The two players from Rosenheim, Lars and Sven Bender announced at the end of last year that they were ending their playing careers in the summer of 2021. Lars joined Leverkusen in 2009 from 1860 Munich and was the Werkself captain from 2015 to the start of the current campaign. His twin brother Sven signed for Leverkusen from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 and, like his brother, he assumed an important leadership role on the pitch.
Now it’s time to say Thank you. We are therefore collating your messages, images and memories of the Bender brothers. At the final Bundesliga home game of the season against Union Berlin on Saturday, 15 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), we will show your messages to Lars and/or Sven Bender at the BayArena.
This is how it works: Enter your contribution on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram, marked Bayer 04 and use the hashtags #DankeLars and/or #DankeSven.
Let’s make the last home game for Lars and Sven unforgettable.
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Due to the last-minute postponement of the Bundesliga match between Hamburg and the Werkself on Tuesday, 13 January, Bayer 04 will reimburse the ticket price to all 3,500 fans who had already travelled to Hamburg as a sign of appreciation. The tickets remain valid for the rescheduled match (date not yet set).
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without centre-back Edmond Tapsoba in the coming weeks. The Burkina Faso international returned to the Werkself from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a muscle injury.
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The Bundesliga fixture between Hamburger SV and Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been postponed at short notice.
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Bayer 04 face Hamburger SV for the first time in almost eight years. Although the Hanseatic city team are often below par on the road, they are regularly in top form in front of their own fans. In particular, 18-year-old shooting star Luka Vuskovic is proving to be a real bonus for Merlin Polzin's team, both in attack and defence. However, that should not scare the Werkself: Not only was the last defeat against the newly promoted team 17 games ago, but Kasper Hjulmand's players are in with a chance of securing their fifth win in six games against HSV. Today’s matchday news.
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