
The evening began with a group photo. That was followed by a full programme for the Barmenia employees and their families. Patrik Schick and Karim Bellarabi dispensed Glühwein, Niklas Lomb and Florian Wirtz served kale and crêpes.
Florian Wirtz commented: "It's an important event for our main sponsors and obviously significant to us because of that. I only know Bayer 04 wearing the Barmenia logo on the shirt and for me it all fits together. At the end of the day, it's always great to gain an insight into the partners. Especially at Christmas time evenings like that are also particularly full of atmosphere."





The players were happy to sign autographs and pose for photos and afterwards took part in table football games with one or two Barmenia employees.
Heiko Scholz, main head of department and head of marketing at Barmenia, was also excited about the joint Christmas evening with the Werkself: "We were totally happy with the commitment shown tonight by the players and coaches. Above all, for our employees and the children, there were exciting and unique moments being able to see the players and coaches close-up.”





Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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The next footballing highlight is just around the corner: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and feature 48 teams for the first time. Bayer04.de has all the latest on the Werkself players called up to represent their countries.
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While the majority of the Bayer 04 Women are enjoying their summer break, nine Werkself players will be on duty for their national teams in the coming days. Three of them are competing for a place at the World Cup, while six are involved in two friendlies with the Germany U23 team.
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