The “2024 Trophy Tour Brazil” is the second official intercontinental journey for the club this year and will be led by Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Managing Director of Sport, accompanied by Kim Falkenberg, Head of Recruitment. The two executives will be joined in Sao Paulo by Bayer 04 Ambassador and Brazilian football hero Paulo Sergio. In September, CEO Fernando Carro represented the club on its initial “Trophy Tour” in New York City, USA.
In Brazil, Bayer 04 will reflect on last season’s historical success with partners, fans and the Brazilian football community. At the same time, the German Champions, DFB Pokal- and Supercup-Winners seek to further strengthen the bonds with Bayer offices globally and to explore various business opportunities in the region for the coming years. The rich heritage of Brazilian players at Leverkusen, including 21-year-old defender Arthur as a current representative, highlights the Latin American approach of Bayer 04.
“The history of Bayer 04 Leverkusen players is closely linked with Brazil,” said Rolfes. “There are so many great Brazilian stars and personalities that have contributed to our club over the decades, and we are proud to have had Arthur on our squad as part of three titles this past season. The trophies Arthur helped win are trophies that he has won for all the Brazilians that have played at Bayer 04 before. We are excited to represent our club and the Bundesliga on the whole throughout our visit next week.”
The delegation has four days of activities planned in Brazil from November 12-15:
“I have so many great memories of my years in Leverkusen” said Sergio, who played for the team from 1993-1997, making over 120 appearances. “It’s like a second family. While my generation was never able to win the league title for Leverkusen, all of us who played for Bayer 04 were so proud of what the team accomplished last year. I was lucky to have been able to travel to several games this spring to witness the historic season. It’s great to be able to share it with fans in Brazil.”
Leverkusen was only the fifth German club ever to win the domestic double and in the process became the first in Bundesliga history to finish the league campaign unbeaten. The team went 51 consecutive games without a defeat in 2023-24, the longest streak in the modern era, breaking the previous European record of 48 games without a loss set by Benfica in 1963-65. The streak continued all the way until the Europa League final in late May. The team then captured the Supercup in dramatic fashion on August 18th winning on penalties against Stuttgart to claim its 3rd trophy in 3 months: Meisterschale, DFB Pokal, Supercup.
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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