Bayer Leverkusen's Brazilian connection: the Bundesliga champions' top 5 imports
Bayer Leverkusen are taking the Bundesliga trophy to Brazil, a sign of the close connection the German champions have built with the South American nation thanks to a production line of talented players that shone at the club.
bundesliga.com picks out five of its top Brazilian imports…
Jorginho (1989-92)
Position: Right-back
Appearances/goals: 87/9
Jorge de Amorim Campos – the man Leverkusen fans know as Jorginho – was not the first Brazilian to pull on their club’s shirt. That was attacking midfielder Milton Queiroz da Paixao, better known as Tita, who was part of the 1987/88 UEFA Cup-winning squad. While Tita stayed only a season, Jorginho became a legend over three seasons that saw the right-back voted into the club’s Team of the 20th Century.
“Even at the time when I was still playing, they always had someone watching games in Brazil. When I came here, I was really surprised by how much information they had on Brazilian football,” Jorginho explained on a return to Leverkusen in 2023. “That’s what makes them the experts in bringing young Brazilian players here.”
Jorginho went on to play a further three seasons at Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga title with them in 1993/94, the same campaign in which he was crowned a FIFA World Cup winner. But how did he make such a success of his time in Germany?
“When you go to a foreign country, you must not only learn the language but also get to know the culture,” he told the club’s official TV channel in near-perfect German. “I have a lot of German friends, I built a foundation here, which was something close to my heart. And I studied hard for six months.”
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Paulo Sergio (1993-97)
Position: Winger
Appearances/goals: 121/47
If you’ve ever wondered who Leverkusen’s all-time leading Brazilian scorer in the Bundesliga is, wonder no more. Paulo Sergio - Paulo Sérgio Silvestre do Nascimento – swept in 47 goals in 121 top-flight appearances during four seasons at the club. Also a FIFA World Cup winner in 1994, he scored on his Bundesliga debut and went on to net 17 times in a rip-roaring maiden campaign in Germany, being pipped to the Torjägerkanone for the league’s leading marksman by only one goal.
Watch: Bundesliga Legend Paulo Sergio
He would go on to play for Roma (1997-99) and Bayern (1999-2002) – like many of his compatriots whose European adventure started in Leverkusen – winning the German domestic double in 1999/2000 before helping Bayern lift their fourth UEFA Champions League crown in 2000/01 as well as another Bundesliga title.
Zé Roberto (1998-2002)
Position: Midfielder
Appearances/goals: 113/17
Naldo (358) is the only Brazilian in history to have played more Bundesliga matches than Zé Roberto, who featured in 336. The first 113 of those came in a Leverkusen shirt, not that the start of his time in Germany was easy.
“The most difficult thing was adapting to life in Leverkusen. I arrived during summer, but three or four months later a very cold winter came, with snow and temperatures below -10°C,” explained the man officially known as José Roberto da Silva Júnior, who quickly formed an impressive midfield duo with compatriot Emerson. “Just that is difficult for a Brazilian, and then you have the language barrier.”
He conquered both of those challenges, but did not quite manage to get Leverkusen over their final hurdles, notably finishing runner-up in the UEFA Champions League, DFB Cup and Bundesliga in a heartbreaking so-close-but-yet-so-far 2001/02 season.
The Brazil international would go on to have six seasons over two spells at Bayern, winning four domestic doubles, before closing the German chapter of his career at Hamburg (2009-11).
Watch: Zé Roberto takes the Bundesliga into the favelas of Rio de Janeiro
Lúcio (2001-04)
Position: Centre-back
Appearances/goals: 92/15
There are two kinds of Brazilian centre-back, Leverkusen have had both. Roque Júnior (2004-07), Cris (2003) and Juan (2002-07) were the kind that gave opposing forwards a battle for the ball. Lúcio was more one for performing ballet with it. He would have flourished all the more in the current game as a centre-back who could not only move with comfort into midfield, but could almost certainly have played there on a permanent basis.
If few Leverkusen fans knew who he was when he signed from Internacional Porto Alegre in January 2001, he quickly showed them exactly what he had in his locker.
“He was impressive today,” said then Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack after seeing his new teammate score twice in a 4-1 Rhine derby win over Cologne on only his third league appearance for the club. “We saw today what we have in him,” added Leverkusen’s former sporting director Rainer Calmund. “We actually discovered him by accident last year. We wanted to sign another centre-back, but now we’re happy we have him.”
Part of the unfortunate 2001/02 side, he softened that blow considerably by lifting the FIFA World Cup in 2002. He then filled out his trophy cabinet at Bayern (2004-09) with three domestic doubles before also winning an unprecedented treble – beating former club Bayern in the UEFA Champions League final – with Inter Milan in 2009/10.
Wendell (2014-21)
Position: Left-back
Appearances/goals: 186/7
It was Zé Roberto’s advice that brought Wendell Nascimento Borges to the BayArena. Playing alongside the veteran midfielder at Gremio Porto Alegré, Wendell heeded the former Leverkusen man’s words to become the German club’s 21st Brazilian player.
“Leverkusen enjoys an excellent reputation in Brazil after making several transfers in the past,” said Wendell after signing a five-year deal in February 2014 ahead of a first trans-Atlantic move to be completed the following summer. "I talked to my team captain Zé Roberto. He advised me to take this path, because he spoke of his time in Leverkusen in glowing terms.”
Neither party regretted the move as Wendell was part of one of the Bundesliga’s most entertaining sides, only finishing outside the top five twice in his seven seasons at the club Bayer built.
“I have experienced some great things with this club and made many friends. Bayer 04 has become like a family for me,” said Wendell, who has made more appearances for Leverkusen than any other foreign-born player, when he left to join Porto in 2021.
“Wendell has gone from being a shy young man to an established pro who has identified himself strongly with Bayer 04,” said sporting director Simon Rolfes, who played with Wendell before retiring. “He has made his mark here and will always be welcome.”
All Leverkusen’s Brazilians
- Tita, 1987-1988
- Jorginho, 1989-1992
- Paulo Sérgio, 1993-1997
- Rodrigo Chagas, 1995-1996
- Ramon Menezes, 1995-1996
- Zé Elias, 1996-1997
- Emerson, 1997-2000
- Zé Roberto, 1998-2002
- Robson Ponté, 1999-2001
- Marquinhos, 2000-2002
- Lúcio, 2001-2004
- França, 2002-2005
- Cris, 2003
- Juan, 2002-2007
- Roque Júnior, 2004-2007
- Athirson, 2005-2007
- Renato Augusto, 2008-2012
- Henrique, 2008-2009
- Lucão, 2010-2011
- Carlinhos, 2012-2013
- Wendell, 2014-2021
- André Ramalho, 2015-2016
- Paulinho, 2018-2022
- Arthur, since 2023
*Bundesliga stats for Leverkusen only
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