Lars Bender is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bayer Leverkusen in the Fußball-Bundesliga. He is the twin brother of Sven Bender, who plays for Borussia Dortmund. In 2006, while still playing for 1860 Munich, Bender has won the Fritz-Walter trophy. On 18 August 2009, Bender signed a three year contract with Bayer Leverkusen. Bender scored his first goal in the Bundesliga against Eintracht Frankfurt. He scored his first goal in 2011 against VfL Wolfsburg in a 3–0 win with a well-struck curled low shot from twenty meters. He was part of the German under-19 side that won the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. He was first called up to the senior squad in September 2011. Bender was chosen as part of Germany's 23-man squad for Euro 2012. In Germany's last group game, he scored the winning goal, making the scoreline 2–1 in Germany's favour.
