This exceptional day started for the fans with a visit to the morning training session. Eray and his seven-year-old son Kian, who has played for Bayer 04 youngsters since the summer, made a special trip to be there. "My wife is from Brazil and we regularly come here on holiday," explained Eray, who alongside his son also brought his Brazilian niece. "It took us three and a half hours to get here from Búzios. The children were extremely excited to see the players, coaches and Paulo Sergio. It's a great experience for them!"
Paulo Sergio was not only happy about his own meeting with the fans but, above all, also with the interaction between fans from Brazil and Germany: "Events like this mean a lot to me. Fans are simply an important part of football and of great significance to us players and the clubs. That people have come from all over Brazil to be here today says a lot about their attachment to Bayer 04."
In a round of questions, the 1994 World Cup winner revealed that he first had to get used to the cold temperatures in winter when he moved to Germany. "It was completely new to me playing in snow or in Munich with a temperature of -24 degrees. But that's all part and parcel of being in Germany.” (He laughs) The fans also had questions on the significant influence of Bayer AG on the bond between Bayer 04 and Brazil, the many Brazilian Bayer 04 players from the past as well as the recently opened Bayer 04 Football Academy in São Paulo led by Sergio.
Gerd also came to the meet & greet. The 64-year-old was born and grew up in Bergisch Gladbach and he discovered his love for Brazil and Rio de Janeiro in particular as a teenager. "I've regularly travelled here for over four decades and three years ago I decided to move out here. I've been all over the world but no country can touch Brazil," explained Gerd, who became a Bayer 04 fan at a young age due to the close connection of the club to Brazil. "I was totally happy a few weeks ago when I saw on the website that the team was coming here to Rio. That was a really great day for me." He said about the fan meetup: "Events like this are special. The atmosphere here with the other fans, the staff and Paulo Sergio is very relaxed and pleasant. And the game against Flamengo will definitely be great as well."
The fans present were officially invited by Bayer 04 to the friendly against the CR Flamengo U20s on Friday. The next chapter in this uniquely special German-Brazilian relationship will be written then – this time on the pitch…
For a long time, it looked like Bayer 04 would claim their first Bundesliga victory of the season, but the Werkself were frustrated after the final whistle. The 3-3 draw away at Werder Bremen left the players with long faces and disappointed reactions. The Werkself review
Show moreBayer 04 are still without a win in the Bundesliga after two games following a 3-3 draw away at Werder Bremen. Leverkusen had gone 2-0 up through Patrik Schick and Malik Tillman, before Romano Schmid’s penalty prior to half-time. Schick’s own spot-kick restored the two-goal advantage in the second half as Werder were reduced to 10 men, but Isaac Schmidt got the hosts back into it again before Karim Coulibaly’s added-time equaliser.
Show moreUEFA have confirmed the fixture list for the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League.
Show moreBayer 04 make their second attempt at picking up their first three points of this Bundesliga season as they visit Werder Bremen on Saturday. The hosts may be struggling with injuries and reeling from back-to-back defeats to kick off the campaign, but they’ll want to put that right in their first home outing. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the match, which kicks off at 3.30pm CEST.
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