Our ‘golden boy’ is back! Four days after the win for Brazil in the Olympic final played in Yokohama, Paulinho was already back on the training ground at the BayArena. Ahead of the warm-up, he was congratulated on this very special title with a round of applause from his teammates. Visibly in a good mood and fall of zest for action, the 21-year-old winger completed his first session under the new Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane.
Left-back Mitchel Bakker also returned to training on Tuesday. Following his thigh injury and individual sessions in the past few days, the new signing from Paris Saint-Germain took part in all the drills in the one-hour morning session.
The first training session of the day was followed in the afternoon by the monthly internal Media Day where the Werkself players run through various social media formats and small photo shoots. This time returnee Paulinho took a special role; the Olympic champion was photographed at the BayArena with his gold medal. In addition, new signing Odilon Kossounou faced the popular social media Q&A 'Black or Red?'..
As with the players in the second division two weeks ago, the players in Germany's top flight will also start the new season by supporting the DFL #ÄrmelHoch (sleeves up) campaign. The plan is for players to run onto the pitch with their teammates with their right sleeves rolled up. The idea is for the Bundesliga clubs to raise awareness of the significance of vaccinations in the battle against coronavirus.
The Werkself are away to FC Union Berlin at the start of the new season on Saturday, 14 August. The match at the Alte Försterei Stadium kicks off at 15.30 CEST.
Numerous greats of German football more come together at the Mosel STADIUM in Trier on Wednesday night to support the victims of the flooding disaster in the region. Under the motto 'Help after the flood: The benefit match of German football' the event will involve DFB All Stars, the Rhineland Palatinate Lotto team and the national team of mayors playing each other.
Former Werkself players involved with the teams are Jens Nowotny, Philipp Wollscheid, Lukas Sinkiewicz and Thomas Zdebel. SPORT1 will broadcast the game live from 20.30 CEST with the three matches lasting 35 minutes each.
Tickets for the match are available for €5, €10 and €15 from Ticket Regional. Tickets can be bought online from all the usual booking offices or via the hotline on 0651 9790 777. Donations can be made by the donation platform betterplace.org.
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
Show more
After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
Show more
When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
Show more
To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
Show more
