After the 16-year-old Iker Bravo made his first senior appearance in the DFB Cup game against Karlsruher SC (1-2), the young Spanish striker made his Bundesliga debut on Sunday, 7 November in the match at Hertha Berlin (1-1). Bravo was, for a few minutes, the youngest Bundesliga player in the history of Bayer 04 – until Zidan Sertdemir came on from the bench. Now comes the next highlight for the top talent who joined Leverkusen from Barcelona in the summer: His goal from an overhead kick in the U19 match against Fortuna Düsseldorf has been nominated for the October Goal of the Month on the ARD Sportschau.
The Spaniard scored his first two goals for Bayer 04 in that match at the end of October. And his second goal on 75 minutes was a real beauty: With the score at 1-1, he did an overhead kick to put the ball in the back of the net and turn the game round in favour of the Black and Reds (final score 3-1). You can see his remarkable feat again HERE. Bayer 04 fans can vote for Bravo's outstanding strike now online at sportschau.de or by calling 01371/36900 (€0.14 /call from German landline).
Also nominated are Breel Embolo (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Katharina Naschenweng (TSG Hoffenheim), David Blacha (SV Meppen) and Sebastian Klaas (VfL Osnabrück). The vote closes on 27 November at 19.00 CET.
Another important step in the professionalisation of women's football: The streaming platform ata football has acquired the rights for the current and coming 2022/23 season to show a large number of games from the FLYERALARM Women's Bundesliga.
Selected matches from the FFBL will be shown in their entirety on atafootball.com and on nbcsport.com. Matches will also be shown in full after games have ended and there will also be highlights.
Prick up your ears: Radio Leverkusen will report on the Werkself charity match against a City of Leverkusen team in their morning show tomorrow (Tuesday) morning from 6 a.m. that will include an interview with Bayer 04 honorary captain Stefan Kießling and a Werkself fan who was involved in the clear-up work in Leverkusen and surroundings following the terrible floods in July.
The Bayer 04 first team are playing at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 November from 18.30 CET to provide support for the victims of the flood disaster. All profits from the event will go to the Leverkusen Community Foundation. Tickets are available at the Bayer 04 online shop for five euros.
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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