‘Excellent prospects’ for the new season in Leverkusen and Brazil: Interview with club legend Paulo Sergio

Paulo, last year Bayer 04 held their preseason training camp in your home country, Brazil. This year, the Werkself have stayed in Germany and are currently preparing for the new season in the Weimarer Land. You’re back with the team again too. What’s different here compared to Rio de Janeiro?

Sergio: It was a great honour for me to welcome the team to Brazil last year – it was an unforgettable experience. But here, too, you can see why the organisers chose this venue. The atmosphere is, of course, quite different to that in Rio. (laughs) Without wanting to make any comparisons: the conditions here are excellent. I would have really enjoyed that when I was playing. The team can focus fully on preparing for the season whilst spending plenty of time together. These are exactly the kinds of impressions we want to convey to the Bayer 04 fans in Brazil and show them the Werkself up close. That’s of great interest to them.

What’s your impression of the team and of Carles Martínez?

Sergio: I’ve had the chance to get to know everyone here. Carles and his coaching staff have also made a very good impression on me. They all work hard on the pitch; everyone gives their all and, of course, there’s competition too. Off the pitch, the players spend a lot of time together, sitting round, playing cards and just having a laugh. These are excellent conditions for a successful season.

Hundreds of fans turned up for the open training sessions here, and the same was true of the fan meet-up at Blankenhain Castle and the Legends event. How did you feel being so close to the fans?

Sergio: Whenever I visit Germany, I’m given a very warm welcome. The fans come up to me, have a chat, and ask for photos and autographs. I played for Leverkusen up to 1997 – that was almost 30 years ago now. It makes me all the more proud that the bond is still so strong today. At Bayer 04, though, the fans and the team have always stuck close together.

You also met with numerous Bayer AG staff members from the Weimar site whilst you were here.

Sergio: The atmosphere with them, too, quickly became very warm and relaxed. They came prepared with some interesting questions – including when we’d be bringing the next Paulo Sergio to Leverkusen. (laughs) That was, of course, a little nod to our Bayer 04 Football Academy in Brazil.

You’ve officially been representing Bayer 04 as a club legend for two years. What is your main focus in this role at the moment?

Sergio: Our aim is to raise Bayer 04’s profile in Brazil even further and to continue strengthening the long-standing ties between the club and Brazil. At the moment, the focus is primarily on our Academy – which, incidentally, is the first run by a German club in Brazil. We want to develop the project sustainably rather than growing as quickly and as large as possible at any cost. We are all the more proud that more than 500 children have already worn the Academy shirt. Together with Colégio Humboldt and the company Rödl, we also opened a second site in São Paulo just a few months ago. The support from Fernando, Simon and Bayer 04 has been tremendous; without them, the Academy project wouldn’t exist. I’m very grateful for that.

And it doesn’t stop there, as plans are already underway for the third Bayer 04 Soccer Academy site in Brazil.

Sergio: Exactly, this time in the south of the country, in Entre Ríos. We’re in close contact with Agraria, a partner of Bayer AG, regarding this. They’ve expressed a desire for us to take our Academy there for the German and Brazilian children. That would mean another 200 to 250 children. Discussions are ongoing and we hope to get them out very soon.

You’re now heading back to Brazil, where the Academy is waiting for you. In just over four weeks, just in time for the start of the Bundesliga season, you’ll be back in Leverkusen – along with 13 children from Brazil and their parents. What’s the story behind this visit?

Sergio: The children are part of our Academy and they now have the chance to get to know Bayer 04, the city of Leverkusen and Bayer AG even better. These are sure to be very special and unforgettable experiences for them. They’ll be training on Bayer 04’s training grounds, playing against youth teams and, as the absolute highlight, watching the first home match of the season against Union Berlin at the BayArena. I hope we’ll see some of the fruits of the team’s intensive preparation by then. Judging by how I’ve seen the team performing here over the last few days, I’m confident that will be the case.

Information on the Bayer 04 Football Academy is HERE.