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German footballing veteran Leonardo Bittencourt has had a chance to express his gratitude to his long-time club of Werder Bremen after Saturday afternoon commemorations. Bittencourt’s Bundesliga outfit chose to help him honor his 300th Bundesliga appearance with a special tricot. Bittencourt started and went the full 90 minutes against relegation rivals Wolfsburg on Saturday, doing his relegation-threatened team a great favor by helping them collect all three points.
Not everything went smoothly for Bremen supporters
Ahead of Saturday’s fierce relegation six-pointer, hosting Wolfsburg reluctantly agreed to increase the ticket quota for visiting Bremen fans from 2,800 to 3,400 passes. The Lower Saxon Bundesliga club encountered some difficulties with Hamburg fans during a home fixture on matchday 25. As a precaution, a greater local police contingent was hired to help with security around the Volkswagen Arena.
Unfortunately, this did not prevent scuffles outside the ground. Bremen ultras were late entering the stadium following a standoff with police. German broadcaster DAZN and Fanhilfe Bremen have both confirmed that what transpired outside the stadium definitely qualified as a riot. Three local police officers were injured, and ten visiting Bremen fans were detained.
At least one Bremen ultra group opted not to attend the match in protest.
Leonardo Bittencourt celebrates with remaining supporters
The 32-year-old will be departing Bremen this summer upon the expiration of his contract. Prior to joining the Hanseaten Bittencourt also played in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund, Köln, and Hoffenheim. Those three clubs accounted for 84 of his 300 top flight appearances. It’s thus no surprise that Werder remains No. 1 in Bittencourt’s heart.
Bittencourt moved to Bremen on loan from Hoffenheim during the 2019/20 campaign. He was signed permanently for €7m the following summer. The Leipzig-native and former Energie Cottbus academy man remained loyal to Bremen after their 2020/21 relegation, spending one of his seven consecutive seasons with the club in the 2. Bundesliga.
“A gesture like this just shows what the club means to me, and what I’ve perhaps given back to it in some small way,” Bittencourt remarked in the mixed zone. “It makes me incredibly proud that I played my 300th game in a Werder jersey.
“A win obviously helps too,” Bittencourt was sure to add. “Because if we didn’t get points, I’m in for a shitty day on my way home.“
