
"They are the poster boys of the Bundesliga: Players who make the difference for their teams," was the slogan in the Sky broadcast 'Stars of the Bundesliga'. And the new episode is all about Lucas Alario. With eight Bundesliga goals in the current season, ten assists and a total of 28 shots on goal, the Werkself striker is at the top of the rankings. Reason enough to take a closer look at the Argentinian and his route to the Bundesliga. In addition to teammate Wendell and sporting director Simon Rolfes, several other contemporaries of our number 13 get the chance to speak. The 30-minute episode will be broadcast on Sky Sport Bundesliga 1 on Thursday at 23.00 CET and will be available online afterwards.
Benjamin 'Benny' Henrichs will not be on the pitch on Saturday 30 January (kick-off: 18.30 CET) in the top match between RB Leipzig and Bayer 04. Persistent knee problems have sidelined the former Leverkusen defender. The 23-year old is currently on loan at RB Leipzig from Ligue 1 club AS Monaco. On Saturday, he will be available for interview by the broadcaster Sky. During the broadcast, Henrichs will not only talk about his time in the Principality and in Saxony but also look back at his past in Black and Red. He wore the Bayer 04 shirt for 14 years.
Benny is not the only one to enjoy great appreciation from Julian Nagelsmann as Peter Bosz is also highly rated by the RB Leipzig coach. At the pre-match press conference ahead of the clash on Saturday night, the 33-year-old was really enthusiastic: "I consider Peter Bosz to be one of the most accomplished coaches that we have, not only in the Bundesliga but also in Europe." He believes the Dutchman lets all his teams play "great and successful football." Nagelsmann added: "My former players have continued to improve under him." Last season, Nagelsmann coached Patrik Schick at RB Leipzig and he worked at Hoffenheim for considerably longer with Kerem Demirbay (2016-19) and Nadiem Amiri (2016-19 including youth teams). Talking about our number 11 at the press conference, Nagelsmann said: "If I had a kickabout on the recreation ground with Amiri then I would know exactly what he wants to do."
Organised football was already being played in the 19th century – there were rules, clubs, associations, regional champions and even international fixtures. But there was a need for a central organisation. So, exactly 121 years ago, on 28 January 1900, the German Football Association (DFB) was founded in Leipzig. Six club representative were brought together six months before to organise a foundation meeting for a 'General German Football Association'. 36 people representing 86 clubs responded to the invitation to "all football clubs of the Empire and from Germany – Austria" and made their way to the "First General Football Meeting". The DFB was founded by a vote of 64 for and 22 against and since then has been in charge of regulating matches in Germany.

Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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