In addition to the Leverkusen Germany international, five other Bundesliga players are in the running: Jamal Musiala, Ryan Gravenberch (both Bayern Munich) Karim Adeyemi and Jude Bellingham (both Borussia Dortmund) plus Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig). The other candidates are Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) and Gavi (Barcelona).
The trophy will be presented at the 66th award of the Ballon d‘Or, which is to be held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on 17 October. The winner of the Kopa Trophy will be selected by the former Ballon d'Or winners like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The award for the best U21 player of the year has been presented since 2018 with Kylian Mbappe the first winner. FC Bayern new signing Matthijs De Ligt was the winner in 2019. The trophy was not awarded two years ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The trophy was last won by the Spaniard Pedri (Barcelona).
Bayer 04 will have to manage without attacking midfielder Martin Terrier for the time being. The Frenchman sustained a muscle injury to his left hamstring yesterday, Thursday 15 October, during the Europa League game against Polish champions Lech Poznan (4–0). Terrier is not expected to be available until late December.
Show more
Following the international break, the Bayer 04 women’s team face their next head-to-head clash in the race for a top spot in the Bundesliga. In Saturday’s home match (14:00 CEST), the fourth-placed side host third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is well aware of the great opportunity this presents for his team.
Show more
Keep the momentum going against the current league leaders: On Sunday, 18 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself – unbeaten in their last six matches – host SC Freiburg at the BayArena. For their part, Freiburg have yet to lose a single game this season. Ahead of the clash with SCF, head coach Carles Martínez spoke about the team spirit within his squad and the strengths of the upcoming opponents. The Spaniard also commented on Martin Terrier and the attacking options available in the squad.
Show more
Malik Tillman described Leverkusen’s first European competition game in Poland in more than three decades as a “successful trip”. On matchday 2 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League, the Werkself secured a commanding 4–0 victory away at champions Lech Poznan, a result that brought a number of positives. This fourth win in a row should also provide further momentum for the upcoming home fixture. The Werkself review of the Europa League night in Poland.
Show more
