What is apparent from the current contact restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic has now been formally confirmed by the DFB committee: Fixtures to the end of the year in the U19 and U17 Youth Bundesliga competitions have been suspended. The DFB is now investigating different scenarios dependent on the development of the pandemic to see if fixtures in these leagues can be resumed.
The Bayer 04 U19s go into the winter break in eighth position having won two of their four games. The U17s are in the same position in the U17 Bundesliga West. That Leverkusen youth side have played two games less than the other teams and collected a total of seven points in their three games.
From youth to the established: Julian Baumgartlinger has increasingly developed into a heading expert in the Bosz team. The 32-year-old scored the winning goal at the near post from a corner in the 3-2 victory at Nice – and he repeated the successful move at Schalke making it 2-0 from a corner taken by Leon Bailey. As the captain of the Austria team as also stood out as a distributor and enforcer, both kicker as well as the Bild newspaper have included him in their respective teams of the day. Both journals also nominate Lukas Hradecky including for saving a penalty taken by Steven Skrzybski.
In spite of the narrow 3-2 lead for the Werkself, head coach Peter Bosz showed his confidence into young home-grown talents in Nice: With 67 minutes on the clock, 17-year-old Emrehan Gedikli, who started at Leverkusen with the U8s, was able to make his second appearance for the first-team. And Cem-Tuna Türkmen also played. The 18-year-old made his first team debut on the Côte d'Azur and performed well just like his teammate Gedikli.
After his first appearance for the senior squad, Türkmen – like Gedikli – is now listed on bayer04.de both with the first-team and the U19s. Click HERE for his player profile.
The BayArena has been a hive of activity in recent days with some 4,000 Christmas gifts being packed and distributed. In addition to chocolate, Christmas hats and club scarves, the packages also include four lights to illuminate the advent period. The packages will be distributed to different Leverkusen institutions over the next few days taking account of the hygiene protocols.
The 3-2 win for the Werkself at Nice was the fifth defeat in succession for the South French side. The day after the clash with the Black and Reds, the club officials drew their conclusions and ended the contract with head coach Patrick Vieira. The former World Cup winner and European Champion took over at Nice in 2018/19 from the current Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. The successor to the 44-year-old is Vieira's assistant coach Adrien Ursea. On Sunday, for the first time under Ursea, Nice drew 0-0 with third from bottom Stade Reims.
Bayer 04 honorary captain Ulf Kirsten is collecting for a good cause: To offer something special for donors to his 'Ulf Kirsten Foundation', the three-time top goalscorer in Germany has created his own gin with his son Benjamin. The duo have bottled a total of 99 examples. Kirsten's foundation mainly supports youth players.
There is plenty of football to look forward to next summer: The last Bundesliga match day of the current season is on 22 May 2020. The Euros start on 11 June with the final exactly a month later ending the pan-European nations tournament.
Directly after the European Championships, or in the event of a national team being knocked out, the international players will go on holiday but possibly not for very long. As recently announced by the DFB, the 2021/22 Bundesliga season starts on 13 August.
The winter break next year begins on 19 December and ends on seven January. The Bundesliga champions will be crowned on 14 May 2022. The DFB Cup final in Berlin will be played a week later on 21 May.
Centre-back Melissa Friedrich is set to remain at Bayer 04 for another year. The longest-serving player in the squad, who joined the club in 2016, has extended her contract to 2027.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Portugal U21 international Afonso Moreira. The 21-year-old winger joins the club from French top-flight side Olympique Lyon on a contract to 30 June 2031. In France last year, the left-winger made 37 appearances in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Europa League, scoring a total of eight goals and providing eleven assists.
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A warm welcome to Leverkusen, Afonso Moreira! Bayer 04 have signed the 21-year-old Portuguese player from the top-flight French club Lyon. The left-winger has signed a contract at Leverkusen to 30 June 2031. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the new signing.
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From his arrival at the airport, the medical and contract signing, right through to photo shoots, his very own trading card and his first interview at the BayArena: Werkself TV followed new signing Afonso Moreira up close on his first day in Leverkusen. In the interview, the 21-year-old Portuguese left-winger, who has joined the Werkself from Lyon, talks about his excitement ahead of joining Bayer 04 and the Bundesliga, as well as his conversation with head coach Carles Martínez. Moreira also reveals the secret behind his iconic goal celebration – which he intends to perform “as often as possible” at the BayArena next season...
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