The two Werkself youngsters Florian Wirtz and Lennart Grill are through to the final of the U21 European championship with the Germany U21s. The team under head coach Stefan Kuntz beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-finals on Thursday. The man of the match on the night was Bayer 04 midfielder Wirtz who first set the record for the fastest goal in the history of the U21 European Championships with the opener on 29 seconds and then doubled his tally just seven minutes later with a clinical finish to make it 2-0.
Rudi Völler, Bayer 04 sporting managing director, revealed to BILD that he was impressed after the Wirtz gala performance: "The first goal opened up the game and set Florian on his way. And his trap and control of the ball were wonderful for the second goal. That's why he's already at such a high level at the age of 18."
Simon Rolfes also found positive words for the work rate of the 18-year-old: "Flo puts in an incredible amount of running in every game. Sometimes a lot of metres are in vain. But you have to make those runs," said the Bayer 04 sporting director. And from the ranks of the senior Germany team there was also compliments from an old friend for the youngster from Pulheim – former Werkself player and newly crowned Champions League winner Kai Havertz said Florian had produced an "outstanding performance."
By reaching the final, the two Bayer 04 players are following in the footsteps of Gonzalo Castro (2009) and Jonathan Tah (2019) who also reached the final of the U21 European Championship with Germany.
The Kuntz team play Portugal on Sunday, 6 June (kick-off: 21.00 CEST) after they knocked out Spain with a 1-0 victory in the other semi-final on Thursday night. Our number 27 is determined ahead of the final and he said he "wants to win the tournament as well."
Two Werkself players also met on the international stage on the South American continent today (Friday). In the qualifier for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, Chile with Charles Aránguiz, who played for 86 minutes, faced Argentina. Exequiel Palacios came on for the two-time World Cup winners on 81 minutes – that was the comeback for our number 25 after recovering from a groin injury. The clash of the Bayer 04 midfielders ended all square at 1-1 with goals from Lionel Messi (24') and Alexis Sánchez (36'). Lucas Alario, who suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh in the season run-in with the Werkself, was not in the 'Albiceleste' squad.
The Bender brothers documentary - 'BENDER – Die Unzertrennlichen' – put out on Bayer 04 TV on 27 May has already proved to a complete success. Over 112,000 people have already watched the documentary homage to the two Werkself players Lars and Sven Bender, who hung up their boots at the end of the 2020/21 season, on YouTube.
There has also been recognition from other German clubs. 1860 Munich commented on the documentary on the Bayer 04 YouTube channel with the following words: "The documentary is a MUST for every Lions fan. Thank you Bayer 04!" And VfL Wolfsburg also showed their respect: "After the Havertz work, the next big step in terms of documentaries on club TV. You are setting the standards! Hats off!"
Anybody wishing to see the film again can watch the documentary HERE.
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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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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