
He converted the winning penalty in the match for fifth place in the U19 European Championships at home where the Germany youngsters put in a great effort and at least ended up with a consolation prize. The path to that outcome was rather odd as the 18-year-old Henrichs admits in our 04 questions interview.
Benny, what went through your head when you took the winning penalty?
Henrichs: “I have to be honest: In all the excitement we thought we’d already won because Holland had missed twice and we’d only missed one. Then we ran to the keeper and the ref said we had to take another one. That saved me the long walk and meant I didn’t have too much time to think about it. But, of course, I was totally relieved when the ball went in.”
Then you could all celebrate – and be satisfied with the Euros overall?
Henrichs: “At the end of the day we can be happy we’ve qualified for the World Cup. But it was a real blow to go out in the group stage. That still hurts. The best bit is we’ll have the chance to do better at the World Cup next year.”
You’re back with the Werkself now. Is that a big change?
Henrichs: “Of course, it’s completely different. At the Euros all the lads were my age and here at Leverkusen most of them have been in the game for years. But that means you can learn a lot from them so I’m happy to be back here.”
What are your targets for next season?
Henrichs: “I want to carry on where I left off last season. Play as much as I can and show what I can do in every training session. I’ll definitely put in one hundred per cent.”


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 personalised 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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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
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