Simon Rolfes

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rolfes joined Bayer Leverkusen in the crucial year of 2005, quickly securing a regular spot and earning the captaincy. His early seasons were marked by consistent availability: he appeared in 37 matches during 2005–06, followed by 49 in 2006–07, 47 in 2007–08, and 39 in 2008–09. A defining moment of his career occurred on 2 July 2009 when he suffered a serious knee injury. This setback caused him to miss matchdays 10 through 17 of the 2009–10 season, limiting him to just 13 appearances total that year and causing him to miss out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Despite this, he returned to fitness for the 2010–11 season with 36 matches. He remained a staple of the squad through 40 appearances in both 2011–12 and 2012–13, 43 in 2013–14, and 33 in 2014–15 before officially retiring after that final campaign.

In Their Own Story

Before his time at Leverkusen, Rolfes progressed through the Werder Bremen academy. During the 2002–03 season, he made a breakthrough UEFA Cup appearance for the first team against Metalurh Donetsk on 3 October 2002. In that match, an 8–0 win, he came on in the 68th minute to replace Krisztián Lisztes. He also spent time loaned to SSV Reutlingen and played two seasons at Alemannia Aachen starting in 2004, where he scored three goals in 28 league appearances alongside seven UEFA Cup outings. His international career began on 28 March 2007 with a debut against Denmark in Duisburg. He became part of the German squad that finished as runners-up at Euro 2008, starting both the quarter-final against Portugal and the semi-final against Turkey in Basel, where Germany won 3–2 in each match. He scored his first international goal on 6 September 2008 in a 6–0 World Cup qualifier win over Liechtenstein.

Reader's Guide

Simon Rolfes is currently the managing director of sport for Bayer Leverkusen. His playing career was anchored by his role as a defensive midfielder, noted for making exactly 100 league appearances and four DFB-Pokal appearances with Werder Bremen's reserve team, netting 19 goals in total. At Alemannia Aachen, he made two DFB-Pokal appearances. For the German national team, he was a key figure during the Euro 2008 campaign, starting critical knockout stage matches. His club journey ended when he announced his retirement on 7 December 2014, following the 2014–15 season. In his personal life, Rolfes married his wife Jenny on 12 June 2009, and they have three daughters.

Did You Know?

• Rolfes came on as a substitute in the 68th minute during an 8–0 UEFA Cup victory over Metalurh Donetsk on 3 October 2002.
• He scored his first international goal on 6 September 2008 in a 6–0 win against Liechtenstein.
• Rolfes was forced to miss the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to a serious knee injury suffered on 2 July 2009.
• He made exactly 100 league appearances for the Werder Bremen reserve team, scoring 19 goals from his defensive midfield position.
• Rolfes announced his retirement on 7 December 2014, effective after the conclusion of the 2014–15 season.