It was the big shock in the week of the cup final: Paulinho injured the cruciate in his right knee in training on Tuesday, 2 July. The outcome: several months on the sidelines. Paulinho's teammates sent a video get-well message from the BayArena to Innsbruck where the 19-year-old underwent a successful operation. The winger has been back in Leverkusen since Tuesday and has today started his rehab programme at the Werkstatt facility.
This incident is now part of German football folklore: In the 85th minute of the 1990 World Cup final against Argentina, Andreas Brehme stepped up to take a penalty with the score at 0-0. Today is the 30th anniversary of the final. Sport-Bild took this opportunity to invite Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthäus and goalscorer Brehme to an interview. And the latter spoke about the seconds before the penalty, which he hit into the same corner of the net as he did against England in the semi-final.
The now 59-year-old was asked whether that was taking a risk. "The biggest risk was Rudi Völler coming up to me before I took the kick and saying: 'Andi, if you score, we'll win the World Cup.' I just thought: Thanks a lot for making that clear," answered Brehme, who famously refused to be put off by the words of wisdom from today's Leverkusen sporting managing director. And so Völler, Brehme and Co. ended up celebrating winning the World Cup. Bayer 04 congratulate Rudi Völler and Co. on this anniversary.
The football portal transfermarkt.de has issued the first market value update in a top league since the coronavirus pandemic and adjusted numerous market values in the Bundesliga. This includes Bayer 04 youngster Florian Wirtz having his initial value rated at €10 million. The 17-year-old is thereby the third most valuable player born in 2003 worldwide. And the Werkself players Moussa Diaby (+5 to €32 million) and Edmond Tapsoba (+4 to €22 million) have increased in value.
The former Leverkusen player Heung-Min Son presented himself with a present two days before his birthday with Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs gained valuable points in the race for a Europa League spot with a 1-0 win against Everton on Monday night. The South Korea international, who played for Bayer 04 from 2013 to 2015, is 28 today (Wednesday).
Diaby celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday. The Frenchman joined the Werkself on Paris St Germain in the summer and he has scored five goals and provided five assists in 28 Bundesliga appearances. Bayer 04 wish the two wingers many happy returns (belatedly)!
In Germany, the temperatures are currently around zero, leaving even professional footballers freezing - but not the Bayer 04 Women. Roberto Pätzold's team have fled the cold to the south and are preparing for the second half of the season at a training camp in the Algarve, almost 2,000 kilometres away from home as the crow flies. The Leverkusen squad landed in Faro on Saturday morning and have already completed the first three training sessions over the weekend.
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It was a disappointing Saturday night. The Werkself lost 4-1 to VfB Stuttgart to start the new year on Bundesliga matchday 16 in 2025/26, a result that left both players and fans disappointed. "We played without any passion," said Alejandro Grimaldo honestly afterwards. Teammate Jarell Quansah was even more self-critical, emphasising: "We were miles off it in the first half. You can't put in a performance like that, especially in front of our own fans and I can only apologise to them, to be honest." Read on for the reaction, facts and stats from the clash with VfB Stuttgart in the Werkself review.
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Women’s team forward Paulina Bartz is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play for Hamburg SV until the end of the season. The 20-year-old, whose contract runs to 2027, joins the Bundesliga newcomers on loan until the summer.
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Jarell Quansah and Alejandro Grimaldo speak to Werkself-TV following Bayer 04's 4-1 defeat to VfB Stuttgart on Bundesliga Matchday 16...
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