The Bayer Cross was first on the Werkself shirt in 1936 but as the group logo was already in the club logo, Bayer AG decided in 1990 to advertise their own products from the start of the New Year. The management swapped the the Bayer Cross for a colourful chameleon and the wording ‘Talcid’ and the heartburn treatment was advertised for five years. The Werkself played in the kit with advertising for the first time exactly 20 years ago on 23 February 1991 in a home game against Bayern Munich (final score 1-2).
That was followed by the Bayer products Alka Seltzer (1995-1997) and Aspirin (1997-2000). In 2000/01 Bayer 04 were the last German professional club to have an external sponsor on their shirt: RWE (2000-2007), TelDaFax (2007-2011), Sunpower (2011-2013), LG (2013-2016) and Barmenia (since 2016).
Following on from last month’s Sky TV programme ‘Stars of the Bundesliga’ featuring Lucas Alario, now it’s the turn of another Werkself player: Leon Bailey will be the focus of the 30-minute broadcast. The programme will go out on Thursday 25 February from 21.00 to 21.30 CET on Sport Bundesliga 1 and will then be available online to subscribers at sport.sky.de.
A joint campaign from the worlds of sport, culture and science has published a study in Berlin on the return of spectators at big events. 20 scientists from a range of disciplines, with the support of 40 cultural and sporting institutions have drawn up a three-stage plan for the gradual return of spectators. The campaign is also supported by big sports associations – including the German Football Association (DFB). The road map presents different models for indoor and outdoor events that involves a staged increase in spectators for each event. The aim of the campaign is not to put pressure on the politicians regarding the question of timing (“when”) but instead showing which measures can be successful (“how”).
Two former Bayer 04 players celebrate their birthdays on this Tuesday. Benjamin Henrichs (2004-2018 at Bayer 04) was born 24 years ago. The homegrown Leverkusen talent is currently on loan at RB Leipzig from AS Monaco and he is now playing alongside former Werkself player Kevin Kampl. Congratulations go in the direction of Saxony. Birthday greetings also go to Croatia. Kyriakos ‘Papa’ Papadopoulos (2014-17 including loans at Bayer 04) is currently at NK Lokomotiva Zagreb in the Croatian first division. He is now 29 years old. Many happy returns.
Carsten Ramelow started his success story under the Bayer Cross 25 years ago today: He made his debut in a Werkself shirt in the bundesliga home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 23 February 1996. The winter signing played the full 90 minutes in a match that ended in a goalless draw. That was followed by 436 more appearances for the Werkself. After hanging up his boots, he was the second Bayer 04 player after Ulf Kirsten to be named an honorary captain.
This Tuesday is the anniversary of another Black and Red historical event: Manuel Friedrich scored the only goal of the game on 85 minutes with a long-range effort against Schalke 04 on 23 February. The strike from the defender was long and unforgiving for the then Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer as it flew into the top corner – a sheer delight. That impressive shot was voted Goal of the Month in February 2008 by viewers of the Sportschau programme.
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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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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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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