The leaving party for Rudi Völler at the Bayer casino was the perfect conclusion to an unforgettable day under the Bayer Cross: Following the 2-1 home win for the Werkself against SC Freiburg in front of a full house at the BayArena and the emotional farewell for the 1990 World Cup winner from the fans, the departing sporting managing director and old friends and colleagues plus Bayer 04 staff enjoyed a fitting evening together.
Day one after the Völler departure did not see the team, coaches and staff starting a well-deserved summer break. Instead they flew out to Central America for the #Bayer04MexicoTour.
Daley Sinkgraven and Co. met up at the BayArena on Sunday morning to travel to Frankfurt Airport by coach. The group took off for Mexico City at 14.15 CEST on Lufthansa flight LH498. The Werkself landed safe and sound on the other side of the Atlantic just over eleven hours later.
The players mainly used the time in the plane to rest with a small group including Sardar Azmoun and Moussa Diaby playing the card game UNO; and the two Werkself players clearly enjoyed it.
The plane landed at the airport in Mexico City at 18.44 with the Bayer 04 anthem playing as the flight staff said goodbye. The travelling Bayer 04 group were met at the exit from the terminal by a large group of Mexican fans plus several dozen media representatives and camera teams. Brian the Lion was also there to give his colleagues a warm welcome. Head coach Gerardo Seoane gave his first interview to the big American TV stations at the airport with a flurry of camera flashes. The Swiss coach said: “We played on Saturday and are all a bit tired from the long flight but we’re in good spirits and very much looking forward to the week here in Mexico.”
The journey to the team hotel in the centre of Mexico City was on a coach with special livery for the tour bearing the words ‘Bayer04MexicoTour – 100 Years Bayer in Mexico’. The Mexican capital is one of the ten biggest conurbations in the world. The Black and Red day of arrival ended with dinner at the hotel.
Monday brings the final pre-match workout on the training ground of the top-flight Mexican club UNAM Pumas plus a press conference with Bayer 04 head coach Gerardo Seoane and Ignacio Ambriz. The 57-year-old Mexican coaches the Pumas’ league rivals Deportivo Toluca who the Werkself meet in a friendly overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday German time.
The successor to Sergi Runge as head coach of the Bayer 04 U19 team has been decided. Following the Spaniard's appointment to Kasper Hjulmand's first team coaching staff, the current U17 head coach Kevin Brok (photo) will be responsible for the U19s until the end of the season. As a result, Benjamin Adam will also move up a year and will now coach the U17s instead of the U16s, also until the end of the season. The structure of the coaching and support staff will remain unchanged.
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After opening the Google Pixel Bundesliga season in front of a German record crowd, Bayer 04 Women now play their first home game of 2025/26 as they host promoted Union Berlin at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Monday (kick-off: 6pm CEST) looking to turn their good performance in Munich into points this time.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt on the 3rd matchday of the Bundesliga 2025/26...
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