
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.”





Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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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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