Bayer 04 members can look forward to receiving the newly printed Werkself yearbook in the next few days as the first and exclusive recipients. For the 2021/22 season, this publication again provides an all-round view of the Black and Reds: The magazine contains presentations of the Bayer 04 teams plus comprehensive statistics and a detailed interview with the new Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane.
At bayer04.de you can also browse through all previous Werkself Magazines from the first edition from the 2015/16 season.
The world of football is mourning the loss of the one-time world class striker Gerd Müller. The Nordlingen-born player scored 523 goals in a 580 games for Bayern Munich between 1964 and 1979 and he also scored 68 goals in 62 games for Germany. 'Der Bomber' passed away on Sunday at the age of 75.
Rudi Völler paid Müller his respects like many other greats of football. The Bayer 04 sporting managing director said: "Gerd Müller was one of the greatest goalscorers of all time, not just in Germany but worldwide. Of course, he was a role model for me as a striker. It's a sad day for football, Gerd's achievements will never be forgotten."
Two Werkself players with strong memories and steady hands: During the training camp in Salzburger Land, Julian Baumgartlinger and Lukas Hradecky played a game of Jenga. While the stalwarts skilfully manoeuvred the pieces out of the tower, they also indulged in a humorous round of ‘I'll pack my bag.’ What the pair came up with besides a wetsuit, Kevin Volland and a kaleidoscope of other mad things can be seen on the club's Bayer 04 YouTube channel. HERE is the video.
Under the motto 'Help after the flood: The football benefit match', numerous former players came together for a benefit event at the Mosel Stadium in Trier a few days ago. That included former Leverkusen players Jens Nowotny, Philipp Wollscheid, Lukas Sinkiewicz and Thomas Zdebel. Including a group donation from the DFB Egidius Braun and Sepp Herberger foundations, €750,000 had been raised shortly after the game for the victims of the flood disaster in Rhineland Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.
A trio from the Black and Red club history celebrated their birthdays on Monday: Wilhelm 'Willi' Gierlich (1955-57 at Bayer 04) was 89 years old, Horst Knauf (1978-83) is 61. The third is Klaus Meul who played for the Werkself in the 1979 Bundesliga promotion team. The defender was 64 years old today. Bayer 04 wish all three: Many happy returns.
It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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Werkself TV shows highlights of the 2-0 win at Olympiacos in the first leg of the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league...
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The Werkself beat Olympiacos 2-0 in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off first leg to claim a crucial victory in the Greek capital. After a focused first-half display with a number of presentable chances, Patrik Schick crowned a textbook counter to hand the Werkself the lead on the hour (60’). The Czech rounded off his brace when he headed in from a corner just 144 seconds later. Bayer 04 maintained their lead with aplomb to achieve a good position for the return leg in Leverkusen.
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Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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