Werkself players Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah were included in the kicker Team of Matchday 19 following the 2-1 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Wirtz was chosen for the third time this season and he received a high mark of 1.5. Central defender Tah received a mark of 2 from the football journal.
But that's not all: Wirtz' performance earned two other plaudits. BILD included the youngster in their Team of the Matchday. The 18-year-old was also voted Man of the Match on social media by fans of the Seoane team.
Midfield dynamo Robert Andrich earned a place in the DFL Team of the Week. The Bayer 04 number eight put in the most running in the away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach with a total distance covered of 11.5 kilometres and he also scored his third Bundesliga goal for the Black and Reds. Congratulations.
Do you think our youngster has earned a place in the FIFA Team of the Year (TOTY) with his performances to date? Then help Florian Wirtz to be in the team of the eleven best players in 2021 before the vote closes on Tuesday. Click HERE to vote.
The Leverkusen player is one of 80 from around the world nominated for the vote by the video game manufacturer EA Sports. The final TOTY will be announced on 22 January.
The Ivory Coast have missed the chance to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 with a game to spare. Following the 1-0 win against Equatorial Guinea in their first match the Ivorians could only manage to draw 2-2 with Sierra Leone. Werkself central defender Odilon Kossounou replaced Eric Bailly (Manchester United) in added time.
As league leaders in Group E, the Ivory Coast still have qualification for the knockout stages in their own hands. On the third and final matchday, they play bottom of the group Algeria who only have one point and have yet to score. The match on Thursday, 20 January, kicks off at 17.00 CET. The streaming service DAZN will broadcast the match live.
Former goalkeeper René Adler (at Bayer 04 from 2000 to 2012) has joined the app sector and he wants to revolutionise the transfer market in football. The 37-year-old discusses this in the new episode of the podcast 'kicker meets DAZN'. In addition, Adler talks about non-independent players and his own eventful career that included 138 Bundesliga matches in a Werkself shirt. The episode is available from today on all usual podcast platforms.
Klaus Täuber, one of the UEFA Cup winners of 1988, today celebrates his 64th birthday. The former centre forward joined Leverkusen from Schalke 04 the summer before and he went on to make 31 Bundesliga appearances for the Black and Reds (eight goals, one assist). Many happy returns.
Maximilian Wagener is 27 years old today. The central midfielder join the Werkself junior section at the age of eight and he made it into the senior squad at Bayer 04 eleven years later in the summer of 2014. After various loan deals, Wagener signed permanently for SG Wattenscheid 09 in 2016 and today he plays in the Lower Rhine Oberliga with VfB Hilden. All the best.
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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