The 23 Greatest Bayer Leverkusen Players of All Time

Homegrown talents, Brazilian imports and the unbeaten-season heroes all have a claim on the shirt.

1. 1
   Michael Ballack

   Midfield engine of the side that finished runner-up in the Bundesliga and Champions League in 2002.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Jonathan Tah

   German centre-back who spent a decade in the club's defence and won the 2024 title.
   999pts
3. 3
   Florian Wirtz

   Teenage sensation and 2024 double winner who became one of the league's best playmakers.
   999pts
4. 4
   Karim Bellarabi

   Pacey winger who scored the fastest goal in Bundesliga history in 2014.
   961pts
5. 5
   Hakan Çalhanoğlu

   Turkish playmaker known for free kicks during his Leverkusen years.
   961pts
6. 6
   Arturo Vidal

   Chilean midfielder who developed in Leverkusen before moving to Juventus.
   944pts
7. 7
   Sven Bender

   Lars's twin, a defensive midfielder who returned to Leverkusen for his final seasons.
   713pts
8. 8
   Granit Xhaka

   Swiss midfielder who captained Leverkusen to its first Bundesliga title in 2024.
   713pts
9. 9
   Jens Nowotny

   German defender who anchored the back line in the early 2000s.
   629pts
10. 10
    Oliver Neuville

    German striker who scored regularly in Leverkusen's 2002 run to three finals.
    533pts
11. 11
    Rudi Völler

    Striker who played for Leverkusen late in his career and later became its sporting director.
    533pts
12. 12
    Zé Roberto

    Brazilian midfielder who was a key creative piece of the 2002 side.
    533pts
13. 13
    Bernd Leno

    German goalkeeper who spent seven seasons in goal before joining Arsenal.
    420pts
14. 14
    Kai Havertz

    Academy product who became a Bundesliga star before moving to Chelsea in 2020.
    420pts
15. 15
    Alejandro Grimaldo

    Spanish left-back who scored and assisted at a high rate in the 2024 title run.
    420pts
16. 16
    Dimitar Berbatov

    Bulgarian forward who scored freely in Germany before moving to the Premier League.
    420pts
17. 17
    Lars Bender

    One of the Bender twins, a one-club midfielder who played a decade for the club.
    420pts
18. 18
    Son Heung-min

    South Korean forward who made his name in Leverkusen before joining Tottenham in 2015.
    420pts
19. 19
    Stefan Kießling

    Striker who spent a decade in Leverkusen's attack and won the 2013 Bundesliga top-scorer award.
    420pts
20. 20
    Ulf Kirsten

    Club record scorer who banged in goals for more than a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s.
    286pts
21. 21
    Lúcio

    Brazilian centre-back who was a pillar of the 2002 Champions League finalists.
    286pts
22. 22
    Jeremie Frimpong

    Dutch wing-back whose pace and goals powered the unbeaten 2023-24 season.
    0pts
23. 23
    Victor Boniface

    Nigerian striker whose goals helped win the 2024 Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.
    0pts

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