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.
Whether it's sport or his private live: Captain Edmond Tapsoba tells us his top three personal favourites in twelve categories in edition #56 of the Werkself Magazine. The defender had to answer as quickly as he reacts on the pitch. 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba!
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“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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