#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.
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.
Related News
eSports - 01.05.2026
Bayer 04 represented in Bundesliga Team of the Season again
Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.05.2026
Big crowd at shirt sale for a good cause with Tapsoba, Maza and Kofane - last chance at home matchday
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
Show more
Women - 01.05.2026
Bayer 04 Women on hunt for records in Essen
With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.05.2026
Rudi recounts…: Vollborn’s May highlights
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show more
Bayer 04 - 29.04.2026
‘Fierté Burkinabè’ documentary – visiting Edmond Tapsoba at home in Burkina Faso
From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
Show more
