Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen

Sport-Verein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V., commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association football team, who compete in the Bundesliga, the first tier of the German football league system. Bremen share the record for most seasons played in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, and are ranked third in the all-time Bundesliga table, only behind Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

History

Werder Bremen were founded in 1899 by a group of students who wanted to play football. The club’s first official match was played in 1900, and they won their first championship in 1903. Werder Bremen have won the German championship four times, the DFB-Pokal six times, the DFL-Ligapokal once, the DFL-Supercup thrice, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup once. The team’s first major trophy was the 1960–61 DFB-Pokal; they last won the cup in 2008–09. Bremen’s first German championship came in 1964–65, and their latest in 2003–04, when they won the double. In European football, Werder won the 1991–92 European Cup Winners’ Cup, and were runners-up in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. Bremen have played at the Weserstadion since 1909.

Current squad

The current Werder Bremen squad for the 2023–24 season is as follows:

Goalkeepers:

• Jiri Pavlenka
• Michael Zetterer
• Stefanos Kapino

Defenders:

• Milos Veljkovic
• Marco Friedl
• Niklas Stark
• Anthony Jung
• Mitchell Weiser
• Amos Pieper
• Lee Buchanan
• Oliver Burke

Midfielders:

• Leonardo Bittencourt
• Jens Stage
• Ilia Gruev
• Dikeni Salifou
• Jean-Manuel Mbom
• Romano Schmid
• Eren Dinkci

Forwards:

• Niclas Füllkrug
• Marvin Ducksch
• Oliver Burke
• Abdenego Nankishi
• Eren Dinkci

Manager

• Ole Werner

Honours

• German champions: 4 (1964–65, 1987–88, 1992–93, 2003–04)
• DFB-Pokal winners: 6 (1961, 1991, 1994, 2004, 2009, 2021)
• DFL-Ligapokal winners: 1 (2006)
• DFL-Supercup winners: 3 (1988, 1993, 2004)
• European Cup Winners’ Cup winners: 1 (1992)
• UEFA Cup runners-up: 1 (2009)

Famous players

Some of the most famous players to have played for Werder Bremen include:

• Ailton: The Brazilian striker scored 108 goals in 228 appearances for Werder Bremen, and was the Bundesliga’s top scorer in 2003–04.
• Claudio Pizarro: The Peruvian striker scored 197 goals in 490 appearances for Werder Bremen, and is the club’s all-time leading scorer.
• Diego: The Brazilian playmaker scored 36 goals in 103 appearances for Werder Bremen, and was named the Bundesliga’s Player of the Year in 2004.
• Mesut Özil: The German playmaker scored 13 goals in 108 appearances for Werder Bremen, and was named the Bundesliga’s Young Player of the Year in 2009.
• Per Mertesacker: The German defender made 274 appearances for Werder Bremen, and was the club’s captain from 2006 to 2011.

Rivals

Werder Bremen’s main rivals are Hamburger SV, with whom they contest the North Derby. The two clubs have met over 100 times in competitive matches, and the rivalry is one of the most intense in German football.