“Bayer 04 is a club with an impressive history and ambitious targets," said Xhaka at his signing. The Swiss midfielder played for Arsenal for seven years before moving on to Bayer Leverkusen. This is the fourth club for the 6' 1" central midfielder in his professional career.
Xhaka joined the youth section at FC Basel at the age of eleven and he moved up to the first team squad in the 2010/2011 season. He twice won the league title with the top Swiss club and also made his debut in the Champions League and the Europa League.
He moved to the Bundesliga at the age of 20 with his first experience in a top European league at Borussia Mönchengladbach. He made 140 appearances for the Foals. Four years later, Xhaka followed the call of the Premier League but he never lost contact with German football: "I know the Bundesliga inside out and I always watched it from London."
plenty of expereince en route to Leverkusen
Xhaka made 297 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions. The Swiss player soon established himself as a first choice with the Gunners, as he had done in Mönchengladbach, and he quickly became a key player in central midfield.
Even after seven years in London, Xhaka was still one of the key players in an otherwise young North London side. With 16 goal involvements in the last Premier League season – the best season of his career in that respect – the otherwise more defensively minded 30-year-old made an important contribution to Arsenal finishing runners-up and thereby qualifying for the Champions League again after seven years. The midfield maestro arrives in Leverkusen with plenty of experience.
Over the course of his career, the Swiss midfielder has again and again proved one thing: What it means to accept responsibility. His experience as a leader on the pitch paid off with him being the captain at Borussia Mönchengladbach and Arsenal for three years at each club. Granit has also been captain of the Switzerland team since 2018 and he has the second highest number of international caps for his country with 115 to date.
And Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04 sporting managing director, is aware of Xhaka's qualities: “"His ability on the pitch is well known. But, above all, there are few players who are able to so convincingly lead a team like he does thanks to his outstanding mentality and personality.”
Xhaka is looking forward to the new chapter under the Bayer Cross: "I see Bayer 04 now as a club with a great future. Discussions with the management have been incredibly motivating. Everybody here is ambitious and wants to achieve something.” Exactly as the Swiss infielder does.
Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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