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 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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