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.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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