The game between the Whites and Reds proved to be very entertaining. No wonder as former Werkself pros like Zé Roberto, Paulo Sergio, Juan, Ulf Kirsten, Stefan Kießling, Simon Rolfes, Dimitar Berbatov, Falko Götz plus many more showed their ability once again and that helped create a fantastic mood in the stands. In the end, Rudi Völler's team came out on top with a 6-5 win. The other team was managed by Christoph Daum. Patrick Helmes was the top striker in the match with a hat-trick.
"It was a wonderful feeling being able to celebrate this anniversary with the fans," said Christoph Daum after the final whistle in the legends' game. "It feels like coming home." And the Brazilian Paulo Sergio was also full of enthusiasm: "I think it was a wonderful weekend here in Leverkusen. It was such great fun to meet all the old players again. It's always great being here."
The programme of events for the Bayer 04 anniversary was full of highlights.Several hundred fans made their way to the stage in front of the West entrance at eleven in the morning to catch goalkeeping legends Rüdiger Vollborn and René Adler in a harmonious discussion. Straight after that, Petra Dahl, Tobias Ufer, Klaus Schenkmann and legend stadium announcer Günter Maczkowiak came onto the stage to talk about old times.
There were also extended tours of the stadium on offer: Fans could get behind the scenes at the BayArena from midday. In addition to the current Bayer 04 squad, the promotion heroes were also available in the Mixed Zone, on the edge of the pitch, in the away changing room, in the team bus, in the VIP area and many more places to sign autographs, pose for photos or chat to the fans. "I'm very happy. It was a great weekend where you felt how great and alive tradition is at this club," said Fernando Carro, chairman of the board. "I was fascinated to see how much the former Bayer 04 players still have a connection to Leverkusen – it's like a big family."
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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