#Bayer04MexicoTour – Day 3: Bienvenidos, Aspirinas!

The first item on the agenda on Tuesday was for part of the coaching staff straight after breakfast: The assistant coaches Patrick Schnarwiler and Alberto Encinas plus sporting director Simon Rolfes, honorary captain Stefan Kießling and team manager Hans-Peter Lehnhoff led a training session at a German school, the Colegio Alemán Alexander von Humboldt. The quintet set up five different drills for the 60 school students (including shooting and fitness training), which the 15- to 17-year-olds.

Rolfes and Co. coached for over an hour in bright sunshine and that was followed by lots of photographs and autographs. “The training session with the kids was great fun,” said honorary captain Kießling. “It was a great event for both sides.”

visit to Bayer Mexico

One of the highlights of the #Bayer04MexicoTour awaited the Werkself in the afternoon: Jonathan Tah and Co. were welcomed by over 500 members of staff at the Bayer works in Lerma close to Mexico City. After getting off the team bus, the whole group posted for a photograph with managers of Bayer Mexico in front of the works. Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, declared in the shadow of the Mexican Bayer Cross: “We congratulate Bayer Mexico on their centenary and we are very grateful for the invitation. It’s a great honour to be here.”

After that it was round the other side the building where the Seoane team received a warm welcome from the work force with a big banner showing the words “Bienvenidos, Aspirinas!”; The Werkself have the nickname ‘Aspirinas’ in Mexico – based on the Bayer product Aspirin.

Sombrero and Sarape

After the official part of the visit, the players and coaches split off for different photo stops for three quarter of an hour for snapshots with the Bayer staff clad in red Bayer 04 shirts – one or two of the group put on typical Mexican garb.

The two managing directors Fernando Carro and Rudi Völler plus the five South American Werkself players Lucas Alario, Exequiel Palacios, Charles Aránguiz, Piero Hincapie and Paulinho took part in a tour of the works and were given a detailed insight into operations on site.

FAN RECEPTION AT THE STADIUM

Refreshments at the works canteen were followed by the journey from the Bayer works to Toluca. The Leverkusen team bus was welcomed by several hundred fans at the entrance to the stadium with many wearing Werkself shirts or waving Bayer 04 flags.

There was a spectacular show in the stadium before and during the game. Here is the match report for #TolucaB04