Known by nicknames like Aspirin, the history of the Bayer Leverkusen officially began in 1904 after a group of 170 people applied to the owners of the pharmaceutical company Bayer for permission to create a sports club.
It was originally a gymnastics club that was later converted into a soccer team. The name of the club and its origin is really surrounded by incredible stories and those who have narrated the origins of this emblematic Bundesliga club tell that every step was taken to create one of the most important teams in Europe.
Friedrich Bayer Jr. and Carl Duisberg approved the construction of the gymnastics club and on July 1, 1904, the Gymnastics and Sports Club of the Friedrich Bayer & Co. Leverkusen Dye Factory was inaugurated. All that name was shortened and in the end only 04 has remained in the name.
curiously is one of the two German First Division teams that are not part of a membership group, together with the Wolfsburg which belongs to the Volkswagen car factory. In 1907 the statutes were established and a first team was formed with 23 players who had their first match against Manfort.
Shield and nicknames
When the football team was created, a shield with the lion was used for the first time, representing the symbol of the company and the Rhineland region. This shield would be modified again in the 1930s when included the cross of pharmaceuticals, from Bayer. Then it would be modified again by adding the second lion, which is the one we currently see.
The nicknames are almost obvious, as the aspirin theme comes from the most important flagship product for the company at the beginning of the 20th century. After Felix Hoffmann, one of the group’s chemists created aspirin and it was marketed in 1899.
Sometimes people wonder about the Bayer issue, very similar to that of the Bayern Munich team. Well, according to the official Bundesliga site the name comes from the founders of the company, from Friederich Bayer. Although curiously the word bayer by itself in German is used “der Bayer”, which means “the Bavarian”.
Chicharito Hernández played with Las Aspirinas
Javier Hernández Bálcazar, the top scorer in the history of the Mexican National Team, had the opportunity to play for Bayer Leverkusen where he also scored several goals since arriving for the 2015-16 season after his stint with Manchester United in the Premier League.
“After the game we talked to Javier and he told me: ‘I want to get out of here because the technician does not use me’. We were only three days in the transfer market and I went immediately to Manchester to finalize the pass. I remember Javier arrived on the last day of transfers and it was a very big success, ”recalled Jonas Boldt, former Aspirin director for ESPN.
Chicharito became a benchmark for Aztec football because became the first striker to break through the Bundesliga with goalsSince previous years other Mexicans such as Pável Pardo and Ricardo Osorio had militated.
Among his merits is a triplet to Borussia Mönchengladbach on December 12, 2015, becoming the first Mexican footballer to achieve a triplet in the Bundesliga. In total he scored 28 goals in the Bundesliga, closing two great seasons before leaving for West Ham.
– .
