Head coach Gerardo Seoane welcomed 23 players to the training ground on Wednesday morning. After the players in the starting line-up went through a recovery session yesterday, everybody was on the training ground this morning. And there was particularly good news: Captain Lukas Hradecky, who was up to now in self-isolation, was able to rejoin his teammates in training again for the first time today.
The DFL vote for EA SPORTS Player of the Month for January is open today – Werkself player Moussa Diaby is included with his hat-trick in the match against FC Augsburg (5-1) standing out. In addition to the France international, also up for the vote are Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller (both FC Bayern), Patrick Wimmer (Arminia Bielefeld), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) and Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig).
The #BundesligaPOTM is decided by 40% votes from fans, 30% from clubs and 30% from pundits. You can vote for Moussa HERE.
Gerardo Seoane was not only able to welcome his players to the training ground today but also a birthday boy: His assistant coach Alberto Encinas today celebrates his 40th birthday. The Spanish coach joined Leverkusen from Barcelona at the start of the season where he had been assistant coach for the U19 team since 2017 as well as the Barca second team coach.
Andreas Neuendorf also celebrated his birthday today as he turned 47. 'Zecke' played for the Werkself from 1994 to 1997 as well as 2000 to 2001 before the Berlin-born player returned to his hometown club Hertha Berlin. Neuendorf was the assistant to Pal Dardai at Hertha up to matchday 13.
Many happy returns also to Angelos Charisteas, who is 42 today. The Greek player was signed on loan from FC Nürnberg in 2009. He made 16 appearances scoring two goals and in that year was with the Black and Reds in the DFB Cup final.
Bayer 04 also remember Rinus Michels today. The Dutchman was the Werkself head coach from July 1988 to April 1989 for a total of 31 games. Michels passed away in 2005 and he would have been 94 today.
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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One day after the successful DFB Pokal first round tie at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (4–0), the mood was understandably really good: Over 400 Bayer 04 supporters gathered on Sunday, 23 August, for the annual fan club meet-up at the BayArena and got in the mood for the new season through direct and informal discussions with Bayer 04 management, head coach Carles Martínez and Werkself players.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at RB Leipzig on the 1st matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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