Two are better than one: Werkself youngster Florian Wirtz and his sister Juliane Wirtz are in the latest edition (number 243) of the football magazine 11Freunde. The siblings are not just on the cover of the magazine but they also share their views in a double interview over several pages.
The article reveals their joint first experiences with the ball at their feet. And they explain how their competition with each other has shaped them: "We used to play together in a small area in the living room and that gave us a certain grit."
Andrey Lunev sends greetings from hospital after undergoing his operation: The Bayer 04 goalkeeper underwent a successful procedure led by Dr. André Morawe in his Atos Orthoparc Klinik. HERE is the Tweet.
The Russian goalkeeper suffered a torn ankle ligament in training on Sunday and he is likely to be out of action for three months. The 30-year-old will complete his rehab at the Werkstatt in the BayArena. Here's to a swift and full recovery, Andrey.
His Leverkusen teammate Edmond Tapsoba has led the way with Burkina Faso and now it's down to Odilon Kossounou and Co. to follow suit: The Werkself central defender is looking to go through to the knockout stages with the Ivory Coast. A draw against bottom-placed Algeria in the third and final game in Group E on Thursday 20 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET) will be good enough to go through.
The Ivorians are the top of the table with four points from two games. The following two teams Equatorial Guinea (three points) and Sierra Leone (two) face each other and a point for the Ivory Coast would mean only one of the two other teams could overtake Kossounou and Co.
To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January, the Werkself will again take part in the ' memorial day in German football'. That day is the 77th anniversary of the liberation of survivors from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Bayer 04 is highlighting the event as part of the forthcoming home game against FC Augsburg on Saturday, 22 January. Together with the ‘!NieWieder’ group and the global remembrance campaign #WeRemember of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), not only will victims of the Nazis be remembered but it will also serve as a warning against current dangerous developments in society.
In addition to the DFL and clubs from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, the Federal Chancellery, the EU Parliament, the German Bundestag and numerous artists will take part in the memorial event with a wide range of activities.
Jürgen ‘Gelle’ Gelsdorf was first involved with the Werkself in the summer of 1976. He joined Bayer 04 as a player from Arminia Bielefeld. Gelle probably couldn't have imagined at the time that the move would be the start of ten years for the central defender in a Black and Red shirt. He went on to gain promotion to the Bundesliga with the Werkself and he made an impressive 313 appearances (26 goals) with the Bayer Cross on his shirt.
Gelsdorf joined the coaching staff at Leverkusen after ending his playing career in 1986 – first in the youth section and then with the first team. The Duisburg-born coach then moved on before returning to Bayer 04 and 2005. He has worked almost 15 years at Leverkusen and today he celebrates his 69th birthday. Many happy returns, Gelle.
Jonas Boldt also celebrates his birthday on 19 January – all the best for number 40. Born in Nuremberg, he started at Bayer 04 as a scout in 2007 and in 2014 he became the sporting manager. Boldt was sporting director in 2018/19 before joining Hamburg SV in the summer of 2019 as the sporting director. On Tuesday night, he celebrated going through to the DFB Cup quarter-finals with the second division club – HSV beat FC Köln on penalties. Happy birthday, Jonas.
A great start to the new eSports year as the Leverkusen professional gamers pick up nine points in the first three of six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown of the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. Between big wins, wonder goals and composed performances, there was plenty on offer against VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96 and FC Augsburg.
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In keeping with the current freezing temperatures, Bayer 04 has heavily discounted numerous winter items – from cozy hats and sporty matchday clothing to stylish fleece and winter jackets.
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The fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 starts for the Leverkusen eSports team today, Thursday 22 January (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel and on the Bayer 04 app from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Reds will once again compete with six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round in Berlin on 2 February at the fourth showdown. The lowdown on our next three opponents in the online preliminary round.
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A month on from the last match of the old year, the Werkself also play the first game of the new year in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. Roberto Pätzold's side open Matchday 15 with the meeting at promoted side 1. FC Union Berlin on Friday (18:30 CET).
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