Aleksandar Dragovic has played for Bayer 04 for the last five years and proved loyal to the Werkself defence throughout that time. Sometimes in central defence, sometimes at right-back or even as a holding midfielder – ‘Drago’ has been a team player whenever he was needed. “Being a striker is still missing,” joked the Austrian when asked about his versatility before modestly adding: “I try to do my best for the club in every position and I’m the sort of person who always puts the success of the team first.”
That goes down well with the fans. And it’s no surprise that Dragovic gained great popularity with Werkself supporters over the years. His relaxed manner, his humour and the fact he has a waggish sense of humour – it all went down well with the North Stand. A song has been dedicated to him. To the melody of the 80’s classic ‘Sauerland’ by the Zoff group, Werkself fans sing: “Dragovic! My heart beats for you, Dragovic. He scythes down opponents from behind and has the best hair in the whole league.” With a wink of the eye – exactly to the liking of Aleksandar Dragovic.
When you look at the player’s development, the 30-year-old is extremely determined and ambitious. That was evident early on: As a youngster, the Viennese played for the youth teams at FK Austria and he moved up to the senior squad in 2008. After three successful years at Austria, where Dragovic won the Austrian cup as the first of his four titles, the Austrian with Serbian roots joined the Swiss record champions. He went on to win three league titles and another domestic cup competition with FC Basel. Ahead of his move to Bayer 04, the defensive stalwart spent three years in Ukraine from 2013: The Bayer 04 defender was able to win an impressive five titles with Dynamo Kiev and he made it to the Champions League Round of 16 in 2015/16.
Dragovic moved to Leverkusen in the summer of 2016. With the exemption of the 2017/18 campaign, when he was on loan to Leicester City, he always gave his all for Bayer 04. “Success in football doesn’t happen on its own and nobody gives it to you. Even if you are at the top, you always still have to take one more step than the others,” said Dragovic.
In addition to his uncompromising and robust approach to challenges and tackles, the Austrian is also known for his qualities on the ball. “I would say I’m a central defender who’s good on the ball. If it’s possible I try to be cautious in solving problems. I’m no fan of ‘kick and rush’, where the ball is just booted up field,” said the 30-year-old in assessing his style of play.
The Werkself benefited several times from Drago’s ability to play the game: The talented central defender scored the winner late on in this season’s 2-1 away win for the Werkself at Arminia Bielefeld on matchday 8. A powerful Dragovic volley on the European stage contributed to the 3-2 win against Nice in the Europa League group stage.
In the usual Dragovic manner, the grounded defensive stalwart does not attach too much importance to personal success: “You can never rest. You can be the hero one week and the bogeyman the next. You have to focus on yourself every day and not rest on your laurels from the day before.” And you can be certain: At his favourite club as a child, Drago will give his all every day at the top Serbian side Red Star Belgrade to achieve the maximum success.
The penultimate Bundesliga matchday of the calendar year marks the end of an eventful first half of the season for the Bayer 04 Women. After seven wins, one draw and four defeats from the first twelve games of the season, coach Roberto Pätzold's team can go above Werder Bremen in the table with a win on Friday, 12 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET).
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The third showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 kicks off for the Leverkusen eSports team this Thursday, 11 December (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Red will once again take on six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round, which will take place at this third showdown on 19 December in Cologne. Showdown One winners Bayer 04 will face FC St. Pauli, who won the second showdown last month, among others. The lowdown on first three opponents in this online preliminary round.
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Alejandro Grimaldo, of course! With his late equaliser (88') in the Champions League clash against Newcastle United, the Spaniard rescued a point for the Werkself, who took the lead through an own goal by Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes (13') but went with two goals for the visitors scored by Anthony Gordon (51') and Lewis Miley (74'). It was the third draw for Bayer 04 in the current 2025/26 campaign on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase.
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The Werkself will be looking to continue their run in the Champions League against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The two victories without conceding a goal at Benfica (1:0) and Manchester City (2-0) will hopefully be followed by a win at home at the BayArena. Against the English side, who have a player with a Black and Red past in their ranks, the way to victory could be through efficiency in attack and quick transitional play. The latter in particular has recently caused the Magpies problems away from home on the European stage. Fans can also get the stylish matchday sticker for their Sound of Dreams tour pass at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt. The matchday news.
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For the first time ever, Bayer 04 have reached the knockout phase of the UEFA Youth League. At the end of the league phase, the Leverkusen U19s secured a 2-1 home win against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December. Montrell Culbreath scored before half-time and Ferdinand Pohl doubled the lead after the restart in the clash with the English side. The UCL youth competition continues at the beginning of February with the Round of 32, which will be played away from home without a second leg.
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