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.
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-1 derby win at 1. FC Köln Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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