Fact 1: African roots
Bellarabi was born in West Berlin on 8 April 1990. His mother is German, his father Moroccan and his stepfather comes from Ghana. Bellarabi has both German and Moroccan citizenship and he grew up in Bremen. As a teenager, he played for FC Huchting, Werder Bremen and FC Oberneuland.
Fact 2: First steps in professional football
Via the U19s at Eintracht Braunschweig, Bellarabi moved up to the first team squad at the Lower Saxony club. He made his professional debut in the third division on matchday 38 on 23 May 2009. Eintracht lost 2-0 at Regensburg.
Fact 3: The move to Leverkusen
Bellarabi signed for Leverkusen in the 2011/12 season. He made his first appearance in Black and Red against FC Köln on 17 September 2011. The then Bayer 04 coach Robin Dutt brought him on in place of Daniel Schwaab on 80 minutes. The Werkself lost the game 4-1.
Fact 4: Bellarabi's first goal
It finally came on 3 March 2012: Just eight minutes after coming on for André Schürrle, Bellarabi scored the second and winning goal against Bayern Munich on the 90th minute – his first goal in the Bundesliga. A few days later, on 7 March 2012, Bellarabi scored his first goal in the Champions League in added time in the second leg of the Round of 16 – the Werkself did lose the match 7-1 away to Barcelona.
Fact 5: Back to Lower Saxony
Bellarabi returned to Braunschweig on loan for the start of the 2013/14 season to get more match practice. The idea paid dividends: He scored three goals and provided five assists in 26 Bundesliga games. Braunschweig were relegated at the end of the season; Bellarabi returned to Leverkusen. He earned a regular berth in the following season to finally be established with the Black and Reds.
Fact 6: Record breaker
On 23 August 2014 in the first match day of the new season, Bellarabi scored the fastest ever goal in the Bundesliga: He opened the scoring at Borussia Dortmund after nine seconds and the Werkself ended up 2-0 winners. The record was equalled almost exactly a year later by one of his current Bayer 04 teammates: Kevin Volland, then playing for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, opened the scoring against FC Bayern on 22 August 2015 – again after nine seconds. Bellarabi has also secured another top spot: "The opening goal against FC Augsburg on 17 February 2017 was the 50,000th goal in the history of the Bundesliga. His shirt from that match is a permanent exhibit in the German Football Museum in Dortmund.
Fact 7: Swift as an arrow
One of Bellarabi's great strengths is his incredible pace. In 2016/17, he was faster than any other player in Germany's top flight with a measured top speed of 35.27 km/h and he also possesses extraordinary stamina. The Werkself completed a stamina test in Orlando during preparations for the second half of the 2016/17 season. In one drill, players had to drop out because they had not completed the distance required in the set time. The last man standing, or in this case the last man running, was – Karim Bellarabi.
Fact 8: New hobby on the decks
Bellarabi has apparently discovered a new hobby during the coronavirus pandemic. In a recent post on his Instagram account, he published a video of himself as a DJ – and he showed what he could do on the turntables. A true all-rounder.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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