Congratulations on the contract extension, Sylwia. We are happy you're staying at Leverkusen beyond the summer. What convinced you to extend your stay at Bayer 04?
Sylwia Matysik: Bayer 04 are a big club and the facilities here are simply brilliant. I can see there are good conditions for my personal development as well as that of the team. I just feel at home here, I like the city and the quiet area where I live. I'm very much looking forward to the next two years. I'd like to thank the management and the coaching staff for the confidence they've shown in me.
You moved from Poland to Leverkusen in the summer of 2019 – what was the first year like for you?
Matysik: This is my first club abroad – taking that step was a huge experience. Everything was new to me. But I received a lot of help and the players and the coaches have been very good to me. As a team, we've had a very good season on the pitch so far. It's a pity that I was sidelined with injury for a couple of weeks (back problem, ed.) and I wasn't able to help the team. Now I'm happy to be fit again and able to play a full part in the last few games.
You said it – it's the end of season run-in. What's your assessment of this season as it stands?
Matysik: We're in fifth place with three games to play and we've got a chance of finishing fourth – and that's what we're fighting for. The team has developed very well from the start. We’ve worked a lot on technique, fitness and tactics. Each individual has made progress. There's a lot of potential in this team.
You've struggled with back problems in recent weeks; you made your comeback in the last game against Essen. How are you now and how do you deal with such long-term injuries?
Matysik: Everything is okay again with my back. I don't have any pain any more and I can do full training and play again. Injuries are never easy for players. I'm always hungry and I want to play instead of "just" having to be a fan in the stands. I'm happy when I can be on the pitch.
Your coach Achim Feifel has recently highlighted your strength in challenges and aggression on the pitch – are those your characteristics in games?
Matysik: I agree with the coach, those are my main strengths. I like to be aggressive in defence and to get stuck into one-on-one situations.
When you came here you didn't speak or understand a word of German – how are you getting on with communication now?
Matysik: I'm doing a German language course and have lessons twice a week. First I learned all the football terminology and I picked that up quickly. I can speak and understand German more and more but I'm still continuing to learn to be able to communicate better.
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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