The annual club Media Days started on Wednesday. The Bender twins were first under the lights for photos for autograph cards, video clips and GIFs. The Bayer 04 Women were in front of the camera on Thursday and the second half of the Werkself squad will follow on Friday. We've taken a look behind the scenes for you:
The Werkself had a day to relax, clear their heads and recover on Thursday – the last day off for a while. On Friday it's full steam ahead! In exactly a week, the team under Peter Bosz will be looking to secure their place in the finals tournament of the Europa League in the Round of 16 second leg against Glasgow Rangers at the BayArena (Thursday, 6 August, 18.55 CET). Leon Bailey looks forward full of expectation: "In this season, we have another opportunity to go through to a final. We are all highly motivated and will give 100% in every game. We are in a good position and now it's our chance – for the fans and for the club!"
Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes shared his assessment of the Europa League with the media: "The run of games is an unusual challenge for everybody. Above all, you have to keep a clear mind," declared the 38-year-old. "The lads went on holiday full of disappointment. But it's all part of football being able to deal with defeats, process them and gain new motivation for the forthcoming targets. We are ready to go and very focused," added Rolfes. Further statements will be available here at the weekend.
This week's father of a second child celebrates his 28th birthday. As there is no full training session, he can spend his day off with his family. Bayer 04 wish him all the best on his birthday. Have a great day, Kevin, and enjoy your time with the new addition to the family.
Bayer 04 legend Michael Ballack is supporting his youth team club Chemnitzer FC by providing 40 signed shirts from his playing days for an auction to prevent the financially struggling club going into receivership. There are also shirts from Ballack's time with Germany and Bayer 04. Fans can place their bids with our former number 13 HERE and, at the same time, support the eastern Germany club.
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
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Two Saturdays, one Friday and one Sunday: The dates for the Bayer 04 Women's team games on matchdays 16 to 19 have been finalised. Three of the four matches scheduled by the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday will be played at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
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Bayer 04 currently have a number of promising young talents on loan to various clubs in Europe with the aim of gaining match practice and furthering their individual development. Francis Onyeka and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht, for example, play for VfL Bochum 1848, while Artem Stepanov is a striker with 1. FC Nürnberg, coached by World Cup winner Miroslav Klose. Tim Oermann is a defender in the Austrian Bundesliga at top club SK Sturm Graz and Abdoulaye Faye is playing in France for FC Lorient, promoted to Ligue 1 this season. Bayer04.de reviews the first six months for the Leverkusen players out on loan.
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