1 January 1990 - Andreas Thom Crosses The Border

On 1 January 1990, Andreas Thom became the first East German Oberliga player to sign freely for a West German club. It was an early step in the reunification process that resulted in a consolidated Germany.

When Germany divided after World War II, a group of West German clubs re-established the pre-war German football association, the DFB. Meanwhile, East Germany established its own association, the DDR-Oberliga. Barring the occasional meeting between the East and West German national teams in international competition, the two were kept largely separate until November 1989, when growing support for reunification led both associations to allow unrestricted competition across the two leagues.

Thom had been a key player for East Berlin club BFC Dynamo since joining them in 1983. In 1984, he won the first of five consecutive league titles with the club, to which they also added two East German Cups (1988, 1989). A forward, he was the DDR-Oberliga's top scorer for the 1987-88 season and was named the 1988 East German Footballer of the Year.

Toward the end of 1989, he received permission from the DDR-Oberliga to move across the border, the first East German player to do so (though there had been defections, including three footballers from the East German national team earlier that year) . He struck a deal with Bayer Leverkusen and, on 1 January 1990, joined them for a fee of 3.6 million German marks.

He enjoyed a lengthy career with Leverkusen, making 161 appearances between 1990 and 1995, when he moved to Celtic for £2.2 million. He returned to Germany in 1998, signing for Hertha Berlin, and retired in 2001.

15 May 2002 - Bayer Gets Another Real Headache

On 15 May 2004, Real Madrid won their record ninth European Cup/Champions League trophy, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Final.

The Final--Bayer's first and Real Madrid's twelfth--was a rematch of the two team's quarterfinal meeting in 1998, which the Spaniards won 1-4 on aggregate en route to their seventh tournament title. Like that previous match, Real Madrid were heavily favored and took very little time to stake their claim to the trophy, going up in the 8th minute with a strike from their center forward, Raúl. Bayer did not lie down, however, and quickly responded with a 13th-minute header from Lúcio, their Brazilian center back.

Then, in the 45th minute, Madrid got a Brazilian edge of their own when Roberto Carlos surged forward from his left back position and sent a high arcing cross into the box. It dropped to Zinedine Zidane, who executed a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the box. The ball rocketed over Bayer's keeper, putting Madrid up 1-2. It was the last goal of the match.

Neither team has returned to the Final since. Despite the loss, Bayer took some consolation by winning the Bundesliga that season.

4 August 1995 - Ballack Begins

On 4 August 1995, 18-year old Michael Ballack made his professional debut for 2.Bundesliga side Chemnitzer FC. He would go on the become a three-time German Footballer of the Year, winning four Bundesliga titles and one Premier League title.

Chemnitzer lost Ballack's first match, 2-1 against VfB Leipzig, and were relegated at the end of the season. Ballack remained with them for one season in the third division, then moved to the top flight in 1997 with Kaiserslautern. He spent two seasons with Kaiserslautern, winning his first Bundesliga title in 1998, then played three seasons for Bayer Leverkusen (1999-2002) before moving to Bayern Munich. He enjoyed his greatest success at Bayern, winning league and German Cup doubles in 2003, 2005, and 2006.

In 2006, Ballack moved again, this time to Chelsea FC, helping the Blues to the FA Cup in his first season. Another FA Cup followed in 2008, the same year Chelsea advanced to the Champions League Final, then he won the fourth double of his career with the 2010 FA Cup and Premier League title.

Ballack recently returned to Bayer Leverkusen, signing a 2-year contract in the summer of 2010.

18 March 1998 - Bayer Gets A Real Headache

On 18 March 1998, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen played the second leg of their Champions League Quarterfinal match-up. Although the Germans had managed a 1-1 draw in the first leg, played in Germany on 4 March, the Spanish giants proved too strong at home, sweeping Bayer aside 3-0 on their way to the club's seventh European Cup/Champions League title.

Real dominated the match from the start, but were kept out of the goal in the first half by Bayer keeper Dirk Heinen (pictured). He made a handful of brilliant saves to keep the match scoreless, including one from a long-range shot taken from just inside the midfield stripe with Heinen just managing to tip the ball over the bar.

Early in the second half Real's pressure paid off with two goals in rapid succession, both coming from set pieces (50', Karembeu and 57', Morientes). With advancement secure, Real capped their victory with a 90th-minute penalty kick to end the match 3-0 for the home side. The scoreline was an accurate reflection of Real's dominance - only Heinen's outstanding play prevented the margin from being substantially larger.

Real went on to claim the trophy with a 1-0 win over Juventus in the Final. Real and Bayer met again in the 2002 Final, played in Glasgow's Hampden Park, with Real once more finishing on top, 2-1.