Lothar Matthäus, Franz Beckenbauer, Uwe Seeler and Co. – the really big names are in the Hall of Fame at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. Five new members were added a few days ago: German sports journalists have voted in Rudi Völler, Michael Ballack, Berti Vogts, Andreas Möller and Klaus Fischer. Völler was clearly extremely happy to receive this nomination: “It’s a great thing. Being counted amongst the inner circle of these wonderful and first-class players makes me proud and it’s not a given.”
The 60-year-old (90 international caps/46 goals) clocked up 62 Bundesliga appearances for Leverkusen during his playing career, Ballack (98/42) played a total of 114 times for the Werkself in Germany’s top flight. And Vogts also has a black and red past: He coached the Werkself for five months from November 2000.
The DFB announced the decision in the middle of August but Florian Wirtz finally had it in his hands at the weekend: The Leverkusen player was presented with his gold Fritz Walter medal in the U17 category by Ronny Zimmermann, DFB vice-president for youth football. “Winning this medal has been a big target for me for a long time. That’s why it means a lot to me to receive this award now,” said Wirtz on dfb.de.
The 17-year-old along with teammate Lennart Grill is currently with the Germany U21 squad. The Germany team play Bosnia-Herzegovina in a Euro U21 qualifier Tuesday 13 October (18.15 CEST/live on ProSieben MAXX).
On Tuesday 13 October, the ‘Task force for the future of professional football’ is discussing the lessons from the Covid-19 crisis for the first time since the group’s formation. A total of 35 experts in the fields of sport, politics, research, business and media were appointed to the working party by the DFL executive committee. This includes Fabian Otto, director of finance and personnel at Bayer 04. “I’m looking forward to being able to play a positive role in these important discussions for professional football. I’m keen to see the character of the group and hear their wide range of views,” said Otto after being appointed in the middle of September.
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…
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
Show more
Two months of preparation, five friendlies and the return of a familiar training camp location: After finishing fifth in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga last season, the Werkself will return to training on Tuesday, 23 June. Bayer04.de outlines the key dates in the 2026 summer timetable.
Show more
With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
Show more
