Nadiem Amiri knows the Rhine from growing up – even if it was 200 kilometres south of Leverkusen: The 1.78 metre right-footer, with Afghani roots, was born in Ludwigshafen am Rhein on 27 October 1996. After playing in youth teams for Ludwigshafen SC, FC Kaiserslautern and SV Waldhof Mannheim, Amiri joined the Hoffenheim U17s in the summer of 2012. In 2014 he was in the Hoffenheim team that won the German U19 Championships and he made his first appearance for the senior squad shortly after that: On 7 February 2015 he made his debut in Germany's top flight under coach Markus Gisdol at the age of 18. And he was an immediate hit. Also in the starting eleven for TSG at the time: Kevin Volland who signed for Bayer 04 a year later.
Thanks to his technique, pace, work rate and commitment, Amiri, who appeared rather shy and reserved off the pitch, shone with the pros making a total of 115 appearances – in the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup and Europa League through to the Champions League. The new Werkself number 11 scored 13 goals and provided 13 assists in total.
Since making his debut for the Germany youth team in November 2013, Amiri has regularly been invited to play for the Germany junior teams. Most recently that was at the U 21 European Championships in Italy and San Marino back in June – and that despite the 22-year-old not only missed the whole first half of last season due to a stress fracture in his left metatarsal but also with the campaign ending early for him due to a torn ligament in his left ankle.
The U 21 European Champion of 2017 did demonstrate his value in this year's competition: Amiri played in all five of Germany's games. The number 18 played a significant part in winning the silver medal with three goals and two assists that impressively repaid the confidence shown in him by coach Stefan Kuntz.
Bayer 04 are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal after a 4-0 win at Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday night. The game was paused after only 18 minutes due to a storm over the ground. After a lengthy delay, play resumed and Patrik Schick opened the scoring. Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alejandro Grimaldo made things more comfortable in the second half, as the fourth-tier side had two players sent off.
Show moreThere were no goals across 115 minutes of football between Bayer 04 Women and PSV Eindhoven in Friday’s friendly. Roberto Pätzold’s team played two 45-minute periods before an extra 25 minutes two days prior to heading to Rieden for their training camp. Their Dutch opponents were preparing for their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier in 12 days.
Show moreThe first round of the DFB Pokal takes Bayer 04 to Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday. The amateur club have just gained promotion to the fourth-tier Regionalliga Südwest and kicked off their campaign with two impressive wins. Here’s all you need to know as Erik ten Hag makes his competitive bow as Werkself boss at the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena (kick-off: 6pm CEST).
Show moreAfter two months preparing for the new season, the Werkself play the first game of the 2025/26 campaign on Friday, 15 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) away to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB Pokal. Ahead of the tie against the team newly promoted to the Regional League South West, head coach Erik ten Hag talked about his approach to the knockout game and his soft spot for cup competitions.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen has a new Premium Partner in its ranks in Düsseldorf company LumenHaus GmbH. The leading provider of networked home energy solutions has initially agreed a one-year partnership with the Bundesliga runners-up to the end of the 2025/26 season.
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