
There have been no physical meetings for the members of staff for the past 18 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Everybody, including the first team squad, met at the Werkself home ground on Tuesday to gear up for the 2021/22 season.
Carro and sporting managing director Rudi Völler honoured long-standing members of staff at the event including Rüdiger Vollborn and Dirk Dreher The two stalwarts have been with Bayer 04 in different positions for the past 40 years.
While Vollborn and Dreher continue to work the Werkself, there was a farewell for four members of staff with over 20 years at Bayer 04: Gretel Rohwer, Peggy Thun, Dagmar Lauterbach and Ulrike Schenkmann.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 goalkeeper Simeon Rapsch. The Germany youth international goalkeeper has signed a long-term contract with the Werkself running to 30 June 2029. The 18-year-old joined Leverkusen from FC Viktoria Köln in the summer of 2024.
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Ken Izekor is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join third-tier side Alemannia Aachen with immediate effect. The 19-year-old centre-forward joined the club from Alemannia in 2018, and Izekor is now returning to his hometown.
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The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Bayer 04 have named Jorginho, a 1994 World Cup winner with Brazil, an official club legend. He is the second former Werkself player, after Paulo Sergio, to be accorded this special honour. For many years, the former Leverkusen defender has been deeply committed to helping people in need in his home city of Rio de Janeiro. More than 25 years ago, Jorginho launched the Bola pra Frente project, through which he uses the money he earned as a player – including during his time at Bayer 04 – to support children and young people in the favelas in particular. During a trip to Brazil lasting several days, Fernando Carro, CEO at Bayer 04, assured Jorginho of the club’s support for Bola pra Frente for at least another five years.
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