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.
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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Last-minute ecstasy, huge disappointment and a historic performance on the European stage - 2025 was a real emotional roller coaster, especially for the U19s. A rousing run in the knockout phase secured the team a place in the final of the German championships, where they lost by the narrowest of margins. Despite the departure of several key players, the young Werkself team quickly regained their usual strength and qualified for the knockout rounds in the UEFA Youth League for the first time at the end of the year. In 2025, youngsters Jeremiah Mensah and Montrell Culbreath made their debuts in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. The other youth teams also contributed great performances and a number of trophies to the collective Black and Red success, while the successful Bayer 04 Future Kids project broke new ground. Read on for the 2025 review of the youth teams.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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A memorable 12 months: 2025 was a year marked by success, intense competition and groundbreaking innovations for the #B04eSports team. After ending the 2024/25 season as runners-up, the Leverkusen-based console pros got down to business in a new, completely restructured season model, in which showdowns rather than divisions were the decisive factor on the road to the final round of the German Club Championship. Bayer 04 quickly earned a place in the history books of the most prestigious competition in German eSports and secured some valuable advantages for the coming year. Bayer04.de takes a look back at 12 months full of passion and the determination to take the next step.
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Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
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