Rolfes on USA trip
Between euphoria after the win in Munich and anticipation ahead of the home game against Schalke 04: The last week without a competitive game in 2019 started with a 75-minute session on the training ground.
While the first team were working on the training ground at the BayArena under the guidance of head coach Peter Bosz on Monday, sporting director Simon Rolfes was in California on behalf of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. At the annual meeting of the management from different football and sports clubs, held at the Silicon Valley IT centre, the focus was on communication and the development of a modern approach to management. Rolfes was joined by Markus Krösche (RB Leipzig) and Hasan Salihamidzic (FC Bayern). And Rolfes' former team-mate Clemens Fritz was also there on behalf of Werder Bremen.
Spoiled for choice ahead of Schalke game
According to Bosz, all the recently injured players should be fit for the game against Schalke 04 (kick-off: 15.30 CET) on Saturday 7 December. That means Charles Aránguiz, Leon Bailey and Wendell – who were all taken off during the 2-1 victory in Munich – are all options for the clash with the Royal Blues.
Trio in Team of the Matchday
Following the 2-1 away win at the reigning champions of Germany, three Leverkusen players were named in the kicker Team of the Day: The sports journal picked out double goalscorer Bailey, captain Lars Bender and goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. That was the second time the Finn has featured this season and for Bailey and Bender it was the first time. Only league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach had greater representation on matchday 13 with five of their players making the kicker team. Hradecky and Bailey were also considered for the team of the day on the Sportschau TV programme. Six Bayer 04 protagonists made it into the BILD team of the day: Hradecky, Lars Bender, Aránguiz, Bailey, Kevin Volland plus coach Bosz.
Auction for a good cause
Monday saw the end of auctions for Bayer 04 shirts with braille. With the shirts of Karim Bellarabi and Julian Baumgartlinger, the highest bid was €277 for each of them. The goalkeeper shirt of Niklas Lomb went for €280. That brings the total raised to €4,210. The donations raised will be used to help the visually impaired who attend Werkself home matches.
Congratulations, Konstantinos!
Konstantinos Stafylidis today celebrates his 26th birthday. The left back played for Bayer 04 from 2012 to 2015. During that time the Greek player went on loan to PAOK Saloniki and Fulham. Stafylidis only played competitive games for Bayer 04 in 2013/2014 with one first-team appearance and eight for the reserves (one goal). Bayer 04 wish him a very happy birthday.
Related News
Bayer 04 - 01.01.2026
Rudi recounts…: Vollborn’s January highlights
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 personalised 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 - 30.12.2025
Bundesliga Goal of the Year: Vote now for Terrier or Wirtz
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.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 30.12.2025
AFCON blog: Ben Seghir through with Morocco - Maza shines, Kofane makes debut
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...
Show more
Bayer 04 - 30.12.2025
Carro and Rolfes' year-end interview: 'A new beginning – and promising prospects'
The ‘year after’ the most successful year in the club's history brought many changes at Bayer 04. In an exclusive double interview with bayer04.de shortly before the Christmas break, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes spoke about building a new team capable of winning trophies, the work of coach Kasper Hjulmand, the young new signings who have quickly developed into key players, and their personal plans for the Christmas holidays. Their outlook for the coming year also shows that the potential is far from exhausted and ambitions remain high.
Show more
Youth - 29.12.2025
Youth teams review 2025: Thrilling final and historic progress in Youth League
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.
Show more
