Win against France: Palacios and Argentina lift 2022 World Cup
Werkself player Exequiel Palacios is a World Cup winner! Argentina beat the previous winners France on penalties in the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Sunday 18 December.
The Albiceleste, with Bayer 04 player Exequiel Palacios in the squad, produced a focused performance in defence from the kick-off and also proved effective in attack in the first half. Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead from the penalty spot (23'), and Ángel di María doubled the lead on 36 minutes. The South American side maintained their lead before Kylian Mbappé put France back in the game with a brace (80', 81'). Then the match went into extra time.
Messi struck again on 109 minutes to give Argentina a 3-2 lead. However, France's Mbappé produced a suitable response by levelling at 3-3 with a penalty. In the ensuing penalty shootout, the Argentinians held their nerve and converted all their penalties while France missed two from the spot.
After the final whistle came the presentation of the trophy to the new World Cup winners – including Leverkusen's Exequiel Palacios who was also able to celebrate winning the title with his teammates.
Netherlands and croatia beaten
Argentina came out top in Group C above Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia and then went on to win against Australia (Round of 16), the Netherlands (quarter-finals) and Croatia (semi-finals). Palacios played in three games up to the final including the 3-0 victory over Croatia in the last four.
world cup winners: Palacios follows Lúcio
Exequiel Palacios follows on from Lúcio as the next World Cup winner playing for Bayer 04. The former Werkself central defender played for Brazil in the 2-0 victory against Germany in the 2002 final.
three world cup players back in Leverkusen
Sardar Azmoun with Iran and Piero Hincapie with Ecuador went out of the 2022 World Cup at the group stage. Jeremie Frimpong and the Netherlands lost out to Argentina in the quarter-finals. All three played in the 4-1 win in the Werkself friendly against the Swiss champions FC Zürich the day before the World Cup final.
Related News
Bayer 04 - 01.05.2026
Big crowd at shirt sale for a good cause with Tapsoba, Maza and Kofane - last chance at home matchday
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
Show more
Women - 01.05.2026
Bayer 04 Women on hunt for records in Essen
With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
Show more
Bayer 04 - 01.05.2026
Rudi recounts…: Vollborn’s May highlights
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…
Show more
Bayer 04 - 29.04.2026
‘Fierté Burkinabè’ documentary – visiting Edmond Tapsoba at home in Burkina Faso
From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 29.04.2026
Contract until 2031: Defensive ace Edmond Tapsoba commits long-term to Bayer 04
Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
Show more
