If the action matches the party for the unveiling of the tournament ball, next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil are going to be quite a spectacle
If the action matches the party for the unveiling of the tournament ball, next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil are going to be quite a spectacle

Off the ball

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Munich - Off the Ball, bundesliga.com’s daily weekday feature, brings you another dose of the weird and wonderful tales to have emerged from Germany's top flight.

Today, there's a first glimpse of a ball we'll be seeing a lot more of next summer, birthday greetings for a Bayer Leverkusen great and good deeds afoot in Mönchengladbach...

Stefan Kießling may be the reigning Bundesliga top scorer but he needs a few more goals yet to match Bayer Leverkusen's all-time record holder, Ulf Kirsten. In 350 top-flight outings for the

Werkself

between 1990 and 2003, Kirsten hit the net an impressive 182 times, making him the fifth-highest scorer in the half-century history of the Bundesliga. The 100-time Germany international (49 caps for the former GDR included) turned 48 today – and Bayer don't forget their old heroes!

Borussia Mönchengladbach's players took time out between training sessions on Wednesday to enter their details in the German bone marrow stem cell donors' database. “As a footballer, you're a role-model,” explained midfielder

Patrick Herrmann

, “If I'm ever asked to make a stem cell donation, I'd certainly do it.” Foals' fans will have the opportunity to follow suit by likewise registering for the database before Saturday's game against FC Schalke 04.