The strike partner feels empathy all the time – for a good reason: “Kieß isn’t just anybody, he’s a legend! It’s really hard to describe how important he is for us and the club. We all hope he’ll soon be fit again.”
Chicharito is in good shape again. The misery after the embarrassing 7-0 defeat for Mexico against Chile in the quarter-final of the Copa America is long gone and the 28-year-old is now totally focussed on his job at Bayer 04. “We’ve got a really good group,” he said before adding: “Our hunger for success is growing ever larger.”
Good for Chicha is not good enough
Last season could hardly have gone any better for the clinical Mexican. 17 goals in the league was a record in his career to date and the Werkself sealed third place by some distance. However, the early exit from the Champions League annoyed Chicharito. “One more goal against Barca and we would have gone through to the Round of 16.” No surprise that reaching the last sixteen of Europe’s premier club competition is high on his agenda for next term.
And what else? “I never set myself personal targets like a set number of goals,” he said but continued: “I still want to improve. That includes our position in the league. For example, Leicester proved to the world anything is possible in football.” It is clear to everybody at Bayer 04 that there is a long way to go to reach that goal. But the ambition to fight it out at the top is alive more than ever with the Werkself these days.
The Werkself are away to Premier League club Chelsea in the final pre-season friendly. The game against the current holders of the UEFA Conference League is on Friday, 8 August at Stamford Bridge with the kick-off at 20:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Dutch top-flight club Fortuna Sittard in the third pre-season friendly. The match is on Friday, 1 August at the Fortuna Sittard stadium with the kick-off at 19:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to VfL Bochum in the second pre-season friendly. The match is on Sunday, 27 July at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion with the kick-off at 18:00 CEST. Read on for the latest information on ticket sales.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen have signed the England U21 international and European champion Jarell Quansah. The central defender joins Leverkusen from Premier League champions Liverpool on a contract to 30 June 2030.
Show moreA striking look and innovative design as an expression of a forward-looking partnership: With the official presentation of the current home jersey, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and sports equipment manufacturer New Balance start a new era in tandem. For the first partnership with a professional German club, the American company from Boston, Massachusetts has developed a creative new interpretation of the Leverkusen club colours. A row of red lines, made up of slender crosses, merges into a black background. Inspired by the world famous Bayer Cross, the jersey is a symbol of a new beginning without forgetting historical roots.
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