The BayArena was lit up in purple on Thursday evening. For the seventh year in succession, Bayer 04 have again lit up a coloured beacon to raise awareness of the subject of premature birth and the associated effects on children and parents on World Prematurity Day. Every tenth child is born prematurely. The Klinikum Leverkusen, for many years associated with Bayer 04, is one of the most experienced maternity hospitals in the region with 1,600 births per year. Over 80 premature babies under 1,500 grammes – including 40 premature babies under 1,000 grammes – receive medical care at the Klinikum Leverkusen every year.
Thanks to the extremely high quality of care, even the smallest premature babies with a birthweight of 500 grammes or less can survive. Many other buildings across the globe such as the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building have been lit up in purple in recent years as part of World Prematurity Day.
The Bayer 04 group today (Friday) set off home at the end of the #Bayer04USATour. Jonathan Tah and Co. have enjoyed a range of activities in St. Louis in Missouri since last Sunday 13 November. In addition to two training sessions, the players visited the Bayer AG research centre in Chesterfield. A guided tour through the legendary Busch Stadium, home to the baseball team St. Louis Cardinals, and watching college basketball match were on the Werkself agenda as well. They were also involved in community projects and a cultural programme during the tour.
The sporting highlight came on Wednesday 17 November with the friendly between the Werkself and St Louis CITY SC, a new club in the Major League Soccer (MLS). The friendly played at the brand-new CITYPARK Stadium ended in a 3-0 victory for the team led by head coach Xabi Alonso. The Werkself experiences on the #B04USATour can be found HERE.
Talking about Alonso: The 2010 World Cup winner can be happy with an impressive statistic. Since taking over as head coach of the Werkself at the beginning of October, the Spaniard has coached the team from Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on seven matchdays – the record: four wins, one draw and two defeats. These games include victories against Schalke 04 (4-0), Union Berlin (5-0), FC Köln (2-1) and VfB Stuttgart (2-0). That makes the Black and Reds the fourth best team in the last seven Bundesliga matchdays with three wins in succession most recently and there has only been one defeat in all competitions in the last seven matches – may that continue.
The former Werkself player Alois Reinhardt today celebrates his 61st birthday. The former central defender joined Leverkusen from FC Nürnberg in 1984 and he went on to make 189 appearances the Black and Reds up to his departure in 1991. During his time under the Bayer Cross, the former Germany international won the UEFA Cup in 1987/88. Reinhardt was in the starting line-up in both legs of the final of the competition against Espanyol. Bayer 04 wish Alois a happy birthday.
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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