Dear Bayer 04 fans,
Although there was great disappointment after the 3-2 home win against Hannover 96 at just missing out on our objective of qualifying for the Champions League, most visitors to the stadium will remember that afternoon for ever. It was one of the most emotional and memorable in the history of the BayArena.
What the Bayer 04 fans produced on the day was fantastic and simply top class: From the gigantic choreography and the atmosphere throughout the game to the tributes, gifts, interviews and loud applause for Stefan Kießling after the game! A sensational production from our most loyal supporters.
On behalf of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, I would like to thank everybody, from the bottom of my heart, who was involved in the planning, preparation and realisation of this great afternoon. We really value this support. Our supporters have laid down a marker observed nationwide which has attracted great recognition. It was a fantastic finish to a good season overall that has further strengthened and helped Bayer 04. At the same time, we have once again really learned to value the importance of our fans and their commitment to the club.
I wish all Werkself supporters a relaxed summer break. Let's look forward to next season with the return of European football. We will do all we can to strengthen and develop this young and highly talented team.
Best regards
Michael Schade, CEO
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 personalised 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…
Show more
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
Show more
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
Show more
The ‘year after’ the most successful year in the club's history brought many changes at Bayer 04. In an exclusive double interview with bayer04.de shortly before the Christmas break, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes spoke about building a new team capable of winning trophies, the work of coach Kasper Hjulmand, the young new signings who have quickly developed into key players, and their personal plans for the Christmas holidays. Their outlook for the coming year also shows that the potential is far from exhausted and ambitions remain high.
Show more
Last-minute ecstasy, huge disappointment and a historic performance on the European stage - 2025 was a real emotional roller coaster, especially for the U19s. A rousing run in the knockout phase secured the team a place in the final of the German championships, where they lost by the narrowest of margins. Despite the departure of several key players, the young Werkself team quickly regained their usual strength and qualified for the knockout rounds in the UEFA Youth League for the first time at the end of the year. In 2025, youngsters Jeremiah Mensah and Montrell Culbreath made their debuts in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. The other youth teams also contributed great performances and a number of trophies to the collective Black and Red success, while the successful Bayer 04 Future Kids project broke new ground. Read on for the 2025 review of the youth teams.
Show more
