Happy faces all round: On Thursday morning, the Werkself made their way to the Ranken Jordan rehab facility, which is known as a bridging hospital. Children still needing care before returning home are cared for there.
The Werkself players including Kerem Demirbay, Nadiem Amiri and Karim Bellarabi spent a lot of time with the children, playing and talking to them. Bob Pritts, CEO of the Ranken Jordan Hospital, was impressed and touched at the same time: "It's great to see how the children and players interact with each other. These visits are something really special for the kids. Moments like these help the children enormously and give them a lot of strength." In the past, sports teams from St. Louis like the Blues (ice hockey) and the Cardinals (baseball) have also visited to put a smile on the faces of the children and teenagers.
There was another sporting highlights to round off the #Bayer04USATour: Going to the NHL game between the St. Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals. Watching from the Bayer AG box, Andrey Lunev, Niklas Lomb and Co. witnessed an exciting ice hockey match that St Louis finally won 5-4 on penalties.
Werkself TV: Day five of the #Bayer04USATour
The #Bayer04USATour 2022 ended on Friday with the return flight of the majority of the Bayer 04 delegation. After a last joint lunch it was off on a direct flight from St. Louis to Frankfurt am Main. The Werkself will now enjoy a well-deserved, two-week break from training.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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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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