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.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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