The first stop was at the Bayer AG headquarters in the south of São Paulo. Some 200 guests were present including a large number of Bayer employees. The event was also streamed live to other Bayer locations in Latin America. Simon Rolfes talked about the long-standing connection between Bayer 04 and the country through Brazilian players who have appeared for the Werkself, and he also once again reviewed the historic double winning season.
"We know we already have a lot of fans in Brazil for decades through our history with lots of Brazilian players. We also have a strong connection to the Bayer Group here," said Rolfes before adding: "Therefore, it's important for us to be here on the spot to share last year's fantastic season with you. Bringing the trophies here goes without saying for us because Brazilian players and fans were always, and are now too, an important part of our success." Afterwards Rolfes fielded a host of questions in a relaxed session with the audience. Of course, selfies with the three trophies were in great demand.
Arturo Sánchez, president of Bayer Consumer Health Latin America and Asia/Pacific, was also delighted: "I'm happy to be able to welcome Bayer 04 here. I believe there are a lot of parallels between the Bayer company structure and a football team. In our company we have to produce results and always think about the strategies needed so we can win in the market. And in football it's about being successful and dealing with the challenge of meeting the constant pressure. Bayer 04 were outstanding in that respect last season. We are proud to be part of it." Rolfes, Paulo Sergio, Bayer 04 legend and 1994 World Cup winner, plus Kim Falkenberg, head of recruitment at Bayer 04, rounded off the afternoon with an official presentation of a jersey to Sánchez.
Later in the evening, there was a Champions Night organised by Bayer Brazil for partners and invited members of the media. Here too, the trophies were the most popular subject to photo. Sergio provided an emotional summary of the day: "Being a Bayer 04 ambassador and bringing the club closer to Bayer Brazil and the people here in my home country means very much to me. I've worked towards achieving that."
Rolfes, Sergio and Co. have a meeting with the German-Brazilian Chamber of Foreign Trade on Wednesday. Bayer 04 are also set to conclude a partnership with the Plastiks company and visit a green mining recycling station.
After being nominated for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025, Martin Terrier's wonderful strike for the opener against FC Köln is now also up for selection for the ARD Sportschau Goal of the Month award for December 2025. Bayer 04 fans have until 19:00 CET on 10 January to vote for the French forward.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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"In every ending lies a new beginning" is a well-known saying. This phrase has probably never been more apt at Bayer 04. After winning the Bundesliga in 2023/24 and finishing as runners-up in 2024/25, the summer was the most eventful ever in terms of transfers. Over ten players and the coach, including the coaching staff, left the club. A lot of the heroes of the double-winning side began a new chapter. It was the end of an era. And at the same time the beginning of a new, very exciting and promising chapter for Leverkusen. The Werkself welcomed more than a dozen new arrivals, including experienced title-winners and young talents, to build a new "foundation for a successful team capable of winning titles" under the Bayer Cross, as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. A new spirit, a new hunger, a new story was to be created. Bayer04.de looks back at the first few months of this story and the final act of the preseason.
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43 points at the end of the last Bundesliga season were not only more than ever before for the Bayer 04 Women, but also led to a record fourth-place finish. That was followed by a Hinrunde with many more victories, but also some setbacks. In an interview with bayer04.de, sporting director Achim Feifel takes stock at the end of the year.
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With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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