“Alejo Sarco is a pledge to the future of Bayer 04 Leverkusen,”said sporting managing director Simon Rolfes at the announcement of the transfer. On the strengths of the young player, who will wear the number 18 shirt for the Werkself, the 42-year-old said: "He is a technically gifted player, fast, agile and assertive in challenges." In addition, his strength in finishing completes the profile of a modern centre-forward.
Sarco grew up in the interior of Argentina. At the age of 13 he left his home region and followed the call of the top-flight club Vélez Sarsfield who have one of the best youth academies in Argentina. The ambitious striker developed into professional player with the Intercontinental Cup winners of 1994 from the capital Buenos Aires. He made his first division debut in April of this year. Sarco then made his most striking performance to date two weeks later.
In the final of the Argentinian league cup against Estudiantes he came off the bench on the hour mark and scored the equaliser at 1-1 60 seconds later with his first touch of the ball. The final went to penalties and the youngster kept his cool from the spot as he converted his penalty. But that did not help avert defeat for Vélez Sarsfield.
At the German double winners, Sarco will meet up with his fellow countryman Exequiel Palacios who won the 2020 World Cup with Argentina. The 1.79 metre tall left footer talked about "joining a top club in Europe. That's something I've dreamt of. Bayer 04 have been interested for a long time and I followed the club's great season last term very closely indeed. It's exciting for me to be part of this team in the future and a great challenge to add to the strength of the team with my ability."
Following the Bundesliga clash against RB Leipzig (Sunday, 20 September, 15:30 CEST), some of the Werkself first team players will be heading off for the first international break of the season. Here is an overview of the Bayer 04 players called up for their national teams and all the details of their upcoming matches.
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A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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