
It was probably the most moving moment of many with the visit of Rudi Völler and Simon Rolfes to the Casa de Cuna (in English: orphanage): In the inner courtyard of the school, between two football nets, colourful toy houses and slides, José Antonio de Nuñes Vera spoke to express his gratitude for the support from Germany with tears in his eyes. The 77-year-old is not only the president of the orphanage at Querétaro but he also looks after the health of the children in his role as a paediatric doctor.
Völler has been an ambassador for the Egidius Braun Foundation for decades. The now 62-year-old first visited the orphanage in 1986 when he was playing for Germany. Just before the start of the World Cup, a small delegation from the German Football Association (DFB) came to Querétaro during the World Cup finals in Mexico. Alongside Völler were the then head of delegation Egidius Braun, coach Franz Beckenbauer and goalkeeper Toni Schumacher. “Of course, images from that time come to mind here. Back then we saw that a lot of help was needed here and we wanted to get involved,” said Völler immediately after arriving at the orphanage. “So, it’s all the better to see what’s happened here in the last 36 years. I’m very moved by the work here and I’d like to thank the people who have done so much for the well-being of the children beyond this place.”

The departing sporting managing director at the Werkself met up with one or two people from 1986 during his two-hour visit – that included the former general consul Christoph Bauer who received the small Bayer 04 delegation with open arms like everybody else present.
Völler and Rolfes presented the management of the orphanage with a cheque from Bayer 04 in the sum of €10,000. Sporting director Rolfes, who like Völler is also a member of the Board of Trustees at the Egidius Braun Foundation: “You can see with everybody here that there is immense gratitude for the support. Of course, I will do everything I can over the coming years with my colleagues to carry on the work Rudi has done over all these years with great commitment and passion.”





Following on from the official part of the visit, the Leverkusen sporting management presented small Brian the Lion cuddly toys to the 40 children. On top of that, Völler and Rolfes donated a football table in Bayer 04 colours, which the kids tested out immediately.
The Bayer 04 delegation were then given a tour of the orphanage that is divided into education and living areas. Völler and Rolfes met a small girl on the arm of one of the caring members of staff at the orphanage in the dormitory. The child had only arrived two days ago but she will have a caring home in the future at the orphanage in Querétaro – also due to the long-standing support of people like Egidius Braun and Rudi Völler…

The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
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The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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The Bundesliga is back. On Saturday 29 August (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to SV 07 Elversberg on matchday 1 of the new season. Ahead of the clash at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the importance of a successful start and the motivation of the league newcomers from the Saarland.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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