Gerardo Seoane on…
…the first days in Zell am See-Kaprun: We had a relaxed journey here and are happy with everything to date. As with every year, we have great conditions here – the pitch is brilliant, the hotel is great. The crucial thing at a training camp above all is for us to have all the players together for a longer period of time. Then we have enough time to work with the individual players and also able to have lots of discussions as a team and individually.
…the timing of the training camp: As we wanted to have all the players on board at the training camp, we consciously decided to travel later this time. Last year a lot of players were still at the European Championships at the time of the training camp. Now we are all here and are already a step further on. That means we are able to be more targeted in our work this week. We want to put the content of the previous sessions into practice in the friendly against Panathinaikos and then the training content from the other days in the game against Udinese.
…the state of play with the Werkself: We've more or less had this set-up for over a year and that's an important point. At the start of last season, we faced one or two challenges above all due to the signing of a lot of young players in defence. They have all developed extremely well since then. Therefore, I believe we are much more solid.
Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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