
Ahead of the kick-off against SC Paderborn, Rudi and Kies were presented with honorary captain pennants by Fernando Carro, chairman of the board, and sporting managing director Rudi Völler. There are four selection criteria: At least 10 years with the Werkself, at least 300 competitive matches, including over 100 games as captain or deputy plus an outstanding personality.
Both goalkeeper Rüdiger Vollborn and striker Stefan Kießling have left a lasting impression on the history of Bayer 04. Vollborn, the Werkself player with the most appearances in the Bundesliga (401), was in goal for the UEFA Cup win in 1988 as well as for the DFB Cup victory in 1993. The massive extent to which Stefan Kießling is valued by the fans was evident by the emotional moments in May 2018 at the end of his career when the whole stadium honoured him in the home game against Hannover and deservedly celebrated him with a moving choreography.
Welcome to the illustrious club of honorary captains, Rudi and Kies!

BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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100 children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy had the chance to gain exclusive insights: As part of the summer camp, the young footballers headed inside the BayArena at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, where they were due to meet Werkself keepers Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch in the press conference room. The two players took plenty of time to answer every question from the inquisitive audience – whether it was about their own careers or their first impressions of the new head coach. Finally, there was even time left to sign autographs for the young fans.
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Alejo Sarco has left Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join Sporting Gijón in Spain’s second division. Bayer 04 have secured a buy-back clause for the 20-year-old Argentine striker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed 16-year-old midfield prospect Gabriel Minutillo on a long-term contract. The Germany youth international will play for the U19s this season.
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