Karim Bellarabi and Julian Brandt were third and fourth amongst the wingers with Kevin Volland in eighth spot. In the view of the Kicker editors Bellarabi was only outdone by Henrikh Mkhitaryan (BVB) and Franck Ribéry (Bayern). Julian Brandt is top in the next section with the following assessment: “When his name came up for inclusion there was a thorough discussion of his making the International class. With his goals and assists in the last ten games Julian Brandt showed his outstanding quality. Great on the ball, a good shot on the turn and brilliant technique – Brandt’s potential is indisputable.”
The assessment of Kevin Volland: “Three goals, seven assists and an average mark of 3.09. His run-in played a great part in keeping TSG Hoffenheim up after a catastrophic first half of the season.”
Amongst the strikers, Chicharito was listed in the International class for the second time in succession as was Borussia Dortmund forward Aubameyang. Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski was the only attacking player to make it to the ‘World class’ category. The Kicker assessment of ‘Chicha’: “On the verge of ‘World class’ in the first half of the season but he was unable to maintain his impressive number of goals and assists.” And on Stefan Kießling: “Once a striker, today a provider. The worker in Leverkusen rarely gets a chance to finish. Other players convert his handiwork into goals.”
The German Football League (DFL) has announced the three candidates for the title of Bundesliga Rookie of the Month for January. That includes Werkself player Jarell Quansah. Fans of Bayer 04 can vote for their favourite on the Bundesliga app from now until Thursday, 5 January (23:59 CET).
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As in the past two years, the Werkself are aiming to come out on top in the DFB Pokal quarter-finals on Tuesday night, 3 February (kick-off: 20:45 CET). With eleven home games in a row without defeat against the Kiezkicker, the Black and Reds go into the floodlit match in confident mood. But the Pokal, as is often said, has its own magic and the team from the Millerntor has much more to offer than the current 17th place in the Bundesliga would suggest. After all, Bayer 04 are one of the big German teams the combative Hamburgers have already made life difficult for this season. The matchday news.
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The Leverkusen eSports team picked up valuable points and made up ground in the overall table with a top four finish in the offline round in Showdown 4 in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. In the round of 16, Showdown 1 winners Bayer 04 defeated the unbeaten runners-up in the previous round, VfL Bochum, in a thrilling penalty shoot-out. The Landwehr cousins, themselves the current club runners-up, then beat the current club champions and Showdown 3 winners RB Leipzig. It was not until the semi-finals that they lost out to the eventual showdown winners Borussia Mönchengladbach.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have strengthened the goalkeeper position for the second half of the season. Germany keeper Rafaela Borggräfe has joined the Werkself on loan from English FA Women's Super League (WSL) club Liverpool until the end of the season.
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Bayer 04 have agreed a loan move for U19s striker Ken Izekor to join Bundesliga 2 club Eintracht Braunschweig on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 season.
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