The V-Varen youth players not only trained with the Werkself junior squads but also joined them in playing in friendlies. “The first ten minutes were really hard. I think we all needed a moment or two to get used to the high intensity,” said Aoto Nanamure after the joint friendly on the pitch. “But it was really cool to see how much energy all the players showed.”
Before their departure, the Japanese travel group were again able to experience the home game atmosphere at the BayArena with the Bundesliga clash against current champions Bayern Munich. In response to the question of the highlight of the visit to Bayer 04, Nanamure had a categorical response ready: “The BayArena and the matchdays we were able to experience. The atmosphere is simply impressive!”
The Japanese guests came at the right time: The Werkself players had three home games during the visit – and Bayer 04 ran out winners in every game. There were wins against Hertha Berlin (4-1), Ferencvaros (2-0) in the Europa League and Bayern Munich (2-1).
The visitors from the south-west of Japan will not easily forget all of the impressions gathered during their time in the Rhineland. The talented youngsters will remember one thing in particular. Nanamure finished off by saying: “Something we’ve all remembered is the players shaking hands at the end of the game. That’s completely different from back home but is definitely something that we will remember.”
The partnership:
V-Varen Nagasaki has been a partner club of Bayer 04 in youth development since the 2017/18 season. Since then there has been an intensive exchange between the clubs on both a sporting and a cultural level. A delegation of twelve, made up of youth players Aoto Nanamure, Homare Ikeda, Kelshin Mlyazaki, Yuya Iwamoto, Kaihi Nishimura, Hinata Miyazaki plus the coaches and staff members Ikebe Tomokazu, Harada Takeo, Yusuke Maeda, Tokunaga Takahiro and Matsushita Toshihiro, visited Leverkusen from 1 to 20 March.
Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of the 2-1 victory in the friendly match against FC Sevilla...
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Back at the BayArena at last! For the first time since the summer break, the Werkself played at their home ground in the 2026 season launch – and went on to beat Sevilla in the fifth preseason friendly. Patrik Schick turned the game around after Miguel Sierra put the visitors ahead (16’), scoring twice in the second half (66’, 79’) to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans in the new seats at the BayArena. New signing Miguel Gutiérrez was delighted to provide the assist for the equaliser on his debut under the Bayer Cross.
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