The Werkself players Lucas Alario, Exequiel Palacios, with one goal each, and striker Patrik Schick, with two impressive strikes, have qualified for the final Goal of the Month competition in the current season. Alario impressed with his goal making it 4-2 in the away game at TSG Hoffenheim on the penultimate matchday. Schick also stood out in the same match with his two goals at 1-1 and 3-1. In turn, Pala showed a fine touch with his last-minute masterpiece to make it 2-1 in the last game of the season against SC Freiburg. The Argentina international scored in the 97th minute with a shot into an empty net from the semi-circle to round off the 2021/22 season.
You can vote now on the club’s Facebook page. You can see all the goals again there. The winner will be announced on Thursday 26 May.
Youngster Florian Wirtz has also received an award: The 19-year-old received his FIFA 22 Team of the Season card this morning. With absolute top numbers, the Werkself player was voted into the top team for the 2021/22 season alongside outstanding players such as Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
Moussa Diaby and Jeremie Frimpong were also included in the extended squad by the fans. We say: Fully deserved. Congratulations.
There is no summer break yet for the Bayer 04 Women's team players Chiara Bücher, Clara Fröhlich and Sofie Zdebel as they are currently at a U19 course organised by the German Football Association (DFB). The Germany youth players are in Krefeld up to Friday 27 May to prepare for the forthcoming European Championships. The tournament will be held in the Czech Republic on 26 June to 9 July.
Former Werkself player Heung-Min Son has won the Golden Boot award as the top goalscorer in the Premier League in 2021/22. The lightning-fast forward scored 23 goals for Tottenham Hotspur in 35 league games, the same number as Liverpool striker Mo Salah. Son netted a brace on the final matchday in a 5-0 win against Norwich City. The South Korea international became the first Asian player to be top goalscorer in England.
The South Korea player with 98 caps played under the Bayer Cross for two years before heading to England in the summer of 2015. Son scored 22 goals and provided eleven assists in 87 games for the Black and Reds.
24 May evokes memories at the Werkself: On matchday 33 in the 1996/97 season, the Black and Reds were certain of finishing second in the Bundesliga, which meant the team under coach Christoph Daum finished runners-up for the first time. Beyond that, Bayer 04 thereby qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history.
It was a different situation six years later: The team from Leverkusen secured 15th place in the table on the final matchday in the 2002/03 season to ensure their top-flight status. Yildiray Bastürk scored the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win against FC Nürnberg preventing his team from being relegated to the second division.
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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