Where hasn’t he been: From his native Holland, the pro footballer Bosz went to Japan via France. The came a six-month spell at Hansa Rostock and his playing career ended in 2000 after time at several other clubs in the Netherlands. Bosz then moved on to being a coach: Feyenoord in Rotterdam, Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israeli record champions), Ajax in Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund – and now eleven months at Bayer 04. The core belief of the coach, whose football philosophy was strongly influenced by Johan Cruyff: “The primary aim for us is always wanting to win. But we also want fans to be excited after the game when they go home and to have experienced a wow effect over the 90 minutes.”
In addition to the coach, Christian Hausmann celebrated his 56th birthday on Thursday. The West Berliner signed for Bayer 04 from the Reinickendorfer Füchsen in 1986. He won the UEFA Cup with the Werkself in 1988. Hausmann now works in the fan/community affairs section at Bayer 04 and is also assistant coach of the Veterans team. Happy Birthday!
World Cup winner and European Champion Günter Netzer showered great praise on the Bayer 04 youngster and Germany international Kai Havertz at the Germany v Northern Ireland international (final score: 6-1). “If you understand football then you have to admire him from the very first sight,” said the 75-year-old. “He’s brilliant, he has a view of the game like nobody else. He’ll definitely be a great player.” Germany coach Joachim Löw called up the 20-year-old to his squad. Havertz suffered a thigh injury a few days before the international break and was forced to drop out.
In addition to Netzer’s praise, Havertz can also be happy about his nomination for the vote for the North-Rhine Westphalia Footballer of the Year. In addition to the Bayer 04 pro, Marco Reus (Dortmund), Yann Sommer (Mönchengladbach), Alexander Nübel (Schalke 04) and Oliver Fink (Düsseldorf) have been nominated. The ballot ends on 1 December and votes can be cast at nrw-sportlerdesjahres.de.
Hakan Calhanoglu has not forgotten his time at Bayer 04. This week, the 25-year-old said in an interview with Sport Bild: “I still have a soft spot for Leverkusen. Bayer will always be my home.” The Turkey international scored 28 goals for the Werkself in 115 games before moving on to AC Milan in the summer of 2017.
Bernd Schneider wore the Bayer 04 shirt for ten years (1999 to 2009). He played for the Werkself in the DFB Cup and Champions League finals and he was in the Germany team in the World Cup final. ‘Schnix’ never lifted a trophy but still looks back at his career as a player with great pleasure. “I achieved a lot of what I dreamt about as a teenager,” said the 46-year-old, who was voted into the Bundesliga Allstars by the Werkself fans, in the current DFL magazine.
This week, Bayer 04 TV interviewed the Werkself left back Wendell. When asked about his idol, the Brazilian named two people – including a fellow countryman who played under the Bayer Cross. Other areas discussed included: the competition for places, Brazilian cuisine and the 26-year-old’s beard. The video is on the Bayer 04 Facebook page.
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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One day after the successful DFB Pokal first round tie at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (4–0), the mood was understandably really good: Over 400 Bayer 04 supporters gathered on Sunday, 23 August, for the annual fan club meet-up at the BayArena and got in the mood for the new season through direct and informal discussions with Bayer 04 management, head coach Carles Martínez and Werkself players.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at RB Leipzig on the 1st matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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