Sporting director Simon Rolfes sees the long-term deal with Wirtz as "a powerful statement from the club of how we will handle things in the future here at Leverkusen. With top quality players, at the same time capable of development where Bayer 04 has been a highly desirable club for many years. Florian Wirtz is equally a promise for the future as well as a guarantee for sporting success in the present," declared Rolfes. "He's impressive as well as brave and confident in the way he has progressed in professional football up to now. Flo has what it takes to become a top player in the Bundesliga in the next few years and also an important part of the Germany team."
Bayer 04 sporting managing director Rudi Völler is also very happy about the long-term deal with Wirtz. "Not only has he had his first call-up to the Germany squad but Florian has also made fantastic progress over the past year-and-a-half here at Leverkusen," said Völler. "His outstanding talent was obviously apparent and it gave us great hope when we signed him as a 16-year-old. But it was definitely not to be expected that Florian would already be a key player in our first team. Given his youth and the fact he is currently doing his A-levels it is an extraordinary achievement," said Völler. "If Florian continues to develop in the same way then he can be an absolute leader and a key part of our team in the next few years."
The now 18-year-old Florian Wirtz, who has played for the Werkself since January 2020, said he "found everything at Bayer 04 Leverkusen as described and promised. I'm playing for a great club here, one of the best in Germany who I want to be with in the coming years to have a go at the biggest targets," said Wirtz. "I've really been able to improve on the pitch in a great team – that is and remains my aim. With my performances, I want to contribute to us being able to win titles in the near future."
The fixture details for the Bayer 04 Women’s first match in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been confirmed: As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning, the Leverkusen Women will face second-tier side FC Viktoria Berlin in the first round on Sunday 27 September at 14:00 CEST.
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Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Getting in the mood for the new season together, exchanging ideas and looking ahead to the coming months: Bayer 04 welcomed partners to the BayArena for the annual sponsors season-launch event. In a relaxed atmosphere, the management, head coach and players came together with representatives from partner companies to celebrate the start of the 2026/27 season.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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