The 19-year-old first played in a 2 versus 2 with Furky against Werkself fans. Wirtz opted for his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation and in his favourite kit, the blue Werkself away strip. With success – the two Bayer 04 players clocked up a convincing 3-0 win with Wirtz netting a brace with his virtual persona. The Werkself duo also won the second game 3-2.
Wirtz then challenged Furky to a 1 v 1 with the Werkself player getting off to a flying start with the lead on seven minutes. The eSports player was then spurred on to level and cancel out Wirtz’ lead in less than two minutes. The Werkself number 27 was finally on the wrong end of a 4-1 scoreline.
In addition to tactical tips and tricks from the eSports player Furky, Florian Wirtz also answered numerous questions from the viewers on the Bayer 04 Twitch channel. The currently injured Werkself playmaker also provided exclusive insights into life in the dressing room: "Patrik (Schick ed.) sits to my left and Jerry (Jeremie Frimpong ed.) is on my right.” The Germany international also answered the question of who is responsible for the music: “Karim (Bellarabi ed.) and Moussa (Diaby ed.) lead the way. But, above all, on the bus it's Kerem (Demirbay ed.) who offers a wide range of music so that there's something for everybody – from German rap to Latino sounds."
The question about his fastest teammate was very interesting: "With football teams that's always a touchy subject (he laughs)," said Wirtz. "Over the first few metres Jerry is ahead but after that Moussa is definitely a contender."
At the end, the Leverkusen player revealed his tip for next Saturday's Bundesliga away game at TSG Hoffenheim (7 May – kick-off: 15.30 CEST) and he is certain: "We want to ensure qualification for the Champions League next season at the weekend. Therefore I'm predicting a 2-0 win."
Good news from the training ground: Karim Bellarabi and Timothy Fosu-Mensah were able to complete their first individual training sessions. Together with fitness coach Daniel Jouvin, the two worked on a range of passing drills. But they will not play again this season.
An impressive record: Werkself centre-forward Patrik Schick became the Werkself player from abroad to score the most goals in a season last weekend. His goal in the 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt was his 22nd in the current campaign.
The 26-year-old Czech Republic international puts former Leverkusen player Dimitar Berbatov into positions two and three. The Bulgarian striker scored 21 goals in 2005/06 and 20 the season before.
The top ten goal-getters from abroad:
1. Patrik Schick (2021/22 – 22 goals to date)
2. Dimitar Berbatov (2005/06 – 21)
3. Dimitar Berbatov (2004/05 – 20)
4. Bum-kun Cha (1985/86 – 17)
Paulo Sergio (1996/97 – 17)
Paulo Sergio (1993/94 – 17)
Chicharito (2015/16 – 17)
8. Dimitar Berbatov (2003/04 – 16)
Arne Larsen Ökland (1980/81 – 16)
10. Andrey Voronin (2004/05 – 15)
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
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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 working 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 personal 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…
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Having previously recorded six consecutive home wins across all competitions, Bayer 04 suffered their first home defeat of 2026/27 as they went down 4-2 to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Matchday 8. The visitors capitalised on their first two chances to score, with Ermedin Demirovic and Jamie Leweling finding the net in the first half. Although Patrik Schick got a goal back in the first half, Bilal El Khannouss and Demirovic again added further goals for Stuttgart. Bayer 04 didn’t give up, but Ibrahim Maza’s goal proved little more than a consolation.
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Fans at the BayArena got to enjoy a spectacle on Wednesday as the Werkself came from behind to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the DFB Pokal. Now with the sixth home game of the season, can Bayer 04 maintain their perfect record in Leverkusen as VfB Stuttgart come to town in the Bundesliga on Saturday (15:30 CET)? The visitors have had issues domestically this term, sitting in 15th place, although they have had much better results in the UEFA Champions League. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 8 encounter…
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The Bayern Munich women’s football team are unbeaten in all domestic competitions in the last 62 matches. On Sunday (15:00 CET), the Bayer 04 women’s team will make their next attempt to end the holders unbeaten run in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie. For coach Roberto Pätzold, there are a number of factors that give the Werkself cause for optimism despite the high-calibre opposition.
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