For most of the Werkself squad, the coaching staff arranged a recovery session at the gym at the BayArena following yesterday's 7-0 win in the friendly against SV Roßbach/Verscheid. The goalkeeping trio of Ramazan Özcan, Thorsten Kirschbaum and Tomasz Kucz did complete part of the morning session on the pitch – as did Benny Henrichs who did a number of intense sprint dills under the eyes of the head coach and guidance of fitness coach Schahriar Bigdeli. Charles Aránguiz and Paulinho joined in 40 minutes later to work one-to-one with fitness coach Daniel Jouvin. The Brazilian new signing then completed dribbling and shooting drills with assistant coaches Nico Schneck and Xaverv Zembrod.
A visit from a Werkself pro at the Bayer 04 Soccer School holiday camps is a long-established tradition. On Thursday afternoon, the young participants in the '19NULLVIER' lounge at the BayArena had the opportunity to interrogate new signing Mitchell Weiser with a host of questions the children were keen to pose. And the kids discovered the type of car the surprise guest drives, which of the players in Heiko Herrlich's squad he gets on best with, what his favourite food is and whether he spends spare time on the PlayStation game Fortnite. The son of the Bayer 04 youth coach Patrick Weiser was busy answering questions for a good 15 minutes. And there was more to do after that: Following the group photo at the end of the Q. and A., the defender born in Troisdorf was happy to sign autographs and satisfy selfie requests from the 100 kids present.
New signing Paulinho was busy following his arrival from Brazil on Tuesday with being introduced to his new team-mates and the DFL Media Day. The 18-year-old also attracted great interest on Thursday morning with his first appearance on the training ground. And that continued in the afternoon. The young attacking talent faced the press at the BayArena media centre. The new Werkself number seven said he had a number or resolutions. "My first target is to settle in quickly and acclimatise. And then I'd like to win titles," he revealed in a 30-minute session with the media.
Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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