The Werkself players Lucas Alario, Exequiel Palacios, with one goal each, and striker Patrik Schick, with two impressive strikes, have qualified for the final Goal of the Month competition in the current season. Alario impressed with his goal making it 4-2 in the away game at TSG Hoffenheim on the penultimate matchday. Schick also stood out in the same match with his two goals at 1-1 and 3-1. In turn, Pala showed a fine touch with his last-minute masterpiece to make it 2-1 in the last game of the season against SC Freiburg. The Argentina international scored in the 97th minute with a shot into an empty net from the semi-circle to round off the 2021/22 season.
You can vote now on the club’s Facebook page. You can see all the goals again there. The winner will be announced on Thursday 26 May.
Youngster Florian Wirtz has also received an award: The 19-year-old received his FIFA 22 Team of the Season card this morning. With absolute top numbers, the Werkself player was voted into the top team for the 2021/22 season alongside outstanding players such as Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
Moussa Diaby and Jeremie Frimpong were also included in the extended squad by the fans. We say: Fully deserved. Congratulations.
There is no summer break yet for the Bayer 04 Women's team players Chiara Bücher, Clara Fröhlich and Sofie Zdebel as they are currently at a U19 course organised by the German Football Association (DFB). The Germany youth players are in Krefeld up to Friday 27 May to prepare for the forthcoming European Championships. The tournament will be held in the Czech Republic on 26 June to 9 July.
Former Werkself player Heung-Min Son has won the Golden Boot award as the top goalscorer in the Premier League in 2021/22. The lightning-fast forward scored 23 goals for Tottenham Hotspur in 35 league games, the same number as Liverpool striker Mo Salah. Son netted a brace on the final matchday in a 5-0 win against Norwich City. The South Korea international became the first Asian player to be top goalscorer in England.
The South Korea player with 98 caps played under the Bayer Cross for two years before heading to England in the summer of 2015. Son scored 22 goals and provided eleven assists in 87 games for the Black and Reds.
24 May evokes memories at the Werkself: On matchday 33 in the 1996/97 season, the Black and Reds were certain of finishing second in the Bundesliga, which meant the team under coach Christoph Daum finished runners-up for the first time. Beyond that, Bayer 04 thereby qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history.
It was a different situation six years later: The team from Leverkusen secured 15th place in the table on the final matchday in the 2002/03 season to ensure their top-flight status. Yildiray Bastürk scored the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win against FC Nürnberg preventing his team from being relegated to the second division.
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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