Based on official Bundesliga match data, 40 players were picked out who have particularly impressed in the current season - eight of them part of the Werkself side who were crowned German champions last weekend!
The nominated players from the Bayer 04 squad are goalkeeper and captain Lukas Hradecky, defenders Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo, midfield trio Granit Xhaka, Exequiel Palacios and Florian Wirtz as well as striker Victor Boniface.
A jury will decide which Bundesliga players make the cut for the Team of the Season. This is comprised of - in line with the monthly Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month awards - firstly a panel of experts (30% weighting), to which the Bundesliga Legends Network and selected media partners belong. Alongside the expert panel, the fans also have a strong say in the vote (40%), with the remaining 30% coming from the team captains of the 18 Bundesliga clubs.
The top 11 players will become part of the Bundesliga Team of the Season presented by EA Sports and receive considerably enhanced stats in FIFA 23.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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