"We are very happy to have been able to bring in a young yet very self-confident central defender with international experience in Piero Hincapie," declared sporting director Simon Rolfes. "Of course, we've watched him for a while. His very good performances against absolute world-class players at the big continental tournament in South America have confirmed us in our assessment that Piero has a very promising future. He fits in with Bayer 04 and we are convinced he will be an important player for us."
Sporting managing director Rudi Völler described the 1.84 metre tall left-footer as "a ball winner, intelligent and technically gifted. This transfer completely fits in with Bayer Leverkusen," said Völler. "Piero Hincapie is a highly talented player who has the quality to immediately strengthen our squad and, at the same time, can improve even further and reach an absolute top level."
That is exactly the target for the young Ecuadorian who will wear the number 33 shirt for the Werkself. "It's a great feeling for me that a club like Bayer 04 Leverkusen made such an effort to sign me. The Bundesliga and Bayer 04 have an outstanding reputation in my own country and in the whole of South America," said Hincapie. "Now I'm here and it's fantastic and I want to further improve my level in football to the benefit of the club. We have a great team who I'd like to help with good performances."
Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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Issa Traoré is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Slovakian top-flight side AS Trencin. The club has loaned the centre-back out for one year to this year’s ninth-placed team in the Slovakian league.
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