Simon Rolfes described the new signing as "a type of player we've looked for to strengthen our squad." According to the Bayer 04 sporting managing director, Hofmann brings a wealth of experience to Leverkusen in addition to his vision and technical ability. He's gathered that over more than ten years in professional football primarily at Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Born in Heidelberg, Jonas Hofmann left FC Rot to join the youth section at TSG Hoffenheim at the age of 12. He wnr on to win the Germany U19 cup competition with TSG. He moved up to the senior squad in 2011 and then on to Borussia Dortmund. His way to the first team at BVB came via the Reserves, who he won the Regional League with and gained promotion to the third division. Hofmann made his Bundesliga debut in December 2012 under Jürgen Klopp in a 3-1 win against his former club Hoffenheim. He initially carried on playing in the third division with the second team.
The 5' 9" midfielder became a settled member of the Dortmund first team squad in the following season. Hofmann made 26 Bundesliga appearances and played in eight games in the Champions League in the 2013/14 campaign. The following season he went out on loan to Mainz 05. After another six months in Dortmund, Hofmann moved on to Borussia Mönchengladbach in January 2016 – and he went on to make his debut for Germany in that time.
In his seven years on the Lower Rhine, the now 30-year-old clocked up 184 Bundesliga appearances. He scored 40 goals and provided 40 assists. Hofmann also played for the Foals in the Champions League and the Europa League.
In 2020, he impressed the then Germany coach Joachim Löw who called him up to his squad for a friendly against Turkey and he went on to make his debut in a Germany shirt. That was followed by further appearances including in the UEFA Nations League and the World Cup qualifiers. Hofmann was selected for his first big tournament the following year: He played in two of the three group matches in the World Cup finals in Qatar
A few weeks ago the midfielder played for Germany in two friendlies in preparation for next years Euros in Germany. Jonas will now focus on the challenges at his new club in the coming season: "I'm really looking forward to this next chapter."
The fourth European away trip of the season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 takes the Werkself to the Greek capital. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday seven in the UCL league phase. The match at the Karaiskakis Stadium is on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET). We'll be taking you on a trip to Athens and reporting on the Werkself close-up...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Tonight, 20 January (kick-off: 22:00 local time/21:00 CET), Bayer 04 will not only face a familiar face in Panagiotis Retsos, but also an experienced and successful team in their Greek top-flight opponents. The Olympiacos midfield and forward line in particular are peppered with seasoned veterans from top European clubs - but even they will first have to find solutions against the Werkself defence that has recently performed with aplomb in the UCL. The matchday news.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about anticipation for the game. Werkself player Ibrahim Maza also gave an insight into dealing with the recent setbacks.
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After their first win on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase, Olympiacos are still in with a good chance of reaching the play-offs in the UEFA Champions League. The 2024 UEFA Conference League winners will be looking to go one better in their home match against Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), but their stop scorer is unavailable. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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