"We are happy to go into the new season with these two top people," said Simon Rolfes, currently sporting director and from 1 July sporting managing director at Bayer 04. "We want to keep on improving in all areas and work at the highest level. That also obviously includes the area of fitness, which is of crucial importance in professional football."
Ismael Camenforte Lopez joined Leverkusen in the summer of 2021. After studying at the University of Barcelona the 38-year-old Spaniard worked as fitness coach at FC Barcelona for seven years plus 18 months at the MLS club New York City FC. The Catalan returned to Europe from the USA in August 2020 to work as a fitness coach with Denmark.
Markus Müller has joined Leverkusen from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 36-year-old worked as a fitness coach with the Foals for six years. Müller, who completed his bachelor degree at the German Sports University in Cologne, previously worked in a similar position at the Borussia Dortmund academy for two years.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
Show more
Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
Show more
There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
Show more
A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day six (Friday 7 August) is as follows: This morning, the squad completed their final training session – this time behind closed doors – here in Blankenhain, before heading back to Leverkusen after lunch. The big season launch is scheduled for tomorrow.
Show more
