Fans And Family
Carter, United States
In a season like no other, Goal Click and Bundesliga have collaborated to tell stories from the heart and soul of Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s global fan base. From Mexico and the USA to Kuwait and Leverkusen, five fans shared the highs and lows of their journeys, the anticipation of a title race, and the celebration of a first-ever Bundesliga title.
Carter is a student in St. Louis, Missouri whose love for the team began when he moved to Leverkusen with his family at the age of five.
My name is Carter and I am 17 years old. I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States and moved to Germany when I was five years old. Nine years later, I moved back to the US to St. Louis, Missouri.
Football is a huge part of my life. I play or watch every day and have played competitively since I was about six years old.
When I lived in Germany, I watched Conference Coverage every week. It is a television programme that covers all the 15:30 Saturday matches at the same time, jumping to the live action in each match. I tried to watch as many Bundesliga games as I could - no matter which team was playing. Since I moved back to the US, I mostly watch the Leverkusen games!
I love watching the Bundesliga because of the style of play, the passion the fans have for Bundesliga, and the high level of competition. Bundesliga is no doubt my favorite league.
Club And Community
I started watching Leverkusen when I was six years old, just after moving to Germany. In Kindergarten, my school took us to the Bayer Leverkusen practice pitches, dressed us in Bayer Leverkusen kits, and taught us basic skills. It was the first time I ever touched a football and I have been in love with the club ever since. I mostly watched at home and was very excited to go to my first game in 2014 when Leverkusen played Hoffenheim.
My passion for the club only grew and I was fortunate enough to have season tickets. There are so many highs and lows in my journey as a fan. The highs include qualifying for the Champions League and generating extreme talent. Of course, the biggest high was Leverkusen winning the Deutsche Meisterschaft this season.
One of the lows was leaving Leverkusen and moving to America. Leaving my friends and the German culture behind was difficult. No longer being able to go to the games was really hard for me because watching Leverkusen from the stands and playing football with my friends was so important to me during my time in Germany.
I felt like I lost a community that I really loved. My friends in the US do not understand how great this achievement is for Leverkusen or what it means to be a huge fan of the Bundesliga.
Before the move to St. Louis, one of the first things my Mom did was find me a club to play with. Since moving to the US, I have seen Leverkusen play St. Louis City SC at their first game in the brand new stadium. Of all the cities they could have visited throughout the US, they came to play in my new home.
I share my passion for Leverkusen with my mom, dad, and sister. It is fun to watch the games together and it gives us a chance to spend time together as a family. As we are all fans, we can celebrate the success of the team together.
Connecting Through Football
When I first moved to Germany, it was hard to make friends largely because of the language barrier. However, football helped. Supporting Leverkusen helped me make friends and create great memories with them. Playing football was a way to connect with the other kids and feel like I belonged.
Football was a common language when I started Kindergarten in Leverkusen. It did not matter that I could not speak German yet, because we could still kick the ball together. As a matter of fact, some of the first words I learned in German were football related.
Through the community I was able to join by supporting Leverkusen, I am grateful to have made friends that I am still in touch with today.
Commitment And Conferences
Before every Leverkusen match, I watch the press conference the night before the games and keep up with the news and speculation ahead of the match. On game day, I proudly wear my jersey - often to school. I also follow a lot of players on social media and post about Leverkusen in my Instagram stories.
From a young age, I would analyze the match and write my own line ups for the games.
My current favorite Leverkusen player is Florian Wirtz. I have a few all time favorite players, including Stefan Kiessling, Julian Brandt, and Florian Wirtz.
When I first started supporting the team, Kiessling was a key player. He scored great goals and he was one of the first players I met. I loved being at his last game.
Julian Brandt makes my all time favorite list because he was a great young talent with strong dribbling and passing skills. It did not hurt that he often scored great goals.
Finally, Florian Wirtz is a magician on the ball. His dribbling and awareness on the pitch are incredible. He is a star playmaker and he seems to be a humble person. It has been amazing to see his development on the field.
History In The Making
To watch Leverkusen with their first-ever Bundesliga title was incredible. I was emotional because on one hand I was so happy the team had won. On the other hand, I was upset that I was not there to witness it in person because I had been there for so many ups and downs. My family and I talked about how amazing it would have been to run onto the field and celebrate.
It is crazy how far the team has come.
This season made me miss Leverkusen. From the fans singing and the atmosphere in the stadium to watching high-quality football in person. I miss Karneval, taking the bus into the city, and our house. Most of all, I miss playing football with my friends.
I was so excited to travel to Germany for the final match of this historic season. I am grateful to have had this opportunity and in the lead up to the trip, the reality that I was going did not kick in until it was time to board the plane. It still feels like a dream and I was so excited to be there in-person to see history in the making.
