For many years, the Bremen midfield diamond was just as much a part of the Bundesliga as the cathedral was to Cologne. Accordingly, there is hardly a club in Germany that can look back on such an enormous number of outstanding tens.
We look at the most iconic playmakers to have ever worn the Werder kit:
Max Kruse was successful in practically all of his Bundesliga positions. Whether at Freiburg, Wolfsburg, Gladbach, Union or Bremen: You could always rely on Pokerface Kruse. Kruse switched to the Bremen U19s in 2006 and later took his first steps in professional football before going through the stations of St. Pauli, Freiburg, Gladbach and Wolfsburg.
He returned to Werder seven years after his departure. After difficult seasons, Kruse helped the team to an intermediate high and was able to finish 8th, 11th and 8th with Werder. Kruse meanwhile completed 94 professional games for Werder and proved to be very efficient with 35 goals and 31 assists.
The left foot said goodbye to Istanbul in the summer of 2019, leaving a gap that could never be closed and ended with the relegation place in 2020 and relegation in 2021.
One of the best midfielders in the world, Kevin de Bruyne is poised to make it big with Manchester City this year. You almost forget that the Belgian once wore the Werder jersey.
Chelsea initially found no use for the offensive player, which enabled Werder Bremen to arrange a loan deal in 2012.
The then 20-year-old immediately showed his great abilities and shone with ten goals and ten assists both as a goalscorer and as a preparer. The first steps of a great career were taken, although Chelsea FC then spurned his talent again and sold the player to Wolfsburg. A clear mistake by the blues.
In Bremen, on the other hand, people will be happy to have been able to enjoy de Bruyne for at least a year.
Norbert Meier switched to SV Werder Bremen in the 1980/81 season, who were playing in the 2nd Bundesliga at the time. However, Meier managed to return to the top flight with the club and was one of the faces of Bremen’s successes in the 1980s right from the start.
Meier completed 373 competitive games for Werder Bremen and shone with 113 goals and 15 assists, especially as a goalscorer. The attacking midfielder crowned his outstanding Werder time with the German championship title in 1988. A year later he switched to Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he was unable to repeat his best times.
Meier was known in Bremen for being frequently substituted in away games, which is why he is remembered under the nickname Heimspiel-Meier.
In January 2008, Werder Bremen beat Mesut Özil from FC Schalke 04. The Werderers have undoubtedly landed a real transfer coup. The player quickly developed into a top performer and shone with his technique and creativity.
Özil was already one of the best preparers in Europe when he was at Werder and was able to provide 54 assists in 108 games. The midfielder also got off to a good start in the national team and became a crowd favorite because there were hardly any players at the time who could celebrate football as technically cleanly as he could. After excelling at the 2010 World Cup, he joined Real Madrid for €18m.
Özil once won the DFB Cup with Werder Bremen before enjoying great success with Real, Arsenal and the national team later in his career.
With Özil, one would like to exclude the period from 2018 to the present, but one likes to remember his appearances in Werder.
Diego moved from FC Porto to the Weser in 2006 as the successor to Johan Micoud and gifted the Bundesliga with three absolutely magnificent seasons. Technically, Diego was not only one of the best Werder players of all time, but also probably the most spectacular player in the entire league at the time.
The Brazilian shone with dribbling, tricks, terrific assists and some unbelievable goals. His goal against Alemannia Aachen from beyond the center line is certainly fondly remembered.
In 2009, the ten players said goodbye to Bremen by winning the cup and joined Juventus Turin for 27 million euros. Diego would have preferred not to make this change. The midfield magician was unable to continue his Werder days at Juve, Wolfsburg or Atlético Madrid. Today the 37-year-old plays for Flamengo in Brazil.
Johan Micoud was a midfield director, as he was written. The Frenchman shone with incredible intelligence and vision, making him the man for the deadly pass. In addition, he could also become dangerous at any time. While he was always overshadowed by big tens like Zinedine Zidane in the national team, he was one of the best players in the Bundesliga during his time at Werder between 2002 and 2006.
Micoud played a total of 169 games for Werder Bremen, scoring 47 times and providing 57 assists. Only four players could provide more assists for Werder and they have all played more than 300 games. This reinforces his ability to spot the right space.
His greatest success with Werder Bremen was the double win in 2003/04, in which he appeared as an outstanding pioneer for top scorer Ailton. In 2006 he returned to Bordeaux in his native France.
The widely accepted assumption in Germany that Austrians cannot play football was put to the test by almost no other player as severely as by Andreas Herzog. The Austrian record player played for Werder Bremen from 1992 to 1995 and from 1996 to 2001.
Herzog and SV Werder were extremely successful in the 1990s. Accordingly, the attacking midfielder has the UEFA Cup victory (1996), the German championship title (1993) and the two DFB Cup victories (1994 and 1999) on the business card.
In total, Herzog scored 72 goals and provided 85 assists in 307 Werder competitive games. This makes him the best Bremen assist of all time.
