
Santiago, first of all, congratulations on your birthday. You broke your leg just over three months ago. How are you today?
Thank you. Yes, the three months without football have felt very long for me. I suffered an injury that nobody would wish on anybody else. But things like that happen in football. The important thing is to take positives from any situation. I’ve had a lot of support – from my family, people from Colombia and the management at Leverkusen and Atlético Madrid. The really helps me on way back.
You flew to Madrid a few days after the injury for your operation. How is the healing process going and what training can you do at the moment?
Both the operation and the first part of rehab have gone well. I’m very happy with my recovery so far. We are on track. I’m now at the point where I can put my whole weight on the injured leg. I definitely feel much better and can hardly wait to get back on the pitch and be able to play the sport I love so much.
When will you return to Leverkusen?
I hope to be back in Leverkusen soon. At the moment, I have to wait to have two screws removed. That could happen at the weekend. Then I will have to rest for a week before I can travel to Leverkusen to rejoin the team.
What’s life like for you in the Spanish capital?
It was and is difficult for me not being able to train or play with my team. But I’m happy to spend so much time with my family – my children and my wife. I’ve been able to appreciate a lot of sporting and personal things much more.
How do follow the Werkself games and what’s your impression of the team?
I’ve seen them all, mostly on television, and the ones I couldn’t watch live I’ve watched later online. You get the impression that all the good work the team’s done is paying off now. In spite of players leaving and the injuries, the team has managed to remain solid and always set out to win games. The course of the season so far has shown that we can achieve big targets this season.
How are you spending your birthday and what are your hopes for the next twelve months?
I’m spending the day with my family. We’re eating cake and enjoy the time together. In terms of hopes: Primarily, I’m grateful for everything I’ve experienced up to now. And I hope my family and me remain well. That we all stay healthy, value each other and are happy. For my club, I hope we have the chance to win a title this year.

Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss against VfL Wolfsburg on the 2nd matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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Bayer 04’s eight opponents in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League have been confirmed. At the draw on Friday 28 August held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, the Werkself were drawn against two opponents from each of the four pots. There are a total of four home and four away matches. Read on for details of opponents and fixture dates.
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In the 3-2 defeat at Bundesliga newcomers SV 07 Elversberg, the Werkself found the back of the net in the closing stages and, with a bit of luck, could still have equalised. “Today, our play wasn’t good enough, particularly when it came to the basics,” said head coach Carles Martínez. Like the boss, Ibrahim Maza also wants to learn from the match and look ahead: “Next week, people should be able to see from the very first minute that we want it more than our opponents.” The Werkself review on the Bundesliga opener in 2026/27.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-3 loss at SV 07 Elversberg on Matchday 1 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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No points to start the league campaign: Bayer 04 lost 3-2 away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg in the first Bundesliga match of the 2026/27 campaign. Two quick-fire goals from Lukas Petkov (8’) and Cole Campbell (10’) gave the hosts an early lead, before David Mokwa scored the Saarland side’s third shortly after half-time (46’). In the closing stages, the Werkself rallied and staged a late comeback with goals from Patrik Schick (77’) and Christian Kofane (90+1’), but the Black and Reds were denied an equaliser.
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