Goalkeeper Lennart Grill and rising star Florian Wirtz are set to play for Germany in the quest for the U21 EURO title from 31 May. Stefan Kuntz called up the Werkself duo on Sunday afternoon for his squad for the knockout phase. Grill, Wirtz and Co. secured progress in the first part of the two-section tournament by finishing second in Group A. The opponents in the quarter-finals are Denmark.
Four Bayer 04 players are involved in the European Championship: While the Austrians including Aleksandar Dragovic and Austria captain Julian Baumgartlinger face the Netherlands, Ukraine and North Macedonia in Group C, the Czech Republic team, with Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick, take on Scotland, England and Croatia in Group D.
Markku Kanerva, in charge of Finland, can count on the services of Werkself keeper Lukas Hradecky. The 31-year-old was able to celebrate participation in the group stage of a European Championship for the first time with Finland. Also in the squad: Joel Pohjanpalo who is currently on loan at Union Berlin.
At the same time as EURO 2020, there will also be football on the South American continent. Werkself captain Charles Aránguiz is currently involved with Chile in the World Cup qualifiers as well as the Copa América being staged in Argentina and Colombia. The midfielder played the full 90 minutes in five out of six games in the South American equivalent of the European Championship two years ago.
The Argentina duo Exequiel Palacios and Lucas Alario have also being called up for the Albiceleste squad but it appears unlikely the two Werkself players will be able to play in the South American championship due to a groin injury (Palacios) and a thigh injury (Alario).
Edmond Tapsoba and Moussa Diaby are also on the road with their national teams. The Bayer 04 defender is set to play for Burkina Faso in two friendlies against the Ivory Coast and Morocco a week later. Diaby and his French teammates are already well advanced in the U21 European Championship – after successfully progressing through the group stage, which finished at the end of March, the U21 Équipe Tricolore team trained by Silvain Ripoll meet the Netherlands for a place in the semi-finals.
Lennart Grill and Florian Wirtz (Germany U21s):
Monday, 31 May (21.00 CEST): Denmark U21 v Germany U21 (U21 Euro quarter-final)
Thursday, 3 June (18/21.00 CEST): potential U21 Euro semi-final
Sunday, 6 June (21.00 CEST): potential U21 Euro semi-final
Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger (Austria):
Wednesday, 2 June (21.00 CEST): England v Austria (Friendly)
Sunday, 6 June (17.30 CEST): Austria v Slovakia (Friendly)
Sunday, 13 June (18.00 CEST): Austria v North Macedonia (EURO)
Thursday, 17 June (21.00 CEST): Netherlands v Austria (EURO)
Monday, 21 June (18.00 CEST): Ukraine v Austria (EURO)
Lukas Hradecky (Finland):
Saturday, 29 May (18.00 CEST): Sweden v Finland (Friendly)
Friday, 4 June (18.00 CEST): Finland v Estonia (Friendly)
Saturday 12 June (18.00 CEST): Denmark v Finland (EURO)
Wednesday, 16 June (15.00 CEST): Finland v Russia (EURO)
Monday, 21 June (21.00 CEST): Finland v Belgium (EURO)
Patrik Schick (Czech Republic):
Friday 4 June (20.45 CEST): Italy v Czech Republic (Friendly)
Tuesday, 8 June (20.15 CEST): Czech Republic v Albania (Friendly)
Monday, 14 June (15.00 CEST): Scotland v Czech Republic (EURO)
Friday, 18 June (18.00 CEST): Croatia v Czech Republic (EURO)
Tuesday, 22 June (21.00 CEST): Czech Republic v England (EURO)
Charles Aránguiz (Chile):
Friday, 4 June (02.00 CEST): Argentina v Chile (World Cup qualifier)
Wednesday, 9 June (03.30 CEST): Chile v Bolivia (World Cup qualifier)
Sunday, 13 June (23.00 CEST): Argentina v Chile (Copa América)
Thursday, 17 June (23.00 CEST): Chile v Bolivia (Copa América)
Sunday, 20 June (22.00 CEST): Uruguay v Chile (Copa América)
Lucas Alario and Exequiel Palacios (Argentina):
Friday, 4 June (02.00 CEST): Argentina v Chile (World Cup qualifier)
Wednesday, 9 June (01.00 CEST): Colombia v Argentina (World Cup qualifier)
Sunday, 13 June (23.00 CEST): Argentina v Chile (Copa América)
Friday, 18 June (02.00 CEST): Argentina v Uruguay (Copa América)
Monday, 21 June (01.00 CEST): Argentina v Paraguay (Copa América)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso):
Saturday, 5 June (14.00 CEST): Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso (Friendly)
Saturday, 12 June (21.00 CEST): Morocco v Burkina Faso (Friendly)
Moussa Diaby (France U21):
Monday, 31 May (18.00 CEST): Netherlands U21 v France U21 (U21 EURO quarter-final)
Thursday, 3 June (18/21.00 CEST): potential U21 EURO semi-final
Sunday, 6 June (21.00 CEST): potential U21 EURO semi-final
*Central European Summer Time (CEST)
Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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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 personal 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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Carlotta Wamser has completed a move away from Bayer 04 Women to join Manchester City in England’s Women’s Super League. The 22-year-old Germany international spent one year with the Werkself.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss against VfL Wolfsburg on the 2nd matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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