With the goalkeepers it is no surprise that Manuel Neuer leads the way this time round with the Kicker editorial staff ranking him as "world-class". He is followed by seven other keepers in the international class including Bernd Leno in a repeat of last year. The half-term report on the 24-year-old Werkself shot-stopper says: "The two mistakes against Hamburg and Leipzig were Bernd Leno's only faults and the Leverkusen keeper produced outstanding performances against Gladbach, Ingolstadt and against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. He definitely had the quality and consistency for the international class."
Benjamin Henrichs is the shooting star of the Werkself, rising from almost nothing to full international status and has rightly earned his position in the up-and-coming category – just behind Bayern's David Alaba and ahead of stalwarts like Juan Bernat, Marcel Schmelzer and Rafinha. Benjamin Henrichs made his debut for Germany in November after a meteoric rise. At the end of the year he ran out of steam to some extent and his performances suffered. But he earned one of the top average marks of 2.4 after strong set of performances in the group stage of the Champions League."
For the Kicker, Jonathan Tah is the second best central defender in Germany after Mats Hummels. His assessment declares: "In a repeat of last season, the Leverkusen player has proved to be very consistent – with all his well-known qualities: physically strong, quick, and anything but immobile in spite of his stature." With Ömer Toprak the journal reports: "His average mark in the league (3.55) was not enough to make the rankings. However, his impressive performances in the Champions League have raised him up to the prospects category.
Assistant coach Remzi Kahraman is leaving the Bayer 04 Women’s team with immediate effect to take up a new challenge abroad. The club has agreed to the 31-year-old’s request to leave, although his contract was originally due to run until 2027. A decision on his successor will be announced shortly.
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At the U19 European Championship in Wales, the Germany U19 national team lost their third and final group match 4-0 to Spain. Several regulars, including Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan to SV Elversberg), who had combined for four goals and assists in the two previous victories, did not feature,. Germany had already secured their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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At the end of June, Bayer 04 became the first team in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga to begin their pre-season preparations. As well as training sessions at the Kurtekotten facility, the players under coach Roberto Pätzold completed the customary series of performance diagnostics. Werkself-TV presents exclusive insights and player interviews from the first few days after the summer break.
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