"Together with Xabi Alonso we have written a success story just through winning the league title without defeat in a way not seen in German football," said Werner Wenning, chair of the shareholders committee at Bayer 04. "He was an outstanding ambassador at all times as coach both for our club as well as for the whole Bundesliga. Therefore, we are very grateful to Xabi Alonso."
Fernando Carro, as CEO, highlighted the sporting reputation that Bayer 04 has gained over the past two and a half seasons both at home and abroad: "Bayer 04 have achieved lasting recognition in the football world through the targeted success under Xabi Alonso. Bringing the Meisterschale to Leverkusen unbeaten plus winning the DFB Pokal, reaching the Europa League final and winning the Supercup makes us very proud," declared Carro.
Sporting managing director Simon Rolfes assesses the Alonso era as a "milestone in the development of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Together with Xabi, we have put together a team that has impressed the whole football world through quality on the pitch and mentality," said Rolfes. "We are proud of the big steps forward and the standing of the club today and wish Xabi all the best in his future roles. I'm sure our paths will often cross again."
For Alonso, the brilliant first chapter in his career as a professional coach ends with this departure from Leverkusen. "I owe great thanks to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, my players and staff, all the employees of the club and last but not least the fantastic fans. Our success was the result of an outstanding team performance," said Alonso. "This club, who showed exceptional trust in me, very much deserved to win the German league title for the first time. My thanks and admiration go to everybody who helped to make this triumph happen including the DFB Pokal win in Berlin," said Alonso. "Bayer 04 are ready for the future. The positive path will continue and I will be excited to follow it."
Bayer 04 are away to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb on Matchday 5 of the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off on Thursday 26 November at 18:45 CET at the Maksimir Stadium. All the information on ticket sales.
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It wasn’t just on the pitch that there was cause for celebration around the Werkself’s 2–1 home win against SC Freiburg. Plenty of happy faces could be seen near the dugouts at half-time too. Once again, CEO Fernando Carro, alongside former striker and club ambassador Stefan Kießling, paid tribute to eight supporters’ clubs celebrating up to their 30th anniversary on behalf of Bayer 04.
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It was a match that will live long in the memory of everyone involved: The Bayer 04 U19s celebrated their seventh win in seven matches in the DFB Youth League preliminary round – and yet it was a very special victory indeed: in the 4–3 (1–1) win at VfL Bochum 1848, no fewer than five goals came in the final quarter of an hour. As the 90th minute approached, coach Patrick Greveraars’s side found themselves behind, but then fought back in true ‘Laterkusen’ style.
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Under Carles Martínez, the Werkself have so far proved unbeatable at the BayArena. The Spaniard has led his team to victory in all three of their most recent home matches – and, it's worth noting, without conceding a single goal. On Sunday, 18 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST / live on DAZN and Werkself Radio), current league leaders SC Freiburg will make the trip to Leverkusen, but will be without their top scorer. What's more, the Werkself have won all three of their previous home matches against the Black Forest club. With a goal, Patrik Schick could not only secure a fourth consecutive victory but also set a memorable record. Meanwhile, on what will be the ‘Health Day' at the BayArena, much of the focus will be on physical wellbeing. Today's matchday news.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 7 of the 2026/27 Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
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