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."
Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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The next footballing highlight is just around the corner: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and feature 48 teams for the first time. Bayer04.de has all the latest on the Werkself players called up to represent their countries.
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