The #Morethanfootball Action Weeks start today, Monday 21 March. The action weeks run up to 14 April and highlight how football clubs can live up to their social responsibility through a wide range of activities. The global project initiated by the European Football for Development Network offers participating clubs and organisations the opportunity to inform their supporters and fans about their own activities in the area of community affairs and social responsibility on and off the pitch and thereby increase awareness of the role of football within society.
The Werkself are taking part in the campaign again as was the case last year. Bayer 04 will again present a wide range of activities over the coming days. That includes in the areas of accessibility, social inclusion, sustainability and climate protection, mental health and much more. The Werkself and the Bayer 04 Women’s team will raise the profile of the action weeks at forthcoming home games.
Kicker usually only marks players in Bundesliga matches who have been on the pitch longer than 30 minutes. But the football journal made an exception in yesterday's 2-0 win for the Werkself at VfL Wolfsburg: Paulinho, who only came on as a substitute on 81 minutes, was awarded top marks for his brace. In addition, the Brazilian was named Man of the Match.
But that's not all: The Werkself forward was named Man of the Matchday. The reasoning from the management at kicker: "Just as many observers […] in Wolfsburg were coming to terms with a goalless draw given the missed chances at either end, his chance came. Paulinho demonstrated how to score goals in just eleven minutes. […] Paulinho’s double whammy – a late lesson in clinical finishing who the kicker awards, against their usual procedures and in spite of the short time on the pitch, the top mark: a 1."
Paulinho was also included in the kicker team of the matchday – as was his Leverkusen teammate Odilon Kossounou. The Ivory Coast international, who played at right back against Wolfsburg, was awarded a mark of 2.5. Both are in the kicker team of the matchday for the first time.
The Rheinische Post and the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger also both awarded the top mark of 1 to Paulinho.
Bayer 04 today remember Hans-Josef Kretschmann (1902-2002). ‘Sepp’ played for SC Charlottenburg and Preußen Duisburg. Kretschmann was the coach of a number of clubs – he was at the helm of the Black and Reds for three years from 1953 to 1956. He took the Werkself to seventh spot in 1953/54 and third in the table the following season. Kretschmann moved on to VfL Wolfsburg after relegation from the Oberliga West a year later.
The fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 starts for the Leverkusen eSports team today, Thursday 22 January (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel and on the Bayer 04 app from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Reds will once again compete with six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round in Berlin on 2 February at the fourth showdown. The lowdown on our next three opponents in the online preliminary round.
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The fourth European away trip of the season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 takes the Werkself to the Greek capital. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday seven in the UCL league phase. The match at the Karaiskakis Stadium is on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET). We'll be taking you on a trip to Athens and reporting on the Werkself close-up...
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A great honour for Bayer 04 Women's German international: as part of the 2025 Sports Awards, Carlotta Wamser entered her name into the City of Leverkusen's Golden Book. On Tuesday, she looked back on a special year in a talk in the Morsbroich Castle hall of mirrors.
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It was a disappointing night in Athens: The Werkself lost 2-0 away to Olympiacos on Matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. In a match that was intense and fiery from the outset, the high-pressing home side made the better start and took the lead through Costinha on two minutes. Although the Werkself had a number of chances to equalise, the clinical Greek side increased the lead to 2-0 shortly before half-time (45+1’). In the second half, Leverkusen once again gave their all and showed total commitment but, despite their best efforts, the Black and Reds were unable to break down the Olympiacos defence on the night.
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