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.
At the end of the winter training camp in Portugal, the Bayer 04 Women convincingly mastered their friendly ahead of the start of the second half of the season. In the match against Swiss league leaders Servette FCCF, coach Roberto Pätzold's team won 3-0 at the Monte Gordo Sports Complex. Carlotta Wamser (4’), Vanessa Fudalla (18’) and Loreen Bender (53’) scored for Bayer 04, who have been preparing for the Rückrunde in the Algarve since last Saturday.
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In the first episode of the new interview series "A New Chapter", Werkself defender Jarell Quansah reflects on his first few months under the Cross and speaks about his journey from England to Leverkusen. Having come through the ranks at Liverpool, a new chapter began for Quansah in the summer at Bayer 04 — with new objectives, fresh challenges and much ambition. In the video, the centre-back speaks about his development as a player and person, about the courage to leave your own comfort zone, and about what it means for him to be part of an international team in a different country. Honest, reflective and full of motivation — just like the start of his Werkself career.
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Full focus on Hoffenheim: after the late postponement of the away match at Hamburger SV, the Werkself are looking forward. To get themselves in top shape for the key clash at top-six rivals TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday 17 January (kick-off 15:30 CET), a number of players showed full commitment even on a day off - including two AFCON returnees...
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After Rio de Janeiro, it's off to Thuringia: This summer, Bayer 04 Leverkusen will prepare for the 2026/27 football season in Germany. While Brazil was the destination last year, the Werkself will now set up their training camp in Blankenhain, just outside Erfurt, from 1 to 7 August 2026.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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