It got loud at the BayArena 20 minutes into the Bundesliga home opener for the Werkself against RB Leipzig. Midfielder Kerem Demirbay plucked up courage, unleashed a shot from 25 yards out and put the ball in the back of the RB net with the help of the underside of the bar. A goal from that distance and that angle, with four players in the way the shot? According to the xGoals statistic, which calculates the probability of a goal based on eight criteria, almost impossible! With a probability of only 2.23%, Demirbay's goal was the most difficult to score on matchday two. Hats off...
For the interview of the month with the German Football League (DFL), number one keeper Lukas Hradecky swapped the football for billiard balls. In the VIP entrance to the West Stand, the Finn played Patrick Owomoyela at the pool table. Who put the number eight in the right hole will be revealed in October at bundesliga.de.
Two Brazilians, two Argentinians, one Chilean and most recently one Colombian – the current Werkself squad as a number of South Americans. Since Tita arrived in Leverkusen in 1987, Bayer 04 attracted keen audience from the other side of the equator. For the Werkself fans in the football mad continent, there is now good news: Charles Aránguiz and Co. will soon be live on TV. The Berlin media company OneFootball have acquired the live rights to the Bundesliga for nine Spanish-speaking countries in South America, including Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The contract is for the 2020/21 season. A similar partnership was agreed with Brazil two weeks ago.
The Day of German Unity on 3 October is a special public holiday in 2020: On the 30th anniversary of reunification there will be a wide range of events across Germany. And Bayer 04 is dedicating a theme week to this turning point in German-German history. A multi-media series on bayer04.de makes it clear: The fall of the Berlin Wall was a lucky break for the Werkself.
Part 1: Opening contribution ‘30 years of reunification: A lucky break for Bayer 04’
Part 2: A final time for the GDR – ‘Scholles’ game for the history books
Part 3: Interview with Reiner Calmund: ‘I had tears in my eyes'
The signing of the former GDR internationals Andreas Thom and Ulf Kirsten definitely count as big success stories. Bayer 04 with general manager Reiner Calmund brought the two attacking players to Leverkusen shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It should have been a trio with Matthias Sammer. "Everything was clear to me that the contract was already signed," explain the now 53-year-old in a recent interview with Bild. "There were then headlines like 'Bayer are buying up the East'. I have to admit it had an effect on me." So he asked Calmund to withdraw the contract. The Leverkusen main man agreed – and Sammer ended up at VfB Stuttgart instead of the Werkself.
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 special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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