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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
Show more
The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Tonight, 20 January (kick-off: 22:00 local time/21:00 CET), Bayer 04 will not only face a familiar face in Panagiotis Retsos, but also an experienced and successful team in their Greek top-flight opponents. The Olympiacos midfield and forward line in particular are peppered with seasoned veterans from top European clubs - but even they will first have to find solutions against the Werkself defence that has recently performed with aplomb in the UCL. The matchday news.
Show more
The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about anticipation for the game. Werkself player Ibrahim Maza also gave an insight into dealing with the recent setbacks.
Show more
After their first win on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase, Olympiacos are still in with a good chance of reaching the play-offs in the UEFA Champions League. The 2024 UEFA Conference League winners will be looking to go one better in their home match against Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), but their stop scorer is unavailable. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
Show more
