The venue, where coach Heiko Herrlich will hold soon his press conferences before and after Bundesliga matches, was a hive of activity on Thursday afternoon. Around 60 children were in the media centre at the BayArena waiting for their Werkself star to appear on the top table. When the newly crowned U21 European Champion Dominik Kohr entered the room his name was announced as is usual for home games at the BayArena.
The youngsters then had the opportunity to pose a whole range of questions. The kids wanted to know from the 23-year-old who his best friend is in the team, what he most like doing in his own time, who his favourite opponents are, where favourite stadiums are, what his dog's called, what was his first football club, what he thinks of women's football and what size shoe he takes. The Werkself number 21 answered the questions with humour and charm.
After a question and answer session lasting 90 minutes, Dominik Kohr, who returned to Bayer 04 this summer after two years on loan at FC Augsburg, took time out to sign autographs. The event ended with a communal photo.
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.
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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.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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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.
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