The editors of the Kicker sports journal produce a ranking of German football twice a year. The deciding factor is "the performance produced over the assessment period." – In this case the first half of 2022. The Thursday edition gave the results for the positions of full-back, defensive midfield and attacking midfield.
Robert Andrich received a special mention: The summer signing from Union Berlin was named the best defensive midfielder in the Bundesliga in the second half of the season. The 27-year-old "has long become a key player in Bayer's game. An influencer on the pitch […]. As usual, he stood out with his strength in challenges and his ability to drive play forwards." Behind Andrich in the category of International class are Salih Özcan (FC Köln) and Konrad Laimer (RB Leipzig). Werkself stalwart Charles Aránguiz ("A leader particularly in the final stage!") secured a creditable seventh place. Congratulations to the two of you.
Up to his torn cruciate in the middle of March, Florian Wirtz was flying high in the Bundesliga shining with his outstanding technique and his creativity. Involvement in five goals in nine league games since the turn of the year speaks for itself. So it's no wonder that the 19-year-old is included in the category of International class – moreover as the only and, at the same time the highest ranked Bundesliga player. The explanation from Kicker: "Up to his injury, the Germany international was on his own at the top in offensive midfield. No other attacking midfielder in the league came close to his average mark of 2.63 in the Rückrunde." Congratulations to you too, Flo – and here’s hoping you get better soon.
Jeremie Frimpong is ranked eighth in the position of full-back. The 21-year-old right-back who, like Florian Wirtz, was ruled out for the rest of the season by injury in the middle of March, was rated National class. The explanation: "Leverkusen apply a lot of pressure to opponents with his pace. When he was injured it was clear how significant he was on the right side of the Bayer attacking game."
And the awards carry on – this time in the form of a medal: Bayer 04 player Paulinho has been awarded the Pedro Ernesto medal for his performances at the Olympic Games. The Selecao beat Spain 2-1 in the final in Tokyo to take the gold medal. You've earned that honour, Pauli."
Ecuador with Werkself player Piero Hincapie have won the first of three friendly matches in the current international break. At the New York Red Balls Stadium, Pervis Estupian (Villareal) scored the only goal of the game against Nigeria on three minutes. Hincapie played the full 90 minutes. The World Cup participants have their next friendly against Mexico on 6 June and that is followed by a match against Mali five days later.
Günter Thiel drove the Werkself all over Germany and Europe for three decades. Günni, as he was known by players and coaches, has passed away at the age of 83. Thiel left the Werkself in March 2004 at a Bundesliga home match with Reiner Calmund presenting him with an honorary season ticket and a golden steering wheel with a Bayer 04 logo. As the team bus driver, Thiel experienced both the UEFA Cup triumph in 1988 as well as the DFB Cup win in 1993. Rest in peace, Günni.
The long-standing Leverkusen player Thomas Kleine has found a new coaching job. The 44-year-old succeeds Timo Rost in charge of SpVgg Bayreuth newly promoted to the third division. The Wermelskirchen-born manager was assistant coach at Fortuna Düsseldorf for five years under Friedhelm Funkel for most of that time.
Kleine joined the Bayer 04 second team from SV Wermelskirchen in the summer of 1998. He made the step up to the first team after three years where he made 22 appearances in central defence up to 2003 – including eight in the UEFA Champions League.
Moreover: Kleine was a guest on the Werkself podcast just before Christmas last year.
Do you want to watch live sport at the weekend? No problem. The female U19 handball team of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen are in the final four for the German championships. The semi-finals on Saturday 4 June will be played at the Leverkusen Ostermann Arena in close proximity to the BayArena as well the third-place match and the final a day later. Further details are available HERE.
Following Paulo Sergio's birthday yesterday, Cris, another Brazilian who played for the Werkself, celebrates his birthday. The former central defender joined Leverkusen in January 2003 on a six-month loan from Cruzeiro in his home country and he played seven matches for Bayer 04 – four of them in the Champions League. He became a coach after ending his playing career in 2014. Chris is currently at the helm of French third division club FC Le Mans. Congratulations on your 45th birthday.
Bayer 04 are back at the BayArena! Under the slogan “One day. Two teams. One club.”, the Leverkusen stadium grounds will be transformed into a world of experiences – with a wide range of exclusive activities both on and off the pitch. Keep track of all the highlights in our blog for the 2026 season launch.
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Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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When Afonso Moreira arrived for his interview with bayer04.de, he had to take a deep breath first. Asked how the morning session had gone, the 21-year-old replied with a slight smile: “Tough. Intense.” That’s really sums up the workload for the Werkself so far at the training camp in the Weimarer Land region. Head coach Carles Martínez and his team demand hard work, team spirit and the determination to improve every day. Those are values Moreira wholeheartedly identifies with – and the Portuguese player has not only taken them to heart, but also permanently noted in the form of a tattoo.
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