The captain of the U20 national side won the World Cup in 2014 with Germany and at Leverkusen she became a prospect for the full international side. She received her first call-up to the Germany squad in September 2015.
In the current campaign, the goalscoring defender and key player for the Werkself Women (three Bundesliga goals for Bayer 04), including her last-minute winner in the 2-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach, made a significant contribution to one of the two Leverkusen wins this season
Knaak, who is studying psychology at the University of Cologne, wants to give 100 per cent for Bayer 04 right to the end as she made clear: "I've always felt really at home at Leverkusen and I'm very grateful for my time here where I’ve developed really well in personal and sporting terms thanks to the great confidence shown by the club. I believe a new sporting challenge is the right step for my development and I'm looking forward to it. Until then we will give our all in our aim of staying up."
Head coach Thomas Obliers: "Her transfer is a loss for us both on a human and sporting level. Rebecca Knaak has always given 100 per cent for Bayer 04 and now she wants to take the next step so we wish you much success and, above all health, and fitness."
Linda Peckhaus, head of Women's football: "Rebecca Knaak joined us when she was very young and has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, above all on a personal level. We are proud that Rebecca, at the age of 20, is already one of the most experienced players who bears a lot of responsibility. We'd like to thank her for her commitment over the past four years and wish her every success in the future."
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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