Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt won the final of the UEFA Europa League yesterday (Wednesday 18 May). Eintracht beat Glasgow club Rangers 5-4 on penalties. Two of the Frankfurt set-up with a Bayer 04 past have played their part in European success for the Eagles. Eintracht sporting director Markus Krösche was assistant coach at the Werkself under Roger Schmidt from July 2015 to March 2017. He then moved on to SC Paderborn as sporting managing director and then to RB Leipzig as sporting director. The Hannover-born manager was brought in by the newly crowned Europa League winners last season.
Right-back Danny da Costa joined Bayer Leverkusen as an eight year old. Born in Neuss, he progressed through all the youth teams at the Werkself during his time at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre. His first appearance for the senior team at Bayer 04 came in 2011/2012 under coach Robin Dutt. The 28-year-old defender played for Eintracht Frankfurt in both group matches against Fenerbahçe in the Europa League. Congratulations Danny and Kröschi!
Bayer 04 sporting managing director Rudi Völler congratulated Eintracht on their cup triumph: “We have to stick together in the Bundesliga. Therefore it’s good for us that we have the team that’s won this trophy.”
Winning the UEFA Europa League qualifies Eintracht Frankfurt the Champions League group stage in 2022/23 and they will join the Werkself in Europe’s premier club competition next season. The Bundesliga quintet in the Champions League also includes Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
It was a typical centre-forward’s goal: A through ball from Moussa Diaby to Patrik Schick who comes from deep to slot the ball through the legs of keeper Kevin Trapp to make it 2-0. The second goal in the home game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Monday 2 May was also historic. It was goal number 22 of the season for the Czech Republic striker – no other foreign player at the Werkself has scored more goals in a season. The previous best at the club was Dimitar Berbatov with 21 goals.
The shirt, which our number 14 wore in the second half and later signed, is now up for auction. The funds raised will go to Gesellschaft Bochum-Donezk e.V., who are providing food and relief supplies for people in the Ukraine. Here is the link to the auction.
Former Werkself coach Roger Schmidt is taking over as the head coach at Portuguese record champions Benfica next season. The 55-year-old manager has signed a two-year contract to 2024. The Kierspen-born coach leaves Dutch top-flight club PSV Eindhoven after two seasons and a cup win in 2022. Schmidt was in the Bayer 04 dugout from July 2014 to March 2017 with two of those years alongside Markus Krösche as assistant coach.
Bayer 04 congratulate Tim Handwerker on his birthday. The left-back at second division FC Nürnberg came through the ranks at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre. The now 24-year-old played for the Black and Reds for ten years. The Bergisch Gladbach-born defender joined FC Köln from the Bayer 04 U19s in the summer of 2017. His move to FC Nürnberg in 2019/20 followed a loan deal at FC Groningen in the Netherlands.
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 as he worked 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 personalised 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…
Show moreTo all Bayer 04 fans: The Fanwelt will be closed all day next Monday 30 June. This is due to preparations for the change of kit supplier from Castore to New Balance on Tuesday 1 July.
Show moreThe Norway U23 international Julie Jorde has completed the move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Brøndby IF. The twelve-time champions of Denmark have signed the midfielder on permanent terms after her loan move from the Bundesliga to Denmark in the winter.
Show moreIt is almost two years since Bayer 04 new signing Abdoulaye Faye first stepped foot into the BayArena as a player for the Swedish club BK Häcken in the opening match in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign. A day before his nineteenth birthday, the central defender did not play in the 4-0 win for the Werkself but it was "an incredible night" for him on 21 September 2023 as he explained in his first interview on bayer04.de. "I watched the players and saw the fans. I liked it." It was also the first European night early on in his career. He only joined the then champions of Sweden in the cold north of Europe from his home in Senegal a few weeks before that special moment. Bayer04.de profiles our new defender.
Show moreWelcome, Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old Senegalese central defender joins Leverkusen from top-flight Swedish club BK Häcken. In his first interview he talks about his move to Bayer 04 and his targets with the Werkself.
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