The new Werkself head coach turned up for work punctually on 1 July. While the players only have to appear at the BayArena on Monday for their performance tests, Gerardo Seoane has been in Leverkusen since Thursday. In numerous discussions with sporting director Simon Rolfes and his coaching staff, the pre-season will be planned and work done on the squad for next season. In addition, the 42-year-old will get to know the rest of the staff supporting the Werkself and will hold important discussions over the coming weeks.
One player who Gerardo Seoane will not meet at the start of training is Leon Bailey. The 23-year-old is set to play for Jamaica in the Gold Cup, the North and Central American equivalent of the European Championship. The first match is on Tuesday, 13 July with the kick-off in Orlando (USA) at 00.30 CEST. The opening opponents for Bailey and Co. are Suriname, and Costa Rica are also in Group C. The fourth opponent will be resolved this weekend in two play-off rounds.
The Werkself winger has made eight appearances for Jamaica so far including at the 2019 Gold Cup where the ‘Reggae Boyz’ were knocked out by the USA at the semi-final stage.
Euro 2020 and the Copa America are entering their final stages. Three Leverkusen players are in action with their national teams. Centre-forward Patrik Schick is set to play in the Euro quarter-finals for the Czech Republic against Denmark on Saturday night, 3 July. The kick-off in Azerbaijan's capital Baku is at 18.00 CEST. Schick has been involved in all five goals scored in the tournament by the 'Reprezentace'. The 25-year-old has scored four goals himself and provided one assist.
In South America, the Werkself skipper Charles Aránguiz and Exequiel Palacios are involved in the first knockout clashes in this year's Copa America at the quarter-final stage. In the night from Friday to Saturday, Chile with the impressive Aránguiz face Brazil (kick-off: 02.00 CEST) and 25 hours later Palacios and Argentina take on Ecuador. Good luck to both of you.
Kerem Demirbay? Leon Köhl? Nadiem Amiri? Chiara Bücher? Or even Lars Bender? As usual, you again have the opportunity this year to vote for your Goal of the Season presented by like2drive. To enter, you have until Sunday, 4 July to name your favourite goal from last season under our Facebook post. You can take your time to look at all the goals once again. Click HERE for the video.
The Leverkusen Fan Project has served as a meeting place for all Leverkusen residents and Werkself fans since its foundation in 1996. This week the Fan Project celebrates its 25th birthday. On this occasion we thank everybody involved for the untiring and so valuable social contribution to our club and our city. Here's to many more years side-by-side.
World Cup winner Toni Kroos has announced his retirement from the German national team. The Real Madrid midfielder, who played on loan for the Werkself from January 2009 to June 2010, made the announcement on Friday. The 31-year-old made 106 appearances for Germany. At Leverkusen, Kroos played 48 games and he made his international debut in March 2010 during his time under the Bayer Cross.
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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