By Rune Gjerulff@runegjerulff

Lars Bender confirms he will not play again

Bayer Leverkusen veteran Lars Bender has confirmed he has played the last game of his career.
Lars Bender.
Lars Bender.Photo: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
It's been a while since it was announced that Bayer Leverkusen twin brothers Lars and Sven Bender will be hanging up their boots at the end of the season.

Unfortunately, it's now clear that Lars Bender has made the last appearance of his career due to persistent knee problems.

"The knee hasn't developed as I would have liked. I will definitely not play again. The body is not an instrument that you should use for experiments," said Lars Bender in an interview with Kicker.

"It's not the farewell I had imagined," added the 32-year-old.

Bender last featured for Leverkusen in a Bundesliga game against Wolfsburg in January. In total, he has played 341 games for 'Die Werkself', racking up 26 goals and 36 assists.

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Table

Bundesliga

Regular Season

#TeamP
1 FC Bayern61
2 Leverkusen53
3 Mainz 0544
4 Frankfurt42
5 Freiburg41
6 RB Leipzig39
7 Wolfsburg38
8 Stuttgart37
9 Gladbach37
10 Dortmund35
11 Augsburg35
12 Bremen33
13 Union Berlin27
14 Hoffenheim26
15 St. Pauli22
16 Bochum18
17 Holstein Kiel17
18 Heidenheim16
View full table
Kickfieber

Match days

Bayer 04 LeverkusenXabi Alonso gives injury update on trio
Preview RB Leipzig & Borussia DortmundRB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund preview: Huge clash between struggling giants
Preview Union Berlin & FC BayernUnion Berlin vs Bayern München preview: League leaders look to bounce back
Eintracht FrankfurtToppmöller confirms Trapp will miss match against Bochum
FC BayernMinjae Kim ruled out for weeks
VFL WOLFSBURGHasenhüttl answers burning questions ahead of crucial Augsburg match
Predicted lineups BundesligaPredicted Bundesliga lineups: Matchday 26
Team of the week BundesligaBundesliga Team of the Week: Matchday 25
Post-match reaction Hoffenheim, HeidenheimChristian Ilzer: “The result was fair in terms of performance”
Post-match reaction Eintracht Frankfurt, Union BerlinDino Toppmöller: “We changed the system five minutes before kick-off”
Match report Hoffenheim, Heidenheim2. Bundesliga heroes star in entertaining draw
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Post-match reaction FC BayernBayern boss criticizes Palhinha after sending off
Post-match reaction SC FreiburgRecord-breaker Atubolu dreams of Germany call-up
Post-match reaction VFL WOLFSBURG"Today, the balance was not quite right": Reactions from Wolfsburg following 1-1 draw
Post-match reaction AugsburgJess Thorup: “We can enjoy this day”
Post-match reaction RB LeipzigSchäfer defends Rose after another listless Leipzig performance
Post-match reaction Holstein Kiel, StuttgartSkrzybski sets two Bundesliga records against Stuttgart
Post-match reaction Werder BremenRelief for Zetterer, Weiser apologetic after stunning win in Leverkusen
Post-match reaction Bochum, BayernDieter Hecking: “We’re very pleased”
Post-match reaction Borussia DortmundNiko Kovac: “You can't win a Bundesliga game like that”
Match report Freiburg, LeipzigNoah Atubolu sets new Freiburg record against Leipzig
Post-match reaction Bayer LeverkusenXabi Alonso: “Today was bad”
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Post-match reaction Bayer LeverkusenWirtz leaves BayArena on crutches

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Match report Borussia Dortmund Brilliant Beier blasts Borussia Dortmund into quarter-final berth
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Post-match reaction FC BayernMusiala after hitting the woodwork twice: "I'm really annoyed about it, but we won"
Match report Leverkusen & BayernBayern march into quarter-finals after another win over Leverkusen
Leverkusen & BayernConfirmed lineups: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich
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Preview Eintracht FrankfurtEintracht Frankfurt vs. Ajax preview: Team news and predicted lineups
Predicted lineups Champions LeaguePredicted Champions League lineups: How all teams could line up for the last-16 second legs
Preview Lille & DortmundLille vs. Borussia Dortmund preview: Team news and predicted lineups
Preview Leverkusen & BayernBayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich preview: Team news and predicted lineups
Post-match reaction FC BayernKompany on Urbig's debut against Leverkusen: "There are easier games"
Post-match reaction FC BayernVincent Kompany reflects on Bayern's win over Leverkusen, gives update on Neuer's injury
Post-match reaction Bayer 04 LeverkusenXabi Alonso: "A lot went against us, but that was our own fault"
Post-match reaction FC BayernKane reflects on win over Leverkusen: "The focus was top from everyone"
Post-match reaction Bayer 04 LeverkusenXhaka slams Mukiele's "stupid" red card after loss to Bayern
Match report Bayern & LeverkusenBayern overpower 10-man Leverkusen to move closer to quarter-finals

DFB-Pokal

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Post-match reaction Leipzig & WolfsburgLeipzig's handball penalty against Wolfsburg sparks debate
Match report RB Leipzig & WolfsburgSesko penalty sees Leipzig book semi-final spot
RB Leipzig & WolfsburgConfirmed lineups: RB Leipzig vs VfL Wolfsburg, DFB-Pokal quarter final
Post-match reaction Werder BremenBittencourt lashes out at Köhn after cup defeat
Post-match reaction Werder BremenWerner reacts to Werder's shocking cup exit: "We missed out on a huge opportunity"
Match report DFB-Pokal Giant-killing continues as Bielefeld roll past Bremen into Pokal final-four
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Match report BAYER LEVERKUSENBayer Leverkusen squeeze past Köln into Pokal semis
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DFB-PokalConfirmed lineups: VfB Stuttgart vs. FC Augsburg
Preview Bayer Leverkusen, FC KölnBayer Leverkusen vs FC Köln, DFB-Pokal quarter-final preview: Holders look to take control in derby
Preview VfB Stuttgart, AugsburgVfB Stuttgart vs. Augsburg, DFB-Pokal quarter-final preview: Season definer for Stuttgart
FC AugsburgThorup provides updates ahead of quarter-final
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Match report DFB POKALAugsburg squeeze past Karlsruhe in penalty shootout win
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Match report DFB POKALLjubicic penalty sees Köln past Hertha Berlin
Match report DFB POKALIn-form Wolfsburg dominant in win vs Hoffenheim
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German National Team

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DFBNagelsmann reacts to Wirtz's injury: "I'm very sorry for 'Flo'"
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German National TeamBerlin-born Bence Dardai pledges international future to Hungary, Kicker reports
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Rumor DFBReport: DFB in talks with Nagelsmann over new contract
DFBCeltic star reveals dream of playing for Germany at the World Cup in 2026
DFBMusiala and Nagelsmann bemoan Wirtz's "stupid" yellow-card suspension

Long reads

Analysis/Commentary Werder BremenWhat's going wrong with Werder Bremen?
Analysis/Commentary BundesligaBundesliga European race: The full assessment
Analysis/Commentary Werder BremenWerder Bremen and Andre Silva: A potentially sneaky important move
Analysis/Commentary Bundesliga"Ones to watch" for Bundesliga Matchday 19
Analysis/Commentary Werder BremenWerder Bremen and the potential curse of Heidenheim
Analysis/Commentary SV Werder BremenWhy Werder Bremen have made a change at wingback
Analysis/Commentary BayernJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: FC Bayern München
Analysis/Commentary Bayer 04 LeverkusenJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Analysis/Commentary FC St. Pauli January 2025 Transfer Primer: FC St. Pauli
Analysis/Commentary SC FreiburgJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: SC Freiburg
Analysis/Commentary 1. FC HeidenheimJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: FC Heidenheim
Analysis/Commentary VfL BochumJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: VfL Bochum
Analysis/Commentary Union BerlinJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: Union Berlin
Analysis/Commentary Eintracht FrankfurtJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: Eintracht Frankfurt
Analysis/Commentary TSG 1899 HoffenheimJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Analysis/Commentary Werder BremenJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: Werder Bremen
Analysis/Commentary RB LeipzigJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: RB Leipzig
Analysis/Commentary Borussia MönchengladbachJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Analysis/Commentary VfL WolfsburgJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: VfL Wolfsburg
Analysis/Commentary FSV Mainz 05January 2025 Transfer Primer: FSV Mainz 05
Analysis/Commentary FC AugsburgJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: FC Augsburg
Analysis/Commentary Holstein Kiel January 2025 Transfer Primer: Holstein Kiel
Analysis/Commentary VfB StuttgartJanuary 2025 Transfer Primer: VfB Stuttgart
Analysis/Commentary Borussia Dortmund January 2025 Transfer Primer: Borussia Dortmund
Analysis/Commentary BundesligaBundesliga team of the season so far

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