They developed into the surprise team at the Africa Cup of Nations: After going through the group stage, Burkina Faso with Leverkusen player Edmond Tapsoba first knocked Gabon out of the competition (2-1 in the Round of 16) and that was followed a few days later by a 1-0 victory against favoured Tunisia in the quarter-finals. On Wednesday evening, they faced Senegal in the semi-finals with Tapsoba and Co. having to accept defeat in the end. The Werkself player was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes in the 3-1 defeat.
Odilon Kossounou, who was also at the Africa Cup of Nations, went out in the Round of 16 when Ivory Coast lost 1-0 against Egypt. Senegal's opponents in the final will be decided tonight in a game between Egypt and Cameroon – winners of Burkina Faso's Group A. Tapsoba and Co. will play the losers of the semi-final in the third-place play off on Sunday 6 February at 17.00 CET. Tapsoba will then return to Leverkusen as Kossounou already has.
Sardar Azmoun, the winter signing from Zenit Saint Petersburg, arrived in Germany on Thursday afternoon. The 27-year-old was met by a small Bayer 04 delegation at Düsseldorf Airport and they accompanied him to Leverkusen.
Anatoliy Tymoshchuk has shared his views of the Iran international in the Bild Zeitung. The 42-year-old played for Bayern Munich from 2009 to 2013 and he knows the Bundesliga as well as the new member of the Werkself squad: Tymoshchuk has been the assistant coach at Zenit since 2017 and he has coached Azmoun for the past three years. "He's a bit like Klose (World Cup record goalscorer and former player at Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, ed.). Miro was also quick, strong in the air and clever with his movement," said the Ukrainian in drawing a comparison.
In the interview, Tymoshchuk also spoke about Sardar Azmoun away from the pitch. The new Leverkusen player is very communicative and is also a "funny, but calm and respectful bloke. I was very close to him." The former Bayern player also revealed a special hobby pursued by the centre forward: Azmoun is mad about horses and he has a large number at home in Iran. They regularly take part in competitions and races.
The game turned round, a derby win – and the cup lifted. It was a successful Wednesday evening for the Bayer 04 Women's U17 team. The team coached by Aleksandar Vukicevic beat FC Köln in the final of the district cup. Playing at home at the Performance Centre, the Black and Red youngsters went behind on 15 minutes but hit back in the second half as they showed what they could do. Paula Dziallas scored on 62 minutes and Estrella Gonzalez netted the second ten minutes later to secure a 2-1 win. Congratulations!
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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