
Florian Wirtz and his teammates at Bayer 04 last season won the German league title for the first time in the club's history and also became the first Bundesliga team to play a whole season without defeat in the league. In addition, the Werkself won the DFB Pokal to secure the double. Wirtz and Co. also lifted the Supercup trophy at the start of the current campaign.
The other nominations in the category of FIFA World Player are the two former Leverkusen players Toni Kroos and Dani Carvajal plus Rodri, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Lionel Messi and Vinicius Junior.
Head coach Xabi Alonso is also in the running for this year's The Best FIFA Football Awards. His rivals in the category of Coach of the Year are Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) and Luis de la Fuente (Spain).
The Black and Reds are also well represented in the vote for Team of the Year: In the category of the Best FIFA Defender 2024 you can vote for Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo and in the category of the Best FIFA Midfielder 2024 for Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz.
Bayer 04 fans can cast their votes in the different categories up to 10 December (23.59 CET) at FIFA.com. The votes of players, coaches and media representatives also come in on equal terms. The winners will be announced at a gala event in January 2025.

Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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