Lehnhoff started his playing career in 1984 at FC Köln before moving to Belgium in 1987 where he proved to be very successful as a winger for FC Royal Antwerp – winning the Belgian cup competition in 1992 and in the following year reaching the final of the European Cup Winners Cup. And he is still very much revered in Antwerp many years later: On the 125th anniversary of the oldest football club in Belgium, he was voted the best player in the club's history.
Hans-Peter signed for Bayer 04 in 1994. The 57-year-old can look back at a turbulent time in a Werkself shirt: After narrowly avoiding relegation in 1996, he was twice runner-up in the next two seasons. Since retiring from the game – he does still occasionally play for the Bayer 04 Veterans – he has worked as the team liaison manager, the first in German professional football. In this role, he takes care of organisational matters involving the Werkself such as coordinating events and booking hotels.
Happy birthday, Hans-Peter Lehnhoff.
The situation ahead of the showdown is clear - and promising. The Bayer 04 U19s host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League phase. A win at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium would see the Werkself go through to the knockout stages of the competition for the first time. Ahead of the clash on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/livestream on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app), coach Kevin Brok spoke about the successful build-up, his assessment of the match and the danger of underestimating the already eliminated English side.
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The Werkself will host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 16 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 10 January, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself will host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 24 January, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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In the sixth and final match of the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, the Bayer 04 U19s have a great opportunity to advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s most prestigious youth competition for the first time. To achieve that under their own steam, they will need a win against Newcastle United at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/ free admission). In an interview with bayer04.de, managing director sport Simon Rolfes analyses the team's performances so far and their special situation. And the 43-year-old reveals what he would be happy to do without on the day of the match.
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The next opponents in the 2025/26 DFB Pokal have been announced: Bayer 04 will host Bundesliga rivals FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals. That was the outcome of the draw held this Sunday evening, 7 December, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, where long-time Bundesliga player and coach Friedhelm Funkel made the draw. The Werkself will play their quarter-final tie on 3-4 or 10-11 February 2026. The exact dates have yet to be finalised.
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