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.
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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