
The man in the dark blue denim shirt looks into the eyes of readers with a confident and mischievous expression – Florian Wirtz is on the cover of the new Werkself-Magazin. ‘Der Straßenkicker’ (street footballer) is the headline on the report about the 20-year-old German international who has matured into a leader under the Cross this term and not just as a goalscorer of wonderful goals and brilliant assists but also an impressive midfield dynamo. The article on Wirtz is just one of the stories worth reading about the Werkself players: In a big interview, Alejandro Grimaldo reveals many interesting insights, and talks about his improved performances, the influence of diet on his form, his time at Barcelona and explains how his spectacular shooting technique works.“

"A defender who stands out" – this headline is above a portrait of Odilon Kossounou, who has developed brilliantly at the Werkself this season and is currently unavailable to the team due to the Africa Cup of Nations. Edition 45 of the Werkself-Magazin also contains an interview with Werner Wenning who has chaired the shareholders committee of Bayer 04 Fußball GmbH for 14 years. The Opladen-born club official talks about his own role, his great confidence in the management, a handshake with Xabi Alonso as well as the increased value of the club.
The historically successful Hinrunde for Bayer 04 with all the records and impressive numbers is listed in detail as well as other interesting facts from the Black and Red world: Patrik Schick describes his ideal player, Lukas Hradecky reveals which shirt has found pride of place on his living room wall. The upturn for the Leverkusen U19 team is also mentioned in the magazine as is the record to date of the Bayer 04 Women with striker Nikola Karczewska also sharing insights and trends from her home country of Poland. And readers can also learn what is in the memory box that Bayer 04 is taking to the senior citizens homes in the city.
All that and much more, full of fascinating photos as usual, is available as recommended reading for Bayer 04 fans in edition 45 of the Werkself-Magazin. The magazine has already been sent out to members and is now also available online.
Click here for the Werkself-Magazin #45!
The Werkself-Magazin has some new technical functions to make browsing even easier. These functions and how to use them are contained in the PDF document.

The penultimate Bundesliga matchday of the calendar year marks the end of an eventful first half of the season for the Bayer 04 Women. After seven wins, one draw and four defeats from the first twelve games of the season, coach Roberto Pätzold's team can go above Werder Bremen in the table with a win on Friday, 12 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET).
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The third showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 kicks off for the Leverkusen eSports team this Thursday, 11 December (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Red will once again take on six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round, which will take place at this third showdown on 19 December in Cologne. Showdown One winners Bayer 04 will face FC St. Pauli, who won the second showdown last month, among others. The lowdown on first three opponents in this online preliminary round.
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Alejandro Grimaldo, of course! With his late equaliser (88') in the Champions League clash against Newcastle United, the Spaniard rescued a point for the Werkself, who took the lead through an own goal by Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes (13') but went with two goals for the visitors scored by Anthony Gordon (51') and Lewis Miley (74'). It was the third draw for Bayer 04 in the current 2025/26 campaign on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase.
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The Werkself will be looking to continue their run in the Champions League against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The two victories without conceding a goal at Benfica (1:0) and Manchester City (2-0) will hopefully be followed by a win at home at the BayArena. Against the English side, who have a player with a Black and Red past in their ranks, the way to victory could be through efficiency in attack and quick transitional play. The latter in particular has recently caused the Magpies problems away from home on the European stage. Fans can also get the stylish matchday sticker for their Sound of Dreams tour pass at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt. The matchday news.
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For the first time ever, Bayer 04 have reached the knockout phase of the UEFA Youth League. At the end of the league phase, the Leverkusen U19s secured a 2-1 home win against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December. Montrell Culbreath scored before half-time and Ferdinand Pohl doubled the lead after the restart in the clash with the English side. The UCL youth competition continues at the beginning of February with the Round of 32, which will be played away from home without a second leg.
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