Back
12.10.2020Bayer 04

News in brief: Völler in German football Hall of Fame

Sporting managing director Rudi Völler plus a former coach and former player of Bayer 04 have been inducted into the illustrious circle of the Hall of Fame personalities, Florian Wirtz has been presented with the Fritz Walter medal, and Fabian Otto (director of finance and personnel at Bayer 04) and Co. have started work on the ‘Task force for the future of professional football’: Monday’s news in brief.
crop_imago0046706378h.jpg

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.

Wirtz receives Fritz Walter medal

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.

crop_DSCF6049-2.jpg
Honoured in the U17 category: Bayer 04 player Florian Wirtz shows his gold Fritz Walter metal. Source: DFB

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).

With Fabian Otto: Task force starts work

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.

25_Football_90001_BuLi-Start-Clubs_DCM-P_814_1509_300x250.jpg

Related News

Ken Izekor
Bayer 04 - 02.02.2026

Ken Izekor joins Eintracht Braunschweig on loan

Bayer 04 have agreed a loan move for U19s striker Ken Izekor to join Bundesliga 2 club Eintracht Braunschweig on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 season.

Show more
Jeanuel Belocian
Bayer 04 - 02.02.2026

Jeanuel Belocian joins Wolfsburg on loan

Bayer 04 have agreed a loan deal for Jeanuel Belocian to join fellow Bundesliga club Wolfsburg on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old defender’s contract in Leverkusen runs until 30 June 2029.

Show more
eSports Titelbild Offline-Runde
eSports - 02.02.2026

#B04eSports: Offline kick-off vs. Bochum and what might come next

After Leverkusen's eSports team spectacularly won the first showdown in the history of the VBL Club Championship last year, two rather sobering editions followed with two early exits. Now, in Showdown Four, cousins Marc and Sean Landwehr have once again made it into the offline knockout phase. And in this phase, Bochum awaits on Monday, 2 February (live on the VBL's Twitch channel from 16:00 CET). Here's a look at their opponents and what might happen next.

Show more
Inklusionswerkself
Business - 02.02.2026

SAB-P GmbH become Bayer 04’s first inclusion partner

SAB-P GmbH is to become Bayer 04 Leverkusen's first official inclusion partner. The company, which has previously been involved in the club's Business Club, is underlining its social commitment to inclusion with an agreement that runs until 31 May 2027. Among other things, it will be the shirt sponsor of the Inclusion Team from the 2026/27 season onwards.

Show more
Werkself feiert mit den Fans
Bundesliga - 01.02.2026

Werkself review #SGEB04: ‘Ice cold’ for third win in a row

The Werkself were impressive in the 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt with clinical finishing and a first half "at a high level" that head coach Kasper Hjulmand draws a lot of positives from. The same should apply to Arthur, who scored for the first time in the Bundesliga. Edmond Tapsoba, for his part, was happy about his 250th appearance in a Bayer 04 jersey. "I think we're slowly finding our feet again," said goalscorer Malik Tillman, summing up the performance. The Werkself review.

Show more