By that moment at the latest it was clear to every fan at the BayArena: We. Are champions of Germany. After Florian Wirtz scored at 3-0 on 68 minutes in the home game against Werder Bremen, he made it 4-0 on 83 minutes. Shortly after that goal – fans were all ready gathered on the touchlines – the supporters were unable to restrain themselves although there were several minutes to play. To ensure the game ended properly, Wirtz held the fans back and thereby prevented a pitch invasion. That was the moment that Ralf Ibing shot the Sports Photo of the Year 2024.
"So much happened at the BayArena on the day of the match that the special quality of this photograph only became really clear in calmly reviewing the photos," Ibing explained in an interview with bayer04.de. "Of course, it was also a different days work than usual for us photographers: We had to protect our equipment before the pitch invasion and find a place to photograph the historic moments – I decided to go for the stands. It was clear to me that the player would only be clearly visible for a few seconds. This photo shows a mixture of the boundless euphoria of the fans and the restraint shown by Florian Wirtz. A special subject for a special moment."
On the Sports Photo of the Year award:
1,263 submissions were made for 2024. The nine-person committee assesses photos according to technical implementation, emotion and aesthetics. Sometimes the story behind the photo is in focus with other images it was capturing an outstanding performance or an unforgettable moment. In addition to the main award, the committee also awarded prizes in the categories of 'Amateur and youth football', 'General sport', ‘Portfolio/sports reports' and 'Youth award powered by Nikon'. In 2024 the categories 'Paris 2024 – Olympic and Paralympic games’ – and 'Euro 2024 – on the touchline' also enabled submissions for big European sporting events.
Anyone looking for a personal memento of the historic title-winning moment can get the' Wirtz moment' or the 'discrete Wirtz moment' T-shirts at the Bayer 04 web shop or the Bayer 04 Fanwelt. The T-shirt costs €24.90, Bayer 04 Club members only pay €22.41.
The Werkself are away to SC Freiburg on Bundesliga Matchday 32. The game is on Sunday, 4 May (kick-off: 17:30 CEST). The Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team brings you the latest information on the fixture at the Europa Park Stadion…
Show more
The last home game for the Bayer 04 Women: A win against RB Leipzig on Saturday (12:00 CEST, live on MagentaSport and DAZN) could see the Werkself extend their points record on matchday 21. Three players will say their farewells at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium ahead of kick-off.
Show more
Winger Synne Skinnes Hansen is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the end of the season. The 29-year-old, who will be out of contract, is set to join Valerenga IF back home in Norway.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed the Algeria international Ibrahim Maza. The 19 year-old joins the champions of Germany and DFB Pokal winners from Bundesliga 2 side Hertha Berlin. Maza has signed a contract to 30 June 2030.
Show more
