On behalf of Bayer 04, a small delegation made up of Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, sporting managing director Sport Simon Rolfes and midfielder Exequiel Palacios accepted the award in Hamburg. The World Cup winner and two-time Copa América winner, who is currently in rehab, travelled to Hamburg representing the whole team who are preparing for the DFB Pokal first round tie at FC Carl Zeiss Jena (Wednesday, 28 August, 18.00 CEST).
Talking about last season’s honours, Fernando Carro said: “They are not only very important for us but also all the fans who wanted the trophies so much.”
Simon Rolfes said: “The success was primarily down to our good team. A very good spirit has been created in the team and the club.” That’s always given us a special energy.”
Head coach Xabi Alonso joined a live link to the event. The 42-year-old spoke about the success of last season as follows: “The players are the most important part for me. We had a good mix of young and experienced players and a very good feeling from the start. Our target was to play good football and at some point we felt we had the chance to win the title. That season remains unforgettable for us all.”
In addition, Alonso explained why he decided to stay at the Werkself before the end of the season: “There’s great confidence in me here. This season is my third as a coach for a professional club. I had to show what I could do as a coach here. But I’ve also still got a lot to learn. I learn from players in every game and every training session. We’re starting from scratch now and we want to perform well again.”
In the presence of 600 guests from the world of sport, SportBILD presented awards in nine categories.
Bayer 04 are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal after a 4-0 win at Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday night. The game was paused after only 18 minutes due to a storm over the ground. After a lengthy delay, play resumed and Patrik Schick opened the scoring. Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alejandro Grimaldo made things more comfortable in the second half, as the fourth-tier side had two players sent off.
Show more
There were no goals across 115 minutes of football between Bayer 04 Women and PSV Eindhoven in Friday’s friendly. Roberto Pätzold’s team played two 45-minute periods before an extra 25 minutes two days prior to heading to Rieden for their training camp. Their Dutch opponents were preparing for their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier in 12 days.
Show more
The first round of the DFB Pokal takes Bayer 04 to Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday. The amateur club have just gained promotion to the fourth-tier Regionalliga Südwest and kicked off their campaign with two impressive wins. Here’s all you need to know as Erik ten Hag makes his competitive bow as Werkself boss at the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena (kick-off: 6pm CEST).
Show more
After two months preparing for the new season, the Werkself play the first game of the 2025/26 campaign on Friday, 15 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) away to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB Pokal. Ahead of the tie against the team newly promoted to the Regional League South West, head coach Erik ten Hag talked about his approach to the knockout game and his soft spot for cup competitions.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new Premium Partner in its ranks in Düsseldorf company LumenHaus GmbH. The leading provider of networked home energy solutions has initially agreed a one-year partnership with the Bundesliga runners-up to the end of the 2025/26 season.
Show more
