The players and staff left the BayArena on time at nine in the morning. Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and striker Lucas Alario, who was recently injured, rejoined the team. Youngsters Joshua Eze, Christian Schwieren, Sadik Fofana, Noah Pesch, Ayman Aourir, goalkeeper Maximilian Neutgens and Zidan Sertdemir were also on board on the way to Austria. Julian Baumgartlinger, who was in action at the European Championships like Hradecky, is expected at the training camp at the beginning of next week.
The flight is due to land in Salzburg at 11.40 CEST and, after arrival at the hotel and a communal meal, the first training session at the Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See is at 16.00 CEST. Sporting director Simon Rolfes' assessment of Salzburger Land, "outstanding conditions. We really feel at home there. Particularly as the training camp had to be cancelled last year we are looking forward to Zell am See and Kaprun even more. Everybody knows each other, the organisation on site has always been wonderful in the many years we've been there. The hotel, training ground and everything else will be perfect again."
After intensive workouts in numerous sessions over the week, the Werkself finish this year's training camp with the first pre-season friendly. Bayer 04 play SC Freiburg on the day of departure (23 July). The two Bundesliga teams meet at the Wattens Gernot Langes Stadium at 14.00 CEST. After the game, the team and support staff will fly back to Germany from Innsbruck.
With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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A special surprise: during the preview for the 'Fierté Burkinabè' documentary about Edmond Tapsoba, Bayer 04 directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes announced Tapsoba's contract extension until 2031 together with the centre-back. He then spoke to Werkself-TV about his time in Leverkusen so far and future ambitions...
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This evening was deeply moving: At a really special setting, Bayer 04 exclusively presented the specially produced documentary ‘Fierté Burkinabè’ ("Burkinabe Pride") about Edmond Tapsoba on Tuesday. For the preview at the BayArena, the parents of the Werkself player and other close companions travelled all the way from his African homeland Burkina Faso. The 45-minute film shows Tapsoba's extraordinary career from his beginnings in Ouagadougou to Leverkusen as well as the work of his foundation "Fondation Edmond Tapsoba", with representatives from Burkina Faso also present. Fans can watch the documentary free of charge on Werkself TV and YouTube from Wednesday night at 20:00 CEST.
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