That was on the agenda after the strenuous training sessions of the past week and Lehnhoff joined in briefly. For many older fans it was a nice reminder of the 90s when Lehnhoff was one of the most feared wingers in the Bundesliga.
Hard work in the morning
In addition to the football tennis tournament the current Werkself generation had a relaxed athletic session under assistant coach Oliver Bartlett. The recovery session clearly did the players good with something for everyone in the recent sessions including rugby training on Monday. “It’s good to have a day where it’s not so hectic,” admitted Kevin Kampl. Roger Schmidt and his fellow coaches gave the players the afternoon off on day six in Austria.
All change in the afternoon
After lunch, a group went paddling in Lake Zell right next to the training ground and another played frisbee golf. Several players like Kampl just wanted to explore and enjoy the beautiful landscape while Ömer Toprak joined new signing Rambo Öczan to the golf course near to the team hotel Tauern Spa in Zell am See-Kaprun. Öczan filmed a rather less serious attempt by his team-mate to hit the ball and posted it on Instagram much to the amusement of the former Leverkusen players and talented amateur golfers Sebastian Boenisch and Gonzalo Castro. Toprak took it in good part and responded with laughing emojis.
Schade welcomes fans
At the same time Michael Schade entertained the travelling Werkself fans at the team hotel. The Bayer 04 CEO invited some 50 supporters to coffee, cake and cold drinks and they listened intently to the short welcome address from the 63-year-old. Schade provided a review of last term’s successful campaign and also looked forward: “We are all kean to start the new season and that’s not far off. I would be happy to have a busy fixture list from now to May as we are once again focussing on the cup competitions: We want to get to Berlin again and reach the last sixteen in the Champions League once more.” The fans were happy to hear those words and they also spoke to the currently injured Stefan Kießling (hip) afterwards. Bayer 04 then invited all sponsors and members of the media to the traditional evening meal.
Four players leave
Four players left the training camp early on Tuesday evening: The 17-year-olds Atakan Akkaynak, Kai Havertz, Sam Schreck and keeper Tomasz Kucz left three days earlier than their senior team-mates as planned as they need to return to Leverkusen to work with the new U19 squad. Everybody agreed the four youngsters made a good impression in Austria.
Two coaches visit
The Werkself were cheered on by the kids attending the Bayer 04 soccer school on Tuesday. The football camp has been held in Zell am See every year and always attracts loads of children from the surrounding area. It is no surprise they are keen to get the autographs of Chicharito and Co. and particularly Julian Baumgartlinger, Kevin Kampl and André Ramalho who are well known and popular in SalzburgerLand. The training sessions was also observed by two renowned German coaches from the stand: Ralf Loose (Dynamo Dresden and Preußen Münster) plus Frank Kramer (Fortuna Düsseldorf, Greuther Fürth and TSG Hoffenheim)i.
#B04inAustria – Everything at the click of a button
Brian the Lion was out and about on Tuesday. The mascot used the afternoon off to join Stefan Kießling and Rudi Völler in the Bayer 04 cable car to explore the Areitalm. Panoramic photos can be seen using the hashtag #B04inAustria on Twitter. You can also discover a wealth of other information there on the #Werkself and #Bayer04. Other stories, photos and videos can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Just log on.
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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