
In addition, there is again a colourful collection of reports, images and other interesting stories from the Black and Red world of football. The recently crowned Argentinian World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios is obviously included as is Florian Wirtz, whose comeback after a long time on the sidelines is a reason to celebrate and not just for Bayer 04 fans. “The return of the ‘improver’” is the headline of the story about the 19-year-old who voluntarily provides an insight into his frame of mind during the often difficult months in rehab. Other subjects covered include the forthcoming Europa League tie with AS Monaco and the Werkself USA tour to St. Louis.
There is also some interesting reading matter away from the first team. Ken Izekor is already a prolific goalscorer with the Bayer 04 U17 team at the age of 15 and he could feature for the U19s in the UEFA Youth League. Friederike Repohl, the Bayer 04 Women’s team keeper, looks back at her biggest game and recalls some great saves in the penalty shoot-out to win the DFB Cup in 2020.
A profile of the Leverkusen club SV Schlebusch, one of the three winners of the volunteering award, completes the magazine along with a very unusual international fan community for whom no way is too far in following the Werkself. And, on top of that, the reader also has a deeper insight into the demanding work of a reporter for the visually impaired at Bayer 04. The Werkself magazine number 40 – full of exclusive Black and Red content.

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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