Unfortunately, it is the scene at the Wuppertaler Stadion am Zoo ground on early Tuesday evening that overshadowed the football: Karim Bellarabi collapsed an hour into the friendly in Wuppertal and was taken off on a stretcher. Due to the effects of the heat, the 28-year-old Werkself winger was then taken to a nearby hospital where he was kept in overnight as a precaution. He received the all clear on his condition last night and was discharged this morning to the relief of everybody concerned: The 11-time Germany international is feeling better but he will now have the opportunity to recover properly.
Today was also a more relaxing day for the Werkself or to be more exact: It was a question of stress control. In place of the training ground, Heiko Herrlich's players completed a recovery programme in the gym at the BayArena. Only Paulinho and Panos Retsos worked on their fitness outdoors on the training ground. The recent incident with Bellarabi served to sharpen awareness. "Even if you're not playing football, heat can place enormous stress on the body," said Herrlich shortly after yesterday's friendly. Health has absolute priority even when looking for the best possible pre-season, with Herrlich having to manage without eight of his pros in Wuppertal ahead of the training camp in Salzburger Land (29 July to 5 August), the next friendly is on Saturday away to Dutch top-flight side Fortuna Sittard.
After Mitchell Weiser paid a visit to the 100 or so girls and boys at the Bayer 04 Soccer School holiday camp last week, it was Wendell's turn on Wednesday afternoon to be the star on site. At the media centre at the BayArena, the 25-year-old Brazilian was happy to face a host of questions from the kids. With his usual broad smile, the left back took part in a 20-minute Q&A session – and in German too: That covered school education, his original position in playing football, his biggest successes to date, the frequent fun on Instagram with his team-mate Leon Bailey, and his football role model Zé Roberto. And once again there were opportunities at the end for the youngsters to get his autograph and also take part in a group photo.
While the sun was beating down outside, there were plenty of flashes of light this morning in the 19NULLVIER Lounge at the BayArena. The reason: The start of September sees the release of the new Bayer 04 fan merchandise catalogue, which requires a two-day photo shoot starting on Wednesday. The first part of the Werkself pros including Julian Baumgartlinger, Kevin Volland, Lars Bender and Lucas Alario appeared before and after the recovery session to pose for the cameras – either in the new menswear or new kit. In the same breath, there were three different camera points for additional marketing purposes and photos for the new autograph cards. Whether it was with a serious or friendly face, relaxed or celebrating – it wasn't only the photographers who clearly had fun at the shoot. That will almost certainly apply to the rest of the Werkself players on Thursday…
On Tuesday it was announced that Kai Havertz will receive a gold Fritz Walter medal from the German Football Association (DFB) for U19s. After countless congratulations were received by the 19-year-old, talented Werkself midfielder, Kai took the chance to express his gratitude: "Receiving such an individual award is unusual for a team player. The Fritz Walter medal not only honours me but also the people who have supported me in recent years – primarily my family and my coaches but also, of course, the fans," said Havertz during the photo shoot on Wednesday.
Trophies as a youth, appearances in the pro game and his first taste of international competition: new arrival Luca Erlein, who has been signed from TSG Hoffenheim, can already look back on some remarkable achievements and moments in his fledgling career. We take a closer look at the 19-year-old right-back, who can also fill other roles across the defensive line.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new coffee partner. The club has agreed a long-term partnership with the Bocholt-based roastery Imping, running to 30 June 2031. The exclusive partnership with the family-run business includes the installation of fully automatic coffee machines at the BayArena, as well as the right to supply and serve coffee products in the business areas during Werkself home games.
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Plenty going on both on and off the pitch: The Bayer 04 fan support team has organised a number of highlights for fans visiting the Werkself 2026/27 summer training camp in Blankenhain, in the Weimarer Land region. Registration for the events is now open. All the details at a glance.
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The Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team and s2-Software are continuing their long-term partnership: The Werkself and the provider of pre-owned Microsoft licences have extended their contract by two years to 2028. This means s2-Software will remain the Bayer 04 sleeve sponsor for all matches in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga.
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BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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