Bigger, taller, more powerful: There has been a lot of noise at the home of the Werkself in recent days; a new scoreboard has been installed in the South Stand. And it has been visible in its full glory since the middle of the week. To enable all spectators to have a better view of the score, highlights, substitutions etc, the video wall is a level higher on the fourth tier.
Work has also started in the North Stand for the installation of a similarly-sized video wall above the heads of the fans. The new screens are 97 m² bigger than the previous ones from 2009 (68 m²) and also guarantee a much better image quality.
They are undisputed first choices at Real Madrid and true title collectors on top of that. On the penultimate matchday in the Primera Division, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal and Co. secured the 34th Spanish league title for the top European club with a 2-1 home win against Villarreal. Both former Werkself players were in the starting eleven.
Right back Carvajal (31 league appearances in 2019/20) made his breakthrough at Leverkusen during a one-year loan from Real Madrid's second team in 2012/13. Since then the Spaniard has made an impressive 278 appearances for Real. With just two appearances less for the Madrid team, midfield maestro Kroos – also during a loan spell – played for Bayer 04 from January 2009 to the summer of 2010 and moved on to Spain from FC Bayern in 2014. Bayer 04 congratulates the two former Werkself players on winning the league title!
The former Leverkusen player André Schürrle has announced the end of his career on Friday afternoon. "On behalf of me and my family, I want to say thank you to everybody who has been part of these phenomenal years. Your support made everything possible!," declared the 2014 World Cup winner on his Instagram channel. "I'm looking forward to new challenges and can hardly wait to start this new chapter," the 29-year-old played for the Black and Reds for two years from the summer of 2011 and he scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists for the Werkself in 65 Bundesliga games. Bayer 04 wish André Schürrle all the best for the future!
Will Bayer 04 head coach Bosz and his Bundesliga colleagues be able to make five substitutions in the 2020/21 campaign? The guardians of the rule book at IFAB have announced that they want to continue with five substitutions instead of three initially up to the summer of 2021 following the trial period during the coronavirus-affected season. Whether this rule will be introduced next season in the individual leagues will be decided by the relevant competition organisation in the particular country – for the Bundesliga that is the German Football League (DFL).
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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