| 2002–03 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Klaus Toppmöller Thomas Hörster Klaus Augenthaler | |||
| Bundesliga | 15th | |||
| Champions League | Second group stage | |||
| DFB-Pokal | Semi-final | |||
| Top goalscorer | Daniel Bierofka (7) | |||
Bayer 04 Leverkusen had a shocking season, in which it went from being in the final of the UEFA Champions League the previous season, to finish 15th in Bundesliga, only just escaping relegation to the second tier. It also went out of the Champions League in the second group stage, not even clinching a single point.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Oliver Patric Neuville is a German former footballer who played as a striker.
Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Known for his technique and ball control, Berbatov is regarded as one of the greatest Bulgarian players of all time. He captained the Bulgarian national team from 2006 to 2010 and is the nation’s top goalscorer.
Jacek Kamil Krzynówek is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Yıldıray Baştürk is a retired professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Bernd Schneider is a German former professional footballer. He was mainly a midfielder but could play anywhere on the left and right flanks. After retiring in June 2009, he took up an advisory role at his first club, Carl Zeiss Jena, and a scouting position at Bayer Leverkusen.
The 2007–08 season was VfB Stuttgart's 43rd season in the Bundesliga.
Hertha BSC's 2007–08 season began on 4 August 2007, with their DFB-Pokal match against Unterhaching, and ended 17 May 2008, with their Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich. They finished tenth in the Bundesliga and were eliminated in the second round of the DFB-Pokal.
The 2010–11 season of Hamburger SV began on 28 June with their first training session. Hamburg played its matches at Imtech Arena.
The 2001–02 season saw Bayer Leverkusen become the second club to finish runners-up in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the Champions League in the same season after Barcelona in 1986, with a potential treble unravelling in the final couple of weeks of the season, resulting in no trophies won at all, plus the defections of stars Michael Ballack and Zé Roberto to Bayern Munich. Leverkusen dominated the second half of the Champions League final against Real Madrid, but lost 2–1 due to a volley from Zinedine Zidane in the latter stages of the first interval.
SV Werder Bremen improved one position upon its 2000–01 position, ultimately finishing 6th in the championship. Key players Frank Rost and Torsten Frings departed for Bundesliga opposition in the summer of 2002, resulting in lowered expectations, especially since club legend Marco Bode decided to retire from professional football.
Hamburger SV nearly qualified for the Champions League, only just falling short to Borussia Dortmund. Given that HSV had been mired in the midfield for the last few seasons, the season was regarded as a successful one.
SV Werder Bremen retained its 6th place in Bundesliga with a solid season, in spite of key players Frank Rost and Torsten Frings leaving prior to the season. Coach Thomas Schaaf bought Johan Micoud as replacement for Frings, with the French ex-Parma player making an instant impact in Germany, while Ailton once again hit 16 goals, finishing third in the goal scoring charts.
VfB Stuttgart had an average season in its first season under Felix Magath. It finished 8th in Bundesliga, qualifying for the Intertoto Cup. The season also saw Stuttgart breaking its transfer record, when the club signed Fernando Meira for € 7.5 million.
VfB Stuttgart debuted in the modern-era 32-team Champions League with a progression from the group stage and a somewhat surprising victory with 2–1 against English champions Manchester United. Ultimately, the tournament ended with a narrow defeat to Chelsea. Kevin Kurányi, Philipp Lahm and Alexander Hleb were key players in a side that only just failed to finish in the top three for the second season in succession. Following an initial eight clean sheets, the attack suffered from only Kurányi being able to score, despite goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand keeping 18 clean sheets.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen bounced back from the nearly disastrous season it came from, finishing in the top three and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in the process. The season marked the breakthrough for Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov, who scored 16 goals, whereas Brazilian signing França contributed with 14 strikes. As it was, it was the attack that impressed the most, especially in the 6–2 crushing of champions Werder Bremen on the penultimate day of the season.
Bayer Leverkusen had a solid season, where it managed to qualify for another Champions League campaign, following a 4th-place finish. Unlike the previous season, it failed to actively challenge for the Bundesliga title for the second year running, also going out of the Champions League already in the group stage.
During the 2003–04 German football season, Borussia Dortmund competed in the Bundesliga.
FC Schalke 04 had another disappointing season, in spite of the success of new stadium and UEFA Champions League final host Arena AufSchalke. Within weeks in the autumn, Schalke's chances of winning a trophy was slashed, losing to Brøndby in the UEFA Cup and a humiliating collapse to Freiburg in the extra time of the domestic cup, losing 7–3. The seventh position in the league also ensured Schalke had to go through the Intertoto Cup to reach European competitions, putting further pressure on coach Jupp Heynckes.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen played the UEFA Champions League after finishing in 3rd place in the Bundesliga in 2003-04 and advanced to the Round of 16 in a tough group with Real Madrid, AS Roma and Dynamo Kyiv. The best results were a 5-1 win against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and a 3-0 win against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Dimitar Berbatov was the season top scorer with 26 goals.
