The current Werkself captain Lars Bender has been loyal to the Black and Reds for nearly eleven years and his brother Sven signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2017. Born in Rosenheim and raised in Brannenburg, they have played 420 games for Bayer 04 to date and are absolutely key players in the Bayer 04 defence. How are the Bender brothers spending their birthday? On the pitch, of course.
Training in small groups was on the agenda today for the Werkself and the two birthday boys. Against the background of the coronavirus pandemic, the teammates shared their congratulations with the necessary distancing. Bayer 04 wish the duo happy birthday, health and fitness and a quick return to playing for the club.
Knut Reinhardt is 52
In addition to the Benders, Knut Reinhardt also celebrated his birthday. After nine years with the local Leverkusen club TuS 05 Quettingen, he joined the Bayer 04 youth section in 1977. Born in the Hilden, he progressed through all be Black and Red youth teams to the Reserves. Reinhardt made 141 appearances for the Werkself, scoring seven goals. In 1991, the midfielder moved on from Bayer 04 to Borussia Dortmund and in 2001 he ended his playing career. Reinhardt became a primary school teacher and in 2017 he published his autobiography 'Wenn Fußball Schule macht: Mein Weg vom Fußballprofi zum Lehrer' (When football teaches a lesson: My path from football player to teacher). Today the former Werkself player celebrates his 52nd birthday. Bayer 04 wishes happy birthday and stay safe, Knut.
Chicharito mourns the loss of his grandfather
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, at Bayer 04 from 2015 to 2017, mourns the loss of his grandfather. The former player, Tomás Balcázar, has passed away at the age of 88. His club Chivas Guadalajara made the announcement on Sunday. The former striker, who visited the Werkself along with Chicharito's father at the training camp in Orlando in January 2017 (see photo), played for Mexico in the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland and he scored a goal in the game against France (2-3). Balcázar played for Chivas from 1949 to 1958 and later became assistant coach.
Info on ticket refunds
In the battle against coronavirus, the federal and state heads of government have forbidden all large-scale events until at least 31 August 2020. The order also applies to football matches played in front of spectators. Bayer 04 Leverkusen have therefore decided not to resume ticket sales for this season. Instead, anyone who has purchased a ticket can now apply to have the cost of the tickets refunded. Or Bayer 04 will donate the value of the match tickets to two charitable organisations.
Your club – Golden Moments
The pay-TV broadcaster Sky is portraying club life of the Bundesliga clubs in a 'Your club' series during the coronavirus pandemic, Sky has announced. This will also include Golden Moments at Bayer 04. There will be a trip down memory lane for the Black and Red player with the most Bundesliga appearances Rüdiger Vollborn as well as Ulf Kirsten and Stefan Kießling. The one hour programme is available for all Sky customers in Germany.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-2 loss at 1. FC Nürnberg on Matchday 8 of the 2026/27 Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
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After nine points from their first three away matches of the 2026/27 season, the Bayer 04 Women suffered their first away defeat on Sunday afternoon. The 2-0 defeat away to FC Nürnberg, who were winless before today, represented a setback for coach Roberto Pätzold’s team in the race for the top spots in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. Fany Pronietz scored both goals (62’, 85’) for the home side.
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After six consecutive wins, the Werkself have hit a rough patch: Bayer 04 lost 3-0 away to TSG Hoffenheim. Andrej Kramaric put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot (79'), with Alexander Prass and Max Moerstedt adding to the tally shortly before full-time (89’/90+5’). After ten matches under Carles Martínez, with the Black and Reds always scoring at least twice, Leverkusen failed to find the net for the first time.
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The Werkself still have a score to settle with TSG Hoffenheim: Bayer 04 lost both matches against the Kraichgau side last term – after the Black and Reds had won all the previous five encounters. Leverkusen are currently on a roll and looking to kick off a new winning streak against TSG in Sinsheim on Sunday 25 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET), and Patrik Schick is keen to continue his current run of form. However, it will not be easy, as coach Christian Ilzer’s team have also gained confidence recently. Today’s matchday news.
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