Back
1.08.2016Bayer 04

#B04inAustria – Day 5: Football, golf and rugby

The Werkself really got stuck in on Monday. Roger Schmidt and his fellow coaches came up with a special idea in the afternoon with rugby being introduced to the training session.
© Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fussball GmbH

The former world class player and captain of the Spain international team, Chema Bohorquez, dropped in to run the session. Jonathan Tah, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and all the other Werkself players took part. Tackling in rugby is a different proposition from football.

Bernhard’s followers

It was off to the golf course straight after that. The aim was not to run though all the Olympic sports but instead a Werkself course was set up in Zell am See. Golfing legend Bernhard Langer holds the record for the best round and several of the Werkself pros showed their ability with a driver. Inspired by Wendell, Kevin Volland hit the longest drive of the evening.

Bayer 04 and SalzburgerLand

As a son of the Salzburg region Julian Baumgartlinger is much in demand at the moment. Accordingly, he was well received at the press conference at the golf course. Along with Bayer 04 CEO Michael Schade, sporting director Rudi Völler and Roger Schmidt he joined Leo Bauernberger, the director of SalzburgerLand Tourismus GmbH, plus Renate Ecker, head of Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus GmbH in front of the impressive club house to field questions from German and Austrian journalists. “I’m not surprised Bayer 04 are so happy to come here,” said the 28-year-old against the backdrop of a magical Alpine panorama.

Three returnees

Talking about Julian Baumgartlinger: The Austrian, along with his fellow countryman Ramazan Öczan was suffering with groin problems but both are now fit again. Both completed the full morning training session and joined in with the rugby session. The same goes for Wendell. The Brazilian fell awkwardly on Sunday so he was unable to give his all.

One departure

The Werkself squad has shrunk a little. Malcolm Cacutalua, who was in SalzburgerLand up to Saturday, has signed for Arminia Bielefeld. At Bayer 04 the 21-year-old, who spent the past two seasons on loan at VfL Bochum, won the DFB Under 19 Cup as captain in 2013.

#B04inAustria – Get close up

Anyone who wants to know what’s happening at the heart of the Werkself has a chance up to Tuesday night. Up to then the Snapchat story on bayer04snaps is available online with Jonathan Tah talking to fans on Monday. All other information and background details are available as ever using the hashtag #B04inAustria – on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fussball GmbH

Related News

FBL e.V.
Women - 18.09.2026

DFB Bundestag: Transition of Women’s Bundesliga into FBL e.V. officially approved

From the 2027/28 season, the Women’s Bundesliga will be organised by an independent league association. Following the unanimous decision taken at the DFB Bundestag (national conference) on Friday afternoon, the league’s separation from the DFB is now official.

Show more
Medina und Messi
Bayer 04 - 18.09.2026

International fixtures: Nations League, AFCON qualifiers and friendlies

Following the Bundesliga clash against RB Leipzig (Sunday, 20 September, 15:30 CEST), some of the Werkself first team players will be heading off for the first international break of the season. Here is an overview of the Bayer 04 players called up for their national teams and all the details of their upcoming matches.

Show more
Freiwillige Feuerwehrleute beim Spiel gegen NK Celje
Bayer 04 - 17.09.2026

222 members from volunteer fire brigades watch the home win against Celje at the BayArena

A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.

Show more
Werkself feiert mit den Fans
Europa League - 17.09.2026

Werkself review: 'Dominant Werkself' with 'room for improvement'

The Werkself were feeling quite satisfied following their 2–0 home win in their opening match of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League, particularly with the result. At the same time, players and coaches agreed that, in terms of their performance, there was “still room for improvement”, as Robert Andrich put it. For his part, Moussa Diaby emphasised the importance of the victory with which the team had kicked off the campaign, and spoke personally about how good it felt to have started in front of the “wonderful” Bayer 04 fans this Tuesday evening for the first time since his return. The Werkself review of the Europa League opener.

Show more