It was a final for German football history books. For the third time, following on from 2009 and 2017, the Germany U21 team with Bayer 04 youngsters Florian Wirtz and Lennart Grill won the European Championship title with a 1-0 victory against favourites Portugal. It proved to be a big attraction for the TV audience in Germany: 5.36 million Germans watched the second half of the final.
There will also have been satisfaction due to our number 27 with the publication of the results of the annual kicker players questionnaire. While Robert Lewandowski was the clear winner as the best outfield player of the season in 2020/21, Florian Wirtz was just behind Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) in second place in the vote for the Newcomer of the Year. 248 Bundesliga players took part in the questionnaire. Congratulations, Florian!
From the present to the past: 38 years ago today, a Bayer 04 player was called up to the national team for the first time and he secured a historical achievement from a Werkself perspective. On 7 June 1983, the then Germany coach Jupp Derwall brought on the 19-year-old Herbert Waas in place of Hansi Mueller in a friendly against Yugoslavia and thereby ensured the first international appearance for Germany by a Black and Red player.
Waas won eleven international caps scoring one goal and providing two assists. He played for the Werkself from 1982 to 1990 (84 goals, 7 assists).
The USA have won their first title in the CONCACAF Nations League. In the equivalent of the European UEFA Nations League, the Americans beat their rivals from Mexico in the final 3-2 after extra time. The winner was scored by Christian Pulisic, the Chelsea teammate of former Bayer 04 player Kai Havertz, on 114 minutes. For Mexico, the former Leverkusen player Andres Guardado missed the chance to level from the penalty spot (120+4'). Another former Werkself player Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, who is the record scorer for Mexico with 52 goals, was not in the team as he has not played for El Tri since September 2019.
Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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Former Bundesliga and Germany keeper Manfred Manglitz, who was promoted to the Oberliga West with Bayer 04 in 1962, passed away on Monday at the age of 86.
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Justine Brandau and Lobke Loonen joined the Bayer 04 Women’s squad in quick succession this summer. The two Dutch players have been friends since their youth days, and are now playing for the same club for the first time. In an interview at the training camp in Rieden, Brandau and Loonen talk, amongst other things, about their experiences as opponents in the Vrouwen Eredivisie, the dynamic within their new team and their first few weeks in Leverkusen.
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