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.
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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