2000-2004

Back at the top with double victory

After successfully avoiding relegation under coach Thomas Schaaf in the 1998/99 season, Werder Bremen began to re-establish themselves among international competitors. In the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup season, Werder caused a sensation by reaching the quarterfinals. In the third round, Werder achieved the now-famous 4th Weser Miracle: after losing 0-3 away at Olympique Lyon in the first leg, the team turned the tie around with four goals at home in Weser Stadium, making the impossible possible.

With an attacking playing style, the Green-Whites displayed great potential over the following years. However, qualification for European competitions would not be achieved again until 2004. Financially, Werder benefited from selling talented young players like Claudio Pizarro and Torsten Frings. By the early 2000s, Marco Bode and Andreas Herzog had also ended their careers, being the last players from the successful Rehhagel era.

The new Werder team included players such as French midfield maestro Johan Micoud, defenders Valerian Ismael, Frank Baumann, and Mladen Krstajic, with Andreas Reinke as goalkeeper. Up front, the striking duo Ivan Klasnic and Ailton scored continuously. The 2003/04 season became their season: although Werder was eliminated in the first round of the UEFA Intertoto Cup by Austria’s FC Superfund Pasching, the rest of the season was unforgettable.

Before that, a major structural change occurred: starting July 1, 2003, Werder Bremen spun off its professional football business operations, including the professional sport and youth academy, as well as handball, chess, and table tennis first teams, into Werder Bremen GmbH & Co. KG aA. The registration of this spin-off in the commercial register took place on December 5, 2003. The company’s purpose is to continue, expand, and develop the previous economic activities of Sportverein "Werder" von 1899 e.V. Thus, Werder Bremen consists of both the sports club Sportverein "Werder" von 1899 e.V. and the commercial company Werder Bremen GmbH & Co. KG aA.

Following this successful structural change, Werder achieved a double in the 2003/04 season. Werder competed among the top teams from the start of the Bundesliga season, taking the top spot by matchday 16. They never relinquished the lead and were crowned German champions early after a spectacular 3-1 victory at the record champions and title rivals FC Bayern Munich. Shortly afterward, Schaaf’s team celebrated the DFB-Pokal victory with a 3-2 win over Alemannia Aachen—Werder's first-ever Bremen double. This double had previously only been achieved by FC Bayern Munich and 1. FC Köln.