"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."
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 personal 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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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
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Two months of preparation, five friendlies and the return of a familiar training camp location: After finishing fifth in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga last season, the Werkself will return to training on Tuesday, 23 June. Bayer04.de outlines the key dates in the 2026 summer timetable.
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With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
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