Rudi Völler continues to feel a close bond with his home town in Hessen even after over 40 years in France, Italy and the Rhineland. Not least because of that reason, the 60-year-old was particularly affected a year ago by the terror attack in Hanau.
For the anniversary on 19 February, the local authority decided to restrict the size of the memorial event due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the Congress Park, Germany's Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Hessen's Minister-President Volker Bouffier will be joined by Rudi Völler, a freeman of the city of Hanau since 2002. Bayer 04 also pay tribute to the nine victims of the racist attack one year ago.
Bayer 04 we're on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline on Thursday night in the first leg of the Europa League knockout tie at BSC Young Boys. After a first half described by head coach Peter Bosz as "very bad" with a deficit of 3-0 at the break, there was a Black and Red comeback in the second half: The Werkself got back on equal terms at 3-3 in less than 20 minutes. Niklas Lomb and Co. did concede the fourth goal just before the final whistle but the statistics after 90 minutes are on the side of the visitors from Leverkusen:
For more than eleven years, the Robert Enke Foundation (RES) has worked on research into and the treatment of depression. The educational project of 'Robert Enke Foundation on tour' has seen RES visit Leverkusen a number of times. And the project is continuing even during the coronavirus pandemic on a digital basis.
Through the project, the Foundation provides an information platform for interested parties and those affected to find out more about the illness of depression and appropriate support. Bayer 04 fans have the opportunity to make contact with a member of the foundation via an online platform on Saturday 20 February from 11.00 to 15.00 CET. Further information is available HERE.
At the age of nine, Christoph Kramer joined the Bayer 04 youth section from BV Gräfrath. Born in Solingen, he was at Leverkusen for six years before moving on to Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2006. The defensive midfielder returned to Kurtekotten after two seasons to join the U19 squad and then the first team. Kramer 'only' made 28 appearances in the top-flight for Bayer 04 due to loan periods at VfL Bochum and Borussia Mönchengladbach. He almost joined the Foals in 2016 where he has played since.
The 2014 World Cup winner has been an established Bundesliga player for many years and has already made over 200 appearances. Kramer is 30 years old today (Friday). Bayer 04 wish many happy returns to our former youth player.
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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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 personal 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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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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