"Patrik Schick has had a fantastic season and shown his world-class ability in his position. There are few centre-forwards of his calibre on the European stage," said sporting director Simon Rolfes on the long-term extension to the current successful partnership. "In addition to Patrik's exceptional sporting qualities as a complete striker he also has the abilities of a leader to provide stability and guidance to a team on the pitch. The contract extension with a player of his quality underlines the ambition we all have under the Bayer Cross."
Rudi Völler was very committed to the signing of the 6 foot 3 striker two years ago when he was at Völler’s former club AS Roma after a loan deal at RB Leipzig. And the current contract extension with the top goalscorer in last year's European Championships has seen the departing sporting managing director provide full support for Rolfes. "Agreeing a new deal with a player like that is an expression of our ambition and a clear sign that Bayer 04 Leverkusen want to remain at the top level after my departure. That's exactly what I promised at the stadium on the final Bundesliga matchday," said Völler who hands over to Rolfes on 1 July. "For me, Patrik Schick is one of the best centre-forwards in the world at the moment. He knows he has great teammates here who set him up from all angles and enable him to express his strengths," said Völler. “I'm looking forward to seeing him in a Werkself shirt in the coming years."
The Prague-born striker Schick, who has scored 17 goals for the Czech Republic in 33 internationals, has settled down in Leverkusen over the past two years. "I feel really good here," said the 26-year-old, "our team is a promise for the future above all. It's huge fun being with these lads and we are really determined to achieve something. Qualification for the Champions League is a good next step. There are lots of possibilities here so that's why I've extended my deal at Bayer 04."
Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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A bitter end to the fifth showdown of the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship as the #B04eSports team failed to take any points in the three remaining matches of the preliminary online round of the fifth and final showdown, missing out on the offline round. They can no longer take points in the overall table. Bayer 04 slipped out on the top eight, so direct participation in the final event for the German Club Championship is no longer possible, with Bayer 04 having to contest the play-offs.
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A rematch in Athens: On Wednesday, 18 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), the Werkself face Greek double winners Olympiacos for the second time this season at the Karaiskakis Stadium. After the encounter in the league phase, it's now time for the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-offs. Ahead of the game, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about how his side will approach the clash, while captain Robert Andrich explained how the team will try to dampen the atmosphere in the stadium tomorrow.
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With the much-celebrated 2-1 derby win against 1. FC Köln, the Bayer 04 Women underlined their credentials as one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Anyone wishing to support the Werkself in the stadium in the race for third place can now purchase tickets for the home match against FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Tickets are also still available for the upcoming clash against TSG Hoffenheim at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday, 22 February. The latest information at a glance.
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Let's give it our all one more time! Today, Tuesday 17 February (live on the VBL Twitch channel from 18:00 CET), the #B04eSports team play the remaining three preliminary round matches of the fifth and final showdown of the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. The Leverkusen console pros go up against 1. FC Nürnberg, 1. FC Magdeburg and Bayern Munich, aiming to secure their place in the offline knockout round and pick up valuable points for the overall table and the battle to get into the final event for the German Club Championship. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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