Kyriakos, you return to your old stomping ground the BayArena on Sunday. How does it feel?
Kyriakos Papadopoulos: I always enjoyed a really good relationship with Bayer 04. It's great there were no problems between Leverkusen and myself when I signed for HSV. I have happy memories of my time at Bayer 04.
Are you still in contact with Bayer 04?
Papadopoulos: I had two great years at Leverkusen and I'm looking forward to meeting up with my old team-mates. The people in and around the club all do a great job. I also have regular contact with a lot of my former team-mates.
What was your best moment in a Werkself shirt?
Papadopoulos: I particularly remember the games in the Champions League. Above all, I'll never forget the match in Barcelona. We were unlucky to lose 2-1 but we took the lead with a header of mind. The atmosphere at the Camp Nou was very special.
The Werkself have recently signed a fellow countrymen of yours in Panos Retsos. He said he spoke to you about Bayer 04. Why is Bayer 04 a good club for him?
Papadopoulos: Panos is a young, very talented player who wants to take the next step in his development. I told him the Bundesliga is the ideal place for that. Bayer 04 have shown over the last few years that they can develop young players and give them the necessary match practice.
What's your assessment of the start of the season for Hamburg SV?
Papadopoulos: We started the season well with two wins but then didn't play well against Hannover. But the team’s in good shape. We put on a good display in the games against Leipzig and Dortmund in spite of the defeats. We're in positive mood going forward.
What sort of game are you expecting at the BayArena on Sunday?
Papadopoulos: There were a lot of changes at Bayer 04 in the summer and the team hasn't got off to the best start in the new season so they will definitely be looking to win at home. We also want to get a result in Leverkusen. We can do that if we play like we did in the last games against Augsburg, Köln, Leipzig and Dortmund.
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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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 personal 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…
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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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