"Kai Havertz voted into second place is in my opinion deserved and no surprise. He has a lot of potential, enjoyment playing the game and ambition," praised Germany coach Jogi Löw. "We want to see him succeed in the national team. It gives me great pleasure to work with the two players (Reus and Havertz, ed.) in continuing our rebuilding and development of the team."
Michael Ballack was the only Werkself player to date to win the title of Footballer of the Year in 2002. Back then, Ballack was in the Bayer 04 team that reached the Champions League final and he also led Germany to the World Cup final.
The vote for the Footballer of the Year has been organised by the sports magazine Kicker since 1960 amongst members of the German Sports Journalists Association (VDS). 550 valid votes were cast in the 2019 ballot.
Bayer 04 host RB Leipzig at the BayArena on matchday 4 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The game is on Sunday 20 September with the kick-off at 15:30 CEST. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 host SC Freiburg at the BayArena on matchday 6 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The game will be played between 16 and 18 October. The exact kick-off time has yet to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
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With the European season ticket, fans can follow and support the Werkself on the European stage during the 2026/27 season – and are guaranteed a ticket and a seat for every UEL home match at the BayArena, right up to and including a potential semi-final. In addition, holders of the European season ticket save 20 per cent on each UEL ticket.
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A successful end to pre-season! In their seventh and final friendly of the summer, the Werkself won 2-1 at Newcastle United. After Ibrahim Maza scored inside the first minute, the Magpies equalised shortly before the break. Bayer 04's attacking endeavours in the second half were rewarded in the closing stages through substitute Victor Boniface, making it six wins from seven games in pre-season.
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Bayer 04 Women warmed up for the start of the Bundesliga season with an emphatic 7-0 victory over Belgian top-flight club Standard Liège on Saturday afternoon. Over four periods of 30 minutes, Cornelia Kramer, Lilla Turanyi and Valentina Mädl each netted a brace for the dominant Werkself, after Loreen Bender had opened the scoring. Roberto Pätzold's side kick off their league campaign at RB Leipzig in eight days.
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