed there for 4 more years.
Along with Ballack, Zé Roberto also moved from the Rhineland to the Bavarian capital in 2002. The Brazilian, who joined Bayer in 1998 from Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro. Things went better for “Zé” in Munich, where he achieved three doubles in four years with Ballack and company.
Kroos spent the first years of his career at Rostock before joining the Munich youth team in 2006. In 2009, the midfielder left for Leverkusen for a season, returning to wear the FCB shirt from 2010 to 2014. After 2014 world title, Kroos moved to Madrid, where he continues to play today.
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