"Jeanuël Belocian is a great talent but already has a lot of experience at the highest level in France. He has the ability to pass well and also has outstanding athleticism," said Bayer 04 sporting managing director Simon Rolfes in describing the 1.82 metre tall left-footer who made 23 appearances in the top-flight in France last term and also played three games in the Europa League and one match in the French domestic cup competition. "Jeanuël is a long-term signing – he will bring us a lot of joy in the coming years and has the potential to become an important player for Bayer 04," said Rolfes.
Belocian, and comes from Guadalupe, is looking forward to his time in Leverkusen: "Of course, there has been contact with Bayer 04 for a long time. It’s simply incredible for me to be able to join the German double winners," said the 19-year-old enthused with his new club. "I'm looking forward to it and to the fans and the stadium in Leverkusen. I've watched the team's European games on television – and the way they played was really fantastic."
The Werkself face Manchester City for the very first time on Tuesday for Matchday 5 of the league phase in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The hosts sit fourth in the standings and boast huge quality in attack, while Leverkusen are looking to improve their meagre record of just one win from the last 10 games away at English clubs. A key player in that regard could be Aleix Garcia, the former City midfielder who ranks highly in several passing metrics in the Champions League this season. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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The Werkself's next European trip takes them to the north-west of England as Kasper Hjulmand's side take on Manchester City on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET) on Matchday 5 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. As usual, we'll take you along on the #aCROSSeurope journey and report from Manchester. All times listed are in CET.
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The dress rehearsal in the Premier League for the match against the Werkself did not go well at the weekend. However, Manchester City are still unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League, the competition they won in 2023. In the first encounter with Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Pep Guardiola will be able to field just about his best line-up. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Will the Bayer 04 U19s take the next step towards their first appearance in the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League in the away game at Manchester City? Coach Kevin Brok is well aware of this historic opportunity, but he's not about to start worrying about the maths: "We're not concerned with the question of what might be good enough. We invest everything we can and always aim for the maximum. That's our way." The game on this penultimate Matchday 5 of the league phase takes place on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 16:00 CET) at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. Werkself TV will be broadcasting the whole match exclusively for Bayer 04 club members live from 15:50 CET....
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Charitable commitment under the cross: Bayer 04's U19s have donated the contents of their team kitty from the 2024/25 season to the charitable project ‘Wishes come true’. Defender Ferdinand Pohl, on behalf of the entire team, handed over a whopping €1,150 in the form of a symbolic cheque at the BayArena this week.
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