Bayer 04 Leverkusen had a shocking season, in which it went from being in the
final of the
UEFA Champions League the
previous season, to finish 15th in Bundesliga, only just escaping relegation to the second tier. It also went out of the Champions League in the second group stage, not even clinching a single point.
^Baştürk was born in
Herne,
West Germany, but also qualified to represent
Turkey internationally and made his international debut for
Turkey in 1998.
^Neuville was born in
Locarno,
Switzerland, but also qualified to represent
Italy and
Germany internationally through his mother and father respectively and made his international debut for
Germany in September 1998.