The new Bayer 04 Football Academy in Brazil Celebrates its Opening

The project brings together children and youths aged 5 to 15 and is led by Paulo Sérgio, 1994 world champion with the Brazilian national team and official Bayer 04 Legend, where he played from 1993 to 1997.

All of the children from the academy took part in the inauguration, outfitted in black and red colors, and enjoyed an afternoon full of football activities as well as the chance to meet with Bayer 04 players, past and present, along with popular Brian The Lion.

Football and team legends such as Zé Roberto, Zé Elias and right-back Arthur, who left straight from the opening to Leverkusen to join the team for the start of the preseason season, were on-hand on Saturday. The facility was decorated throughout with the team's crest and colors, including life-size cut-outs of the former players.

Paulo Sérgio: "After the World Cup, this is one of the happiest moments of my life"

Academy Director, Paulo Sérgio, highlighted in his welcome remarks that the arrival of Bayer 04 Football Academy in Brazil took almost two years of planning and involved several partners. The all-time leading scorer among Brazilians at Bayer 04 also celebrated the fact that the project is the first official academy of a Bundesliga club in the country.

"After the World Cup, this is one of the happiest moments of my life," said Sérgio, commenting on the importance of unifying Brazil and Germany through sport. “Bayer Leverkusen's presence in Brazil is an achievement that represents motivation and personal satisfaction, the result of years of dedication to strengthening this bridge between the two countries.

"Our aim is to bring cultures closer together, apply German methodology and grow together. I want to give back to Brazilians everything that the Germans have done for me and my family."

All of the academy's coaches have completed a training programme in Leverkusen and will continue to receive regular training, with ongoing exchanges with the European technical team.

Sérgios Son Luiz Felipe: "The idea has always been beyond football, it is also a social project"

The Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo is the first Bundesliga academy in the country. "The idea has always been beyond football, it is also a social project," said Luiz Felipe, Paulo Sérgio's son and technical coordinator of the Academy.

According to Felipe, 10% of the places are already reserved for children in vulnerable households, who receive adequate facilities, such as football boots and uniforms, in addition to the opportunity to participate in quality training on the field. The idea is to offer an environment for human and sports development.

Initially begun with training sessions on Saturdays for children of Bayer employees, the project already has 30 students and is expanding its activities to weekdays next week.

''I'm very happy to relive this story, I was very happy at Bayer, playing in important finals, like the Champions League. Today, I see that the project is still going strong with many children involved,” said Zé Roberto.

Mendes: “seeing everything carried out today is exciting”

Bayer executives Renato Iacone, CFO of Bayer Consumer Health Latam, and Priscila Mendes, President of the Club Bayer, were part of the day’s events to officially open the Academy.

“The project has a social focus — we want to offer real opportunities to the community. If a talent emerges, it will be a welcome surprise. It is a joy to open the first Bundesliga academy in Brazil,” said Iacone. “This initiative combines sports and health, fully aligned with our vision in Bayer’s Consumer Health business: to bring self-care to millions of people.

Mendes, who led the process locally, reinforced the importance of the initiative for the club and the region. "I am very happy, it was a project that started about two years ago and seeing everything carried out today is exciting. We already have children participating in the clinics and we want to see more and more of the community involved,” she added.