Twins Lars and Sven Bender have retired from professional football at the age of 32 following the end of the current Bundesliga campaign, after deciding not to renew their contracts at Bayer Leverkusen.
12th spot in Bundesliga this season
The 2020/21 season – their 12th in the Bundesliga – was their final one, bringing to an end the careers of German football’s most famous twins. In a joint statement released by the pair back in December, they cited health reasons behind their decision to call time on their playing days.
“Everyone who knows us knows that we give 100% every day,” they said. “That was always the basic requirement for us. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to do this continuously with all the pain and physical problems from which we are suffering more and more.” They added: “This decision has been anything but easy, not least because of the honest, fair and understanding relationship with the Leverkusen club management in the past and right up to today. Bayer 04 now has time to plan and that was important to us.”
Careers take off from Munich 1860
Having started their careers with 1860 Munich, both sought pastures new ahead of the 2009/10 campaign, with Lars moving to Leverkusen and Sven heading to Borussia Dortmund. They were reunited at Leverkusen when Sven joined the club in 2017 and the Bender twins have since spent four seasons together at the BayArena.
Sven lifted the Meisterschale with Dortmund in both 2010/11 and 2011/12 and is also a two-time DFB Cup winner, while both have represented their country. The pair’s last appearance was in the 3-1 defeat at Dortmund on the final day of the season. Sven was given the honour of captaining Leverkusen against his former club – the first time he’d led a team out since wearing the armband for BVB in April 2013 – in his 265th Bundesliga game.