The Werkself sealed qualification for the Champions League with a game to play thanks to an outstanding second half in the away game at TSG Hoffenheim. The man of the match for the third placed team from Leverkusen was once again striker Patrik Schick who scored a brace and also provided an assist for Moussa Diaby.
kicker justifiably named the Czech striker as the Man of the Match. The reasoning in the football journal: "There were three world-class actions. Three pieces of magic and three moves that demonstrate the capabilities of the centre-forward. The Czech Republic international, who scored goals 23 and 24 on his 26th appearance, impressively demonstrated his class and importance to Bayer 04."
Schick, who is in the kicker Team of the Day for the fourth time, is joined by his teammates Diaby (for a sixth time), Edmond Tapsoba (two) and Charles Aránguiz (one). Schick is also included in the team of matchday 33 on Sportschau.de.
Bild-Zeitung included both Diaby and Schick in their Team of the Day. And Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane was named Coach of the Matchday for his decisions in the game. The trio all received top marks.
Lukas Hradecky, Patrik Schick and Co. looked particularly good in the red T-shirts in Sinsheim and the celebration of the 13th campaign in Europe's premier club competition went down well the fans. Minutes after the start of sales, the first run of the "Back again – Bayer in the Champions League" T-shirts were sold out. And the second run is going fast. Anyone wanting a shirt should grab the chance now. The last of 1,800 T-shirts are changing hands. Click here for the T-Shirt.
The impressive performances and results for the Werkself in 2022 are clearly reflected in the Bundesliga second half of the season table: Bayer 04, like the former and new champions Bayern Munich, have picked up an impressive 33 points from 16 games since the start of the year. Only RB Leipzig (35) have picked up more points. In addition, FC Bayern and the Werkself both have the same goal difference of +20.
The Black and Reds and 28 points in the first half of the season – putting them fourth. Bayer 04 have one game left play this season: the home game against SC Freiburg on Saturday 14 May at 15.30 CEST at the BayArena.
Bayer 04 congratulates Jupp Heynckes on his 77th birthday. The Gladbach-born player and coach was in charge of Bayer 04 from 1 July 2009 and he went 29 games without defeat across two seasons – back then a record in the Bundesliga. The Black and Reds finished runners-up in 2010/11 and reached the Round of 16 in the Europa League with Heynckes in charge.
Thanks to the second-place finish the year before, Heynckes was the first coach in seven years to take the Werkself back into the Champions League. Up to his departure at the end of the 2010/11 season, his time in the dugout over 38 games included 20 wins, 8 draws and 10 defeats. Heynckes together with his assistant coach and club legend Peter Hermann then moved on to Bayern Munich.
There were also plenty of congratulations amongst the Bayer 04 Women's squad at training today as two players celebrated their birthdays. Caroline Siems is 23, Julia Pollak 20. Full-back Siems joined Leverkusen at the start of the season from English club Aston Villa and has played 17 times for the Black and Reds. The youth international Pollak also joined the club in the summer of last year. The defender on loan from Bayern Munich has made nine appearances for the Bayer 04 Women's team. Many happy returns.
Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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