The final days in the current season under the Bayer Cross are not just about the race for Europe. The impending retirement of Lars and Sven Bender has assumed great importance for management. staff and, above all, the fans of the Werkself. As part of the Wir sagen Danke! campaign, the club are working with Bayer 04 fans in organising numerous events and projects.
This includes redesigning the Mixed Zone, an area usually reserved for partner presentations. A banner with snapshots from the twelve years Lars Bender has spent at Bayer 04 now line the corridor to the home dressing room. It was designed and produces in co-operation with members of the fan umbrella organisation ‘Nordkurve12’. The message says it all: “Battle, ambition, passion – Thank you Lars.” Definitely additional motivation for all Werkself players for the forthcoming and last home game against FC Union Berlin (Saturday, 15 May, 15.30 CEST) with Lars Bender unfortunately unavailable due to injury.
The Bayer 04 shop in Bergisch Gladbach, currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will not reopen. The club has decided to give up the shop on the high street. The Bayer 04 shops in Wiesdorf and at the BayArena will remain open.
Bayer 04 are supporting the cancer awareness campaign #touch organised by the BERGISCHE health insurance company. The Sponsors Club partner of the Werkself is focussing on breast cancer prevention. Nina Brüggemann, Juliane Wirtz, Kristin Kögel and Anna Wellmann are four players from the Leverkusen Bundesliga team involved as the face of the campaign for the BERGISCHE.
Germany are in the European Championships in the summer. Head coach Joachim Löw recently announced he would do without a Euros casting session at the training camp in Seefeld/Tyrol and select the 26 players permitted for the Euro finals. The 61-year-old will announce his squad next Wednesday, 19 May, at 12.30 CEST and the training camp in Austria will begin on 28 May. The DFB will have to name the final squad on 1 June.
The opening match in the European Championships is on 11 June. Germany play World Cup winners France four days later. The other group opponents are Portugal (19 June) and Hungary (23 June).
The Bundesliga is drawing to a close and the European Championships are around the corner – amateur matches have not been played for over six months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The German Football Association (DFB) and the German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) have organised a campaign and petition for the resumption of amateur sport.
Under the heading, ‘Draußen muss drin sein’ (Outside has to be in), the sports associations are advocating the fastest possible approval of organised training and practice sessions – leading to the resumption of fixtures. Everybody can give their backing to amateur sport.
Michael Rensing celebrates his 37th birthday this weekend. Born in Emsland, he signed for Bayern Munich at the age of 16 and he stayed at the club for ten years. The keeper then moved on to FC Köln and in 2012/13 to Bayer 04. Rensing was the back-up to Bernd Leno and he made four appearances – the Werkself won three of those matches. That was followed by seven years at Fortuna Düsseldorf and he retired from the game in 2020. Happy birthday, Michael Rensing.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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