"The signing of Paulinho is a huge success for us," declared Bayer 04 CEO Michael Schade. And the signature of the sought-after Brazilian rising star on Bayer 04 headed paper represents a real coup. "Jonas Boldt has shown great negotiating ability in convincing the player and I'm happy we have been able to continue our special Brazilian tradition that shows Bayer 04's presence in South America," said sporting director Rudi Völler.
Paulinho is considered to be one of the biggest talents in the country of the five-time World Cup winners and he made his debut in the top flight at the age of 16 and his spectacular appearances since then of cause a sensation. Effective on either wing but also as a number 10 or a central striker, the lightning fast and physically strong striker demonstrated his class before he broke his arm the start of April in a league game against Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte.
"We reckon Paulinho should have recovered by the middle of July and be fully fit when he joins us," said Bayer 04 manager Boldt. "The lad has quickly shown us what he can do with his technical ability, his dynamism, assertiveness and his goal threat. He is very advanced in spite of his young age. We are convinced we can integrate him quickly and we're looking forward to seeing another great player in a Bayer 04 shirt."
For Paulinho himself, the decision to join Leverkusen is based on the success story that Bayer 04 have with Brazilian pros. "Emerson, Lucio, Jorginho, Zé Roberto and Juan were fantastic players whose global career started at Bayer 04," said the U20 international in explaining his reasons for moving on. "The club has a great reputation back home and everybody knows them as a club in Europe where a lot of Brazilians have been happy. Renato Augusto cried when he left Leverkusen and with Wendell I know how much they support young foreign pros. I think it's important to fully consider a move abroad, that's why I've chosen a club that works seriously and yet still pursues great ambitions. I want to get to know the whole of Europe with Bayer 04," declared Paulinho, "I want to play in the Champions League and continue to improve myself. During our discussions I was presented to the club, the team and individual players. A great young team. I'm sure I'll feel at home here and be successful."
Barely two weeks since beating St. Pauli in the DFB Pokal quarter-finals, Bayer 04 again welcome the Hamburg club to the BayArena for Matchday 22 in the Bundesliga this Saturday (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The visitors received a welcome confidence boost last weekend with a win over VfB Stuttgart, but the head-to-head record is still very much in Leverkusen’s favour, which Kasper Hjulmand’s team will look to maintain. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-1 win against FC Köln on the 18th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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In preparation for the Bundesliga home match against FC St. Pauli on Saturday, 14 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Werkself had a full week of training for the first time since the first match in 2026. At the press conference ahead of the clash against the relegation-threatened Kiezkicker, coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the intensive work during the week and the lessons learnt. The Dane also announced the good news that Ibrahim Maza is available again.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are strengthening the squad for next season with the addition of Serbia U19 international Aleksa Damjanovic. The 17-year-old centre-forward is set to join the Bundesliga club in the summer from Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade. Damjanovic, who also has Austrian citizenship, has signed a long-term contract.
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