Michael Ballack, René Adler, Sebastian Boenisch and many other teammates have sent emotional and humorous messages to Lars and Sven Bender in the past few days. Bayer 04 homegrown player Gonzalo Castro played alongside the two Benders – up to 2015 at Leverkusen with Lars, from 2015 to 2017 at Borussia Dortmund with Sven. The 33-year-old declared: “It was a massive honour to play with the two of you. I’d just like to say thank you.”
Hans-Peter Lehnhoff accompanied Lars Bender on his move to Bayer 04 in 2009. Sven Bender grew on the 57-year-old over the past four years. The Werkself team liaison manager: “I’d like to thank you for the wonderful years we’ve experienced together. You were two key players who have shaped our game over the years and also always given everything for this club. I wish you all the best for the future!”
Bayer 04 TV will present lots more messages ahead of the game in Dortmund at bayer04.de.
And the youngest players at Bayer 04 also want to say #DankeLars and #DankeSven – and they have come up with a really special idea: The U8 team have been busy with their art materials this week and have composed colourful words for Lars and Sven Bender. The outcome was messages to the twins in seven different languages. The youngsters came up with the idea themselves. Great work, lads!
In terms of the league table, both BVB and the Werkself have already achieved their minimum targets in the Bundesliga ahead of the final matchday: Dortmund are in the Champions League, Bayer 04 in the Europa League. The sideshows on Saturday afternoon have become the big story. And, looking at the protagonists, justifiably so.
BVB will say farewell to long-serving players Lukasz Piszczek and Marcel Schmelzer, the Bayer 04 management said farewell to a trio ahead of the home game against Union Berlin (1-1): Lars and Sven Bender plus the head physiotherapist Sven Elsinger. For one Black and Red, the clash at Signal Iduna Park is also very special for another reason…
It’s another of those stories only found in football: In the last match of his career, the two teams face other that most shaped the playing career of Sven Bender. After playing alongside his twin brother Lars at TSV 1860 Munich, he signed for Dortmund in 2009. He stayed for eight years before Bayer came calling.
What is the direct comparison for Sven Bender in black and yellow or in black and red against each of the two clubs? The Rosenheim-born player played for BVB seven times against Bayer 04 between 2009 and 2016 in defensive midfield. Dortmund won four games (2 draws, 1 defeat).
After Sven’s move to Leverkusen in the summer of 2017 – in contrast to his time at BVB (9 games against Bayer 04 without playing) – up to this season’s return game against Dortmund he was on the pitch for 90 minutes in every game. A draw and four defeats for the Red and Blacks were followed by the 4-3 home win in February 2020 in one of the most emotional wins of recent years. Lars Bender headed the winner late on to secure three points for the Werkself. It was only one of many special moments with the departing twin, which will be remembered for a long time by all Leverkusen supporters after the final act in Dortmund on Saturday…
This fan meeting got off to a rather unexpected start. On Sunday afternoon, the Bayer 04 managing directors had just welcomed the fans present at the team hotel for the traditional get-together at the training camp when Fernando Carro’s phone rang. The CEO, glancing towards managing director sport Simon Rolfes with a smile, said: “We’ll just have to answer that quickly.” When asked by the fans what the call was actually about, the pair left it open with a wink. Instead, Carro and Rolfes then spent over an hour happily answering the fans’ many other questions.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of the 3-0 victory in the friendly match against Rot-Weiss Essen...
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