SV Werder Bremen

Founding and Early Years

Werder Bremen was founded in 1899 as FV Werder Bremen, by sixteen young men who had won a football in a tug-of-war competition; the club took its current name, SV Werder Bremen, in 1920. "Werder" refers to a recreational island on the Weser River.

Club Evolution

Nicknamed "Die Grün-Weißen" (The Green-and-Whites), the club play at the Weserstadion, on the same site since 1909. Werder Bremen enjoyed their golden age in the 1980s-90s, then returned to the summit in the early 2000s.

Great Managers

Otto Rehhagel, in charge for fourteen years (1981-1995), led the club to two league titles (1987-88, 1992-93) and the 1992 Cup Winners' Cup. Thomas Schaaf later delivered the historic league-and-cup double in 2003-04.

Iconic Players

Rudi Völler, a 1990 World Cup winner, was the prolific striker of the Rehhagel era. Mesut Özil emerged at Bremen before his transfer to Real Madrid, while Miroslav Klose, the all-time World Cup top scorer, spent several key seasons of his career there.

Major Achievements

Werder Bremen have won four German league titles (1964-65, 1987-88, 1992-93, 2003-04), six DFB-Pokal titles, and one Cup Winners' Cup (1992), having also reached the 2009 UEFA Cup final, lost to Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Club Today

Led by Daniel Thioune since February 2026 and chaired by Hubertus Hess-Grunewald, Werder Bremen secured their Bundesliga survival after a difficult 2025-26 season, retaining their status as one of German football's historic clubs.