Patrick Helmes scored 28 goals in 57 Bundesliga games for Bayer 04 between 2008 and 2011. After injury forced him to end his playing career in 2015, the central striker became a coach. Helmes returned to Leverkusen as youth coach in 2018 to train the U15s. The now 36-year-old is moving on to the Alps this summer. Just outside Vienna, Helmes, who also played for Germany during his time at the Werkself (23 caps), will be assistant to head coach Zvonimir Soldo as well as youth coach for the Austrian top-flight club FC Flyeralarm Admira.
On Saturday, 11 July, Bayer 04 distributed the T-shirts placed on the seats at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin for the DFB Cup final against FC Bayern free of charge to 3,500 fans at the BayArena via a drive-in system. Over 12,000 shirts were handed out and, in return, the supporters donated the considerable sum of €6,516.35 to the Reuschenberg Wildlife Park in Leverkusen. Bayer 04 would like to thank everyone who donated.
The German Football Association (DFB) have announced the first details for next seasons DFB Cup. The draw for the first round (11 to 14 September) will be made on 26 July, "to enable amateur clubs to make detailed plans for the venues," said the DFB. The draw will be broadcast live on ARD.
Participants from the state associations will not be known by the time of the draw as the majority of the teams in the amateur sector remain to be confirmed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state finals day for the amateurs is set for 22 August. By the middle of August, all of the participating amateur clubs must inform the DFB of possible home venues for the first round ties and also present agreed hygiene protocols to the relevant authorities.
DFB Cup dates 2020/21:
First round: 11 to 14 September
Second round: 22/23 December
Round of 16: 2/3 February 2021
Quarter-finals: 2/3 March 2021
Semi-finals: 1/2 May 2021 (subject to later confirmation)
Final: 13 May 2021
After the Bundesliga restart, Bayer 04 reacted in the area of catering to the changed circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic. That involved the Bundesliga club – based on the hygiene protocol of the DFL – supplying the few journalists permitted access to the BayArena with lunch packages, which has inspired the Süddeutsche Zeitung to compose a short message of praise. "At Leverkusen, the bags were so full they could have fed a family of four," wrote the SZ. "There were sandwiches, rissoles, fruit, chocolate bars and a biscuit that was as big as a cake."
The route for the Werkself to a possible Europa League final in Cologne has been known since Friday, 10 July. UEFA completed the draw in Nyon in Switzerland. After the 3-1 away win in the Round of 16 first leg at Glasgow Rangers, Bayer 04 are in with a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals. The opponents would be Getafe or Inter Milan. The two top South European teams are completing their Round of 16 tie in one game as the first leg in March fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic. Moreover: Both Getafe (19.30 CET at Deportivo Alavés) as well as Inter (21.45 CET against Torino) are playing on Monday night – both games are live on DAZN. Assessing the opposition can begin…
This cheerful soul is celebrating his birthday: The former Leverkusen youth player and Werkself first teamer Danny da Costa is 27 years old today (Monday). Born in Neuss, he signed for Bayer 04 as a youth player from Winfriedia Mülheim. In 2012, he went out on loan to FC Ingolstadt before signing a permanent deal with the club from Upper Bavaria in 2014. After playing for Leverkusen again in 2016/17, da Costa has been at Eintracht Frankfurt for the past three years. Bayer 04 wish Danny a very happy birthday!
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 32-year-old joins the Werkself from the Lower Rhine Bundesliga club on loan to the end of the current season. This is the reaction of Bayer 04 to the injury to first choice keeper Mark Flekken, who faces a long spell on the sidelines.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Jonas Omlin. Bayer 04 have signed the 32-year-old goalkeeper on loan from Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach until the end of the season. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes described the Swiss shot stopper, signed by the Werkself in reaction to the long-term absence of first choice keeper Mark Flekken, as an "internationally experienced keeper." Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the new signing, who will wear the number 18 jersey.
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Lucas Vázquez was the hero in Saturday's 1-0 home win against Werder Bremen, when the Spaniard scored his first Bundesliga goal to secure an important victory for Leverkusen. The 34-year-old right-sided recently met up with the Werkself magazine for an interview in the Düsseldorf restaurant Casa Galicia after the first few months of settling in to his new home in Germany. Over tapas, the five-time Champions League winner, who left Real Madrid in the summer after 18 years to continue his career at Bayer 04, spoke about his career to date, the new challenge in Leverkusen and the importance of family - and he paid a big compliment to the fans of his new club.
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