Diaby played for the Werkself from 2019 to 2023, establishing himself as one of the Bundesliga’s top wingers and earning a call-up to the French national team, before moving to Aston Villa in the Premier League. At Al-Ittihad, Diaby then formed the Saudi Professional League’s most successful strike partnership with Karim Benzema, Europe’s former Footballer of the Year. The club won the league title in 2025 in commanding fashion in a league packed with top stars.
“In Moussa Diaby, we have brought a superb forward back to the Bundesliga. With his exceptional pace and dribbling ability, he will add further quality to our attacking play and create even more opportunities,” said Simon Rolfes. The Bayer 04 managing director sport is also delighted to welcome a player “who has a fantastic attitude to his profession, leaves nothing to chance and lives up to this standard in his everyday life as well. It’s not just Bayer 04 fans who can look forward to seeing Moussa Diaby. He will be an asset to the whole Bundesliga.”
The 11-time France international returns with mixed emotions to the club where his career really took off following his move from Paris Saint-Germain. “I came to Germany as a very young and inexperienced player. Bayer 04 Leverkusen placed a great deal of trust in me and always supported me,” said the now 27-year-old, who scored 49 goals and provided 48 assists in 173 matches during his time at the club. “I haven’t forgotten that, and Simon has always kept in touch with me. When the enquiry came in and the move became possible, I didn’t hesitate for a second. The club has grown even bigger in the meantime – competing for titles with Bayer 04 is a wonderful prospect, a huge goal of mine.”
Following the international break, the Bayer 04 women’s team face their next head-to-head clash in the race for a top spot in the Bundesliga. In Saturday’s home match (14:00 CEST), the fourth-placed side host third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is well aware of the great opportunity this presents for his team.
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Bayer 04 make their first trip to Poland for over 30 years as they face Lech Poznan on Matchday 2 of the league phase in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday, but the team will be preparing for the action on Wednesday with training, travel and pre-match press conferences. We’ll bring you all the latest news here…
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Bayer 04 remain unbeaten in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. After winning the opener against NK Celje, the Werkself followed that up on Thursday night with a 4–0 win away at the Polish champions Lech Poznan. Patrik Schick, who came on as a substitute early in the game, scored twice from the penalty spot, and Malik Tillman also found the back of the net before half-time. The second half was a more subdued affair, with Ibrahim Maza scoring late on to seal the final 4-0 scoreline.
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Since 2023, Bayer 04 has been organising regular free goalkeeping coach training sessions at the BayArena. As in previous years, the event attracted enormous interest in mid-October 2026. Around 140 participants – mostly goalkeeping coaches from the region, but also team and academy coaches as well as association staff – came to the Werkself stadium to gain expert knowledge on the subject of zonal marking. Through a theoretical keynote presentation and a practical session on the pitch, the participants gained insights into goalkeeping and goalkeeper training at Bayer 04.
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