A sekt reception, live music and a room with a fireplace as the setting: The gala event in the hall of mirrors at Schloss Morsbroich was a fitting stage for the presentation for the outstanding athletes from Leverkusen and surroundings in 2022. "It fills us with pride to have so many top male and female athletes together here in Leverkusen. The concentration of quality is almost unique in Germany," declared Leverkusen's mayor Uwe Richrath.
The Werkself player Exequiel Palacios was accompanied by his father and brother, teammate Florian Wirtz by his sisters. Lisanne Gräwe arrived with the Bayer 04 players and Florian Wirtz’ sister Juliane Wirtz - a teammate of Gräwe in the Leverkusen Women's team. Both Wirtz and Gräwe received the Fritz Walter gold medal last November while Palacios won the World Cup with Argentina just before Christmas.
The welcome address from mayor Richrath was followed by interviews on stage with the athletes present including Leverkusen-born WIBF world champion Dilar Kisikyol and the Paralympian rower Marc Lembeck.
The athletes of the the Werkself were joined at Schloss Morsbroich by Fernando Carro, chairman of the board at Bayer 04. The Spaniard said: "The City of Leverkusen is a very important partner for us. Being entered in the Golden Book is a very special honour and shows the close connection between Bayer 04 and the City of Leverkusen."
The final part of the interviews brought the Bayer 04 trio onto the stage with a short conversation followed by the highlight of the evening for Palacios, Gräwe and Wirtz: Being entered in the Golden Book. The Werkself player Florian Wirtz explained: "There are lots of great athletes here and there were some very interesting discussions."
Group photos, autographs and a joint evening meal rounded off the event.
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.
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