In addition to the Werkself, the following are in the category of Men's Club of the Year: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Girona. In the category of Men's Coach of the Year, Xabi Alonso is joined by Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) and Lionel Scaloni (Argentina).
30 players have been shortlisted for the Men's Ballon d'Or – including the Bayer 04 players Alejandro Grimaldo, Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka.
About the Ballon d’Or:
The Ballon d'Or has been awarded by the French magazine France Football since 1956 to the best players of the calendar year or since 2022 for the previous season. Initially designed for European players at European clubs, the award was opened up from 1995 to all players playing in Europe. The winners have also been described as European Player of the Year as a result.
For the first time, the Ballon d'Or is not only awarded by France Football but also by UEFA this year.
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Due to the last-minute postponement of the Bundesliga match between Hamburg and the Werkself on Tuesday, 13 January, Bayer 04 will reimburse the ticket price to all 3,500 fans who had already travelled to Hamburg as a sign of appreciation. The tickets remain valid for the rescheduled match (date not yet set).
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without centre-back Edmond Tapsoba in the coming weeks. The Burkina Faso international returned to the Werkself from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a muscle injury.
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The Bundesliga fixture between Hamburger SV and Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been postponed at short notice.
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Bayer 04 face Hamburger SV for the first time in almost eight years. Although the Hanseatic city team are often below par on the road, they are regularly in top form in front of their own fans. In particular, 18-year-old shooting star Luka Vuskovic is proving to be a real bonus for Merlin Polzin's team, both in attack and defence. However, that should not scare the Werkself: Not only was the last defeat against the newly promoted team 17 games ago, but Kasper Hjulmand's players are in with a chance of securing their fifth win in six games against HSV. Today’s matchday news.
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