
From Kurtekotten to the Champions League: Born in Aachen, Kai Havertz joined Bayer 04 as a ten- year-old, progressed through various youth teams, in 2016 was a Germany U17 champion and at 17 made his debut for the first team. Kai reviews his time under the Bayer Cross on the basis of ten moments.
Coronavirus is still an issue day by day – and that's also reflected in the current edition of the Werkself Magazin. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 67 days separated the Werkself games at Rangers and Werder Bremen. There has still been a lot of action in the background at the BayArena in spite of the enforced break. The magazine shows how Bayer 04 have dealt with the pandemic and the lockdown.
Talking about Glasgow: that was a special trip! The match at Ibrox against the Scottish giants Rangers on 12 March was the last game for the Werkself in front of spectators. As part of the report, we look back at the trip made under the shadow of the coronavirus crisis.
In addition, the Werkself Magazin takes a closer look at Exequiel Palacios – our 'gaucho with the winning gene'. Readers can get to know more about the Argentinian with the winning mentality in an in-depth profile.
Last but not least, Jörg Kappenhagen and Peter Quast – both long-standing instructors and youth coaches at Bayer 04 – talk about their interesting travels as part of the Young Coaches training courses around the globe. The conversation covers sustainable aid in developing countries, the joy of working with people from different cultures, personal demands – and about the power of football that goes beyond borders and brings people together.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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At the end of June, Bayer 04 became the first team in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga to begin their pre-season preparations. As well as training sessions at the Kurtekotten facility, the players under coach Roberto Pätzold completed the customary series of performance diagnostics. Werkself-TV presents exclusive insights and player interviews from the first few days after the summer break.
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Following their 4–3 opening victory against Denmark, the Germany U19s made it two wins out of two by defeating hosts Wales, securing their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare. In the 4–0 win, Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka once again put in impressive performances, with both finding the back of the net.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed home-grown talent Sana Coskun on professional terms. The 18-year-old midfielder, who made her Bundesliga debut last season, has signed a contract to 30 June 2029.
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