With the goalkeepers it is no surprise that Manuel Neuer leads the way this time round with the Kicker editorial staff ranking him as "world-class". He is followed by seven other keepers in the international class including Bernd Leno in a repeat of last year. The half-term report on the 24-year-old Werkself shot-stopper says: "The two mistakes against Hamburg and Leipzig were Bernd Leno's only faults and the Leverkusen keeper produced outstanding performances against Gladbach, Ingolstadt and against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. He definitely had the quality and consistency for the international class."
Benjamin Henrichs is the shooting star of the Werkself, rising from almost nothing to full international status and has rightly earned his position in the up-and-coming category – just behind Bayern's David Alaba and ahead of stalwarts like Juan Bernat, Marcel Schmelzer and Rafinha. Benjamin Henrichs made his debut for Germany in November after a meteoric rise. At the end of the year he ran out of steam to some extent and his performances suffered. But he earned one of the top average marks of 2.4 after strong set of performances in the group stage of the Champions League."
For the Kicker, Jonathan Tah is the second best central defender in Germany after Mats Hummels. His assessment declares: "In a repeat of last season, the Leverkusen player has proved to be very consistent – with all his well-known qualities: physically strong, quick, and anything but immobile in spite of his stature." With Ömer Toprak the journal reports: "His average mark in the league (3.55) was not enough to make the rankings. However, his impressive performances in the Champions League have raised him up to the prospects category.
A special award for special social commitment. At this year's ceremony for the Sepp Herberger Awards in Wolfsburg on Monday night, the DFB Sepp Herberger Foundation recognised Bayer 04 in the social rehabilitation category. The Bundesliga club received the prize, together with €12,000, for its great service to inmates, particularly in the Wuppertal-Ronsdorf prison.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss at VfL Wolfsburg on the 20th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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The Werkself suffered another setback in the tight race for third place in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. Roberto Pätzold's side lost 2-1 at VfL Wolfsburg in a hard-fought contest on Sunday evening, with Vanessa Fudalla's goal in stoppage time proving too little too late. Leverkusen have dropped to sixth in the table with 31 points, four off third place.
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The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
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After full time in the 1-1 draw against FC Bayern Munich, the Bayer 04 fans first had to catch their breath. Firstly because of their usual loud support, and secondly because of the great drama they'd witnessed on the pitch: three disallowed goals, two red cards and a Werkself side who "again produced a very good performance against strong opponents", as head coach Kasper Hjulmand described. The Dane was particularly enthused by the performance of young Montrell Culbreath, while Patrik Schick got to enjoy his 200th appearance under the Cross. The Werkself Review unpacks the action.
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