What an honour: The Werkself number one Lukas Hradecky is one of seven keepers nominated for the FIFA 21 ‘TOTY’. The 31-year-old is thereby already one of the best 70 players in the world.
Hradecky played the full 90 minutes in all the games in 2020 with the exception of the Europa League home game against Slavia Prague (4-0) just before Christmas. Vote HERE to put Lukas in the team of the year.
“Calm, direct and solid in his challenges” – the members of the media were full of praise for the performance of central defender Jonathan Tah in the 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen. The Rheinische Post awarded the 24-year-old a ’2’ and kicker a ‘2.5’. The Kölnische Rundschau included the Leverkusen player in their team of matchday 15.
Tah, who played the full 90 minutes in all of the last eight Bundesliga matches, played a big part in the Werkself only conceding two shots on goal against the team from the North. Only one team has bettered that this term – Bayer 04: Tah and Co. did not concede a single shot on goal on matchday eight in the 2-1 win at Bielefeld with Arminia scoring with an own goal.
After Bremen comes Frankfurt: Eintracht visit the BayArena on Tuesday night, 12 January (kick-off: 20.45 CET), for the second round tie in the DFB Cup. On Monday, head coach Adi Hütter said he wants to build on the performance in the 2-1 home win against Bayer 04 nine days ago. The Austrian: “We have to play like we did at home, be brave and continue our current form. It’s a one-off game where both teams want to go through.”
Frankfurt’s offensive star Filip Kostic is not available to Hütter due to a red card in last season’s DFB Cup campaign. Read the lowdown on our next opponents HERE.
A trio with a Werkself past are celebrating their birthdays: Jens Nowotny, at Bayer 04 from 1996 to 2006, was 47 on Monday. ‘Jenne’ made a total of 233 Bundesliga appearances for Leverkusen. Daniel Carvajal, also a defender like Nowotny, is now 29 years old. The Spaniard played for the Black and Reds in 2012/13 and he performed so well that his original club Real Madrid took him back to Spain after twelve months on loan. Carvajal has remained at the Madrid club since then.
The third birthday boy played behind the back four: Goalkeeper Dario Kresic, 37 on Monday, joined the Werkself from Mainz 05 in the summer of 2014. The Croat was a reliable back-up for Bernd Leno in the following two years. Kresic played in two games and both ended in victory for the Black and Reds. The Werks11 magazine includes a detailed report on the ‘King wine grower from Vukovar’ in edition two. It is available free of charge online HERE.
Bayer 04 wish all three: Happy birthday!
Bayer 04 Leverkusen welcomes a new official member to the Sponsors’ Club at the start of the 2026/27 campaign. KKV Kabelverlegung GmbH & Co. KG is expanding its existing partnership and will, with immediate effect, act as a supporter of the Bundesliga club at the second-highest partner level, just below the premium tier. As an official partner in the Sponsors’ Club, KKV will now enjoy significantly enhanced visibility during Werkself matches at the BayArena. The new contract is initially valid until 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has extended the existing partnership agreement with EDO Personalservice GmbH and, at the same time, expanded its collaboration with the Cologne-based company. The official partner in the Business Club has been upgraded within Bayer 04’s partner network. The revised and enhanced support for the club has initially been agreed for two years, running until 30 June 2028.
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Video games developer Electronic Arts (EA), in collaboration with the Bundesliga, has announced the six nominees for the Bundesliga ‘Player of the Month’ award for September – Bayer 04’s Miguel Gutiérrez has made it into this select group after just four Bundesliga matches. Fans of the Black and Reds can vote from now until Sunday 27 September (23:59 CEST).
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Calling all Werkself fans: Even during the three-week international break – a first for September and October – you have the chance to visit the BayArena – and for a very special occasion. Bayer 04 is hosting a Health Day on Saturday 3 October, from 10:00 to 14:00 CEST in the Premium Lounge. Together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, the Bundesliga club invites you to an interactive, free event centred on the theme of health. Partners will be present on site with their own exciting activities. Here is an overview of the programme of events.
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