The first pro at a World Cup final while playing for the Werkself was Paulo Sergio. The winger, who made 121 Bundesliga appearances in Black and Red from 1993 to 1997 scoring 47 goals, was in the Brazilian squad that beat Italy 3-2 on penalties in the USA in 1994. The now 49 year-old did not get on in the final but did play in the group matches against Cameroon (3-0) and Sweden (1-1).
The Selecao also had a Bayer 04 player in France in 1989 when they faced the hosts in the final. As with Sergio four years before, Emerson did not feature in the 3-0 defeat for Brazil at the Stade de France against Zidane and Co. The midfielder, who played 82 Bundesliga games (scoring 11 goals) for Bayer 04 between 1997 and 2000, was in the side for the quarter-final against Denmark and in the group match against Holland. In the 3-2 win against the Scandinavians, he played for 72 minutes and in the 4-2 win on penalties against Holland it was 'Emma' who netted the third penalty for Brazil against the Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar. The team of the record world champions at the time also included Zé Roberto, who joined Bayer 04 after the World Cup.
Four years later in Japan and South Korea, the Werkself pros played a considerable part in the final. Lucio (at Bayer 04 from 2002 to 2004 scoring 15 goals in 92 Bundesliga) was a winner with Brazil who beat Germany 2-0 to win the title thanks to a brace from Ronaldo. Germany were coached in Asia by team boss Rudi Völler, who at that time still had his office at the BayArena and he included an impressive group of Bayer 04 players in his team. The line-up in the final included Carsten Ramelow, Bernd Schneider (both pictured above in challenge with Rivaldo) and Oliver Neuville. The outstanding Michael Ballack, who scored the winning goals in the 1-0 victories in the semi-final and quarter-final against South Korea and the USA, was suspended for the final.
Calle Ramelow produced a very impressive display as libero, Bernd Schneider was the best player in the team in the game where he established his reputation as a 'white Brazilian', while Oli Neuville was unlucky the goalkeeper Marcos turned his powerful effort from a free kick onto the post just after the restart. The fifth Leverkusen player in the Germany squad was goalkeeper Jörg Butt. And if Jens Nowotny had not torn a cruciate in the Champions League semi-final against Manchester United a few weeks earlier, then the Leverkusen contribution in 2002 would have had even greater depth. In addition to Lucio, the Brazil squad also included central defender Roque Junior, who joined Bayer 04 two years later.
In the 2014 World Cup, there was a 'half Leverkusen player' in the World Cup final in Christoph Kramer. The holding midfielder, who had to go off half an hour into the final against Argentina due to concussion, was then playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach at the time on loan from Bayer 04.
Whether it's sport or his private live: Captain Edmond Tapsoba tells us his top three personal favourites in twelve categories in edition #56 of the Werkself Magazine. The defender had to answer as quickly as he reacts on the pitch. 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba!
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“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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