Simon, you have a somewhat different international break over the coming days. What are the aims of the Trophy Tour?
Rolfes: Last season was special for us. Our task now is to use that success to strengthen our club in important markets across the world, increase awareness of us, and, of course, grow as a club at the end of the day. The Trophy Tour also makes it possible to engage with fans and partners of Bayer 04 all over the world on a personal level. At the same time, we are ambassadors for the whole of the Bundesliga and we want to fulfil this role as best we can.
Why Brazil as a destination?
Rolfes: The Brazilian way of playing football, their passion and love for football have always fascinated and attracted Bayer 04. That's also why there has been a historic link for decades with Brazilian players who have played for Bayer 04 like Paulo Sergio, Lucio, Zé Roberto, Jorginho and in recent times Wendell, Paulinho - and now Arthur. Brazil is a very interesting target market for us. Bayer AG is already very well represented here and has thousands of employees in São Paulo alone who work on a big campus. I'm looking forward to getting to meet many of them.
What events are planned?
Rolfes: It will be quite a busy week. Together with my colleague Kim Falkenberg (Head of Recruitment at Bayer 04, ed.) we will be at an employee event organised by Bayer South America. In addition, we will visit the German Chamber of Foreign Trade and we will have a training session with children at a German school in São Paulo. On top of that, there are a lot of media events. Of course, we will always have the trophies with us. (He laughs)
Will Arthur be on the tour as a Brazilian?
Rolfes: Unfortunately he can't be with us. He will be training in Leverkusen. It's important for me to mention: When Arthur contributed to winning trophies last season he also won something for all the Brazilians who have played for our club over the years. They all helped establish the path we are now on.
Have you ever played in Brazil?
Rolfes: Unfortunately not.
Who do you think is the best Brazilian footballer to play for Bayer 04?
Rolfes: We've had so many different, brilliant players and characters here. I had the opportunity to play alongside Renato Augusto for several years. His style of play was very flexible. He began as a young professional in attacking midfield and later played in a more a more defensive role. Renato was incredibly strong technically and dangerous in front of goal and his tactical ability grew with increasing experience. A great player.
Could other players from Brazil play for the Black and Reds in the future?
Rolfes: Definitely. Given our positive experience to date, I don't know why not.
Bayer 04 have agreed a loan move for U19s striker Ken Izekor to join Bundesliga 2 club Eintracht Braunschweig on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 season.
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Bayer 04 have agreed a loan deal for Jeanuel Belocian to join fellow Bundesliga club Wolfsburg on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old defender’s contract in Leverkusen runs until 30 June 2029.
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After Leverkusen's eSports team spectacularly won the first showdown in the history of the VBL Club Championship last year, two rather sobering editions followed with two early exits. Now, in Showdown Four, cousins Marc and Sean Landwehr have once again made it into the offline knockout phase. And in this phase, Bochum awaits on Monday, 2 February (live on the VBL's Twitch channel from 16:00 CET). Here's a look at their opponents and what might happen next.
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SAB-P GmbH is to become Bayer 04 Leverkusen's first official inclusion partner. The company, which has previously been involved in the club's Business Club, is underlining its social commitment to inclusion with an agreement that runs until 31 May 2027. Among other things, it will be the shirt sponsor of the Inclusion Team from the 2026/27 season onwards.
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The Werkself were impressive in the 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt with clinical finishing and a first half "at a high level" that head coach Kasper Hjulmand draws a lot of positives from. The same should apply to Arthur, who scored for the first time in the Bundesliga. Edmond Tapsoba, for his part, was happy about his 250th appearance in a Bayer 04 jersey. "I think we're slowly finding our feet again," said goalscorer Malik Tillman, summing up the performance. The Werkself review.
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