And, after the transfer to Bayer 04 took so long, 'Drago' is keen to finally get started.
"I'm glad it's all finally worked out after what feels like three years," said Dragovic in the afternoon at a first press conference at his new home of the BayArena. He explained in his thoughtful manner the reasons for the move: "I like the style of Bayer 04 and it's similar to that of the national team. I think I can develop well here."
The sporting reasons for his moving to Leverkusen was not the only factor with the political situation in Ukraine also playing a role. "The country is at war and you can't ignore that," said Dragovic who does not regret the move from FC Basel to Dynamo Kiev. "I’ve matured a lot there over the last couple of years," he declared.
And that is why he gave everything for his former club right up to the last minute. Loyalty and commitment-Dragovic likes those virtues. He certainly does not lack character and he is commanding at the tender age of 25. He earned his 50th cap for Austria in Georgia and is one of his country's key players. He is looking to reproduce that at Leverkusen and he took the first steps on Tuesday. "When I joined Rambo and Julian in the dressing room I was the happiest person on earth," said Dragovic. It would be harder to get off to a better start.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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