The international break is over. The three Bayer 04 players Piero Hincapie (Ecuador) plus Lucas Alario and Exequiel Palacios (both Argentina) were involved with their national teams in the night from Thursday to Friday – all three remained unbeaten.
Hincapie celebrated picking up a point in a goalless draw between Ecuador and Colombia, which could prove very important for the outcome of the World Cup qualifiers. La Tri are third after 12 games (17 points) – behind Brazil (31) and Argentina (25). As it stands, Ecuador would qualify directly for the tournament in Qatar.
The gap to the play-off position of fifth, currently occupied by Uruguay, is exactly one point. For Hincapie, who played the full 90 minutes, the clash with Colombia was his ninth full international appearance – and his third game with a clean sheet.
Bayer 04 midfielder Exequiel Palacios made his 14th full international appearance last night. The 23-year-old came off the bench late on to replace Giovanni Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur) in the 1-0 win for Argentina against Peru. It was the seventh victory in the eleven qualifying matches for the Albiceleste. Argentina remain unbeaten in the South America group with seven wins and four draws. Lucas Alario, back in the Argentina squad for the first time since his injury, did not play against Peru.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
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Two months of preparation, five friendlies and the return of a familiar training camp location: After finishing fifth in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga last season, the Werkself will return to training on Tuesday, 23 June. Bayer04.de outlines the key dates in the 2026 summer timetable.
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With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
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