Werner Wenning, who brought Rolfes back under the Bayer Cross as chair of the shareholders committee in 2018, said: "Simon Rolfes has understood in a special way how to combine his experience and qualities as a player with the demands of management. He has great expertise in the game and an outstanding eye for talent in the global market but he also has an enormous work rate and the unmistakable DNA of Bayer 04. We are very happy that Simon Rolfes will continue to put these qualities to the service of Bayer 04."
Simon Rolfes said: "Bayer 04 was and is a part of my life. I've learned a lot here and I'm happy that I can contribute to the further development of the club together with a lot of professional and committed colleagues. We have achieved a lot in recent years and gained enormous quality and not just on the pitch. Beyond that, Bayer 04 have a lot of what a demanding, modern club hungry for success need to offer. I really have fun working in such professional environment. So I'm very happy to be able to continue together along this exciting path."
Simon Rolfes joined Bayer 04 as a player in 2005 from Alemannia Aachen. Up to the end of his playing career ten years later, he made 377 appearances for the Werkself, scored 49 goals and played a leading role in the team as captain. During his time at Leverkusen, Rolfes made his debut for Germany earning 26 caps and taking part in the 2008 European Championships. After ending his playing career, he completed the two-year UEFA course 'Master for International Players' (MIP). Rolfes returned to Bayer 04 in 2018 to take up the post as head of youth and development and he took over from Jonas Boldt as sporting director five months later. Rolfes was the successor to Rudi Völler in the role of sporting managing director on 1 July 2022.
There won’t just be plenty of excitement on the pitch as Bayer 04 host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena at 18:30 CET on Saturday. Outside the stadium there will be collection points for food donations to the Leverkusen Foodbank, which will also benefit from the profits of a jersey raffle in the Fanwelt afterwards. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off following the passing of long-time Werkself player Dieter Herzog, before two fan clubs are honoured for their decades-long support at half-time and fans receive a talk about Orange Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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Bayer 04 go into the first of two successive clashes with Borussia Dortmund boosted by their Champions League win at Manchester City. Ahead of the Bundesliga top match on Saturday, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the tight schedule, BVB's strengths and returning squad members.
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Borussia Dortmund are doing very well in terms of points and results in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. BVB have only suffered two defeats to date this term. Now coach Niko Kovac's team are away to the Werkself on Saturday night, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET) in the top match on Bundesliga matchday 12. The two teams meet again three days later in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie in Dortmund. Two very competitive encounters are on the cards. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Bayer 04 Women clcoked up a 3-2 win in a friendly against Twente Enschede on Thursday afternoon in the last international break of 2025. In drizzle, Lilla Turanyi (16’), Kristin Kögel (65’) and Paulina Bartz (69’) scored the goals for the Werkself against the Dutch Eredivisie Vrouwen leaders, who are still unbeaten in the league.
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