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.
The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
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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.
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The Bundesliga is back. On Saturday 29 August (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to SV 07 Elversberg on matchday 1 of the new season. Ahead of the clash at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the importance of a successful start and the motivation of the league newcomers from the Saarland.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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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.
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