Michael Ballack is a German former professional footballer. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of the Germany national team. Ballack wore the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for, except 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He won the German Footballer of the Year award three times – in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Ballack was known for his passing range, powerful shot, physical strength and commanding presence in midfield.
Torsten Klaus Frings is a German former footballer and manager, who last managed SV Meppen.
Delbrück is a town in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the district Paderborn.
Klaus "Auge" Augenthaler is a German football manager and former player. A defender, he won seven Bundesliga titles in his 15-year club career with Bayern Munich. He also represented the West Germany national team, winning the FIFA World Cup in 1990.
Martín Gastón Demichelis is an Argentine former professional footballer who played usually as a centre-back, although he could also operate as a defensive midfielder. He is the current head coach of Primera División club River Plate.
Franck Henry Pierre Ribéry is a French former professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, preferably on the left side, and was known for his pace, energy, skill, and precise passing. While with Bayern Munich, he was regarded as one of the best players in the world. The previous talisman of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane, once referred to Ribéry as the "jewel of French football".
The 2. Bundesliga is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below the Bundesliga and above the 3. Liga in the German football league system. All of the 2. Bundesliga clubs take part in the DFB-Pokal, the annual German Cup competition. A total of 127 clubs have competed in the 2. Bundesliga since its foundation.
Ulrich "Uli" Hoeneß is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a forward. He played for West Germany at one World Cup and two European Championships, winning one tournament of each competition. During his playing career, he was mainly associated with Bayern Munich, where he won three Bundesliga titles and three European Cups.
Simon Rolfes is a German professional football official and a former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the managing director of sport for Bayer Leverkusen.
The 2006–07 Bundesliga was the 44th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. It began on 11 August 2006 and ended on 19 May 2007. Bayern Munich were the defending champions.
Jos Luhukay is a Dutch football manager and former player, who was most recently head coach of VVV-Venlo.
The 2007–08 Bundesliga was the 45th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. It began on 10 August 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008. VfB Stuttgart were the defending champions.
Martin Lanig is a German former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Daniel Haas is a retired German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
André Breitenreiter is a German professional football coach and former player. In 2022, he won the Swiss title with Zürich.
On 29 April 1978, the final match day of the 1977–78 Fußball-Bundesliga season, Borussia Mönchengladbach played Borussia Dortmund with the possibility of winning the Bundesliga championship. Knowing that if 1. FC Köln won their game away to FC St. Pauli, Borussia Mönchengladbach would have to win by a margin well in excess of ten goals. The match finished 12–0, which remains the largest margin of victory and tied with four other matches for the biggest win in Bundesliga history. However, 1. FC Köln beat FC St. Pauli 5–0 to become champions.
The Introduction of the 2. Bundesliga was the step of establishing a professional second tier association football league in Germany in 1974. The new league, the 2. Bundesliga, played its first season in 1974–75 and continues to be the second-highest league in the country. Its introduction reduced the number of second divisions in Germany from five to two and the number of teams at this level from 83 to 40. It eliminated the necessity of having a promotion round at the end of the season to determine the two teams promoted to the Bundesliga.
The 1995–96 season was the 86th season of competitive football in Germany.
