The then Austria goalkeeper joined Bayer 04 from FC Ingolstadt in 2016. As a reliable back-up keeper, ‘Rambo’ made eight appearances for the Werkself in the following four years at national and European level and the dream of playing in the Champions League became a reality in December 2016.
“Rambo can look back at an exceptional career. Here at Bayer 04, he has always been a valuable member of the goalkeeping set-up and the whole team,” said sporting director Simon Rolfes. “He encouraged the others with his professionalism and ambition and was a real team player off the pitch. He will be able to bring these qualities and his immense experience to his new role.
Özcan will mainly be involved with in coaching the youth keepers up to the U15s. “It’s a very attractive challenge. I’m looking forward to passing on my knowledge and my experience to the young people. And that at a club which has grown close to my heart over the years,” declared Özcan, whose playing career will end after the current Europa League campaign.
In 17 years as a professional footballer, the man from Vorarlberg played 292 games in the first and second divisions in Germany and Austria and also won ten caps for Austria. Özcan played for Austria Lustenau, RB Salzburg, 1899 Hoffenheim, Besiktas, FC Ingolstadt and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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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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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Nathan Tella for the time being.
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After a week in the Algarve, the Bayer 04 Women returned home on Saturday afternoon. The Werkself had six training sessions, two friendlies and a lot of time together as a team. Roberto Pätzold's team will be back in action in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga next Friday for the start of matchday 15.
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"We didn’t make the right decision at the right moments," said captain Robert Andrich after the 1-0 defeat away to TSG Hoffenheim, where Bayer 04 endeavoured to control the game but failed to score. The Werkself also had two enforced substitutions due to injuries. Nevertheless, the coach, captain and debutant Janis Blaswich are positive about the coming weeks. The Werkself review.
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