In 2024, Granit Xhaka with Bayer 04 celebrated winning the first German league title in the club's history as well as the DFB Pokal and the Supercup. The midfield maestro also impressed with Switzerland at Euro 2024 and again reached the quarter-finals as in the previous European Championship finals. The captain of the national side was voted Man of the Match in the first and third group matches and now has 135 international caps. Granit Xhaka was also the first Swiss player since 1996 to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or last year and he ended up in sixteenth place. Last week, the 32-year-old was voted MVP 2024, the most valuable player of the year, at the Swiss sport gala Sports Awards 2024.
Xhaka, connected online to the Swiss Football Night in Bern, said of his award: "It wasn't just my year. It was our year, with a great Euros. It was outstanding to win the trophies with the club but also celebrate the successes with the national team. I'd like to thank everybody once again. Above all, Murat Yakin (Switzerland head coach, ed.) who supported me both in training as well as privately.
Information on voting process in German is available HERE.
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
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On the back of two wins within four days, Bayer 04 Women round off an intensive Bundesliga week in the Black Forest. Roberto Pätzold's side have the chance to move back up to third place against SC Freiburg in the final fixture of Matchday 10 on Monday (18:00 CET) and draw level on points with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg.
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The last international break of this calendar year features the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An overview of who's playing where and when from a Leverkusen point of view.
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Never before have Bayer 04 led 4-0 so early in the Bundesliga, never before have they won a Bundesliga home match by a higher margin. Leverkusen's exhibition display against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 produced many stories, records and debuts. While Kasper Hjulmand's side celebrated the rousing performance properly with the fans, Jonas Hofmann and Co aren't losing focus: "We have to be careful that we don't just praise ourselves. The games come thick and fast again after the international break." The Werkself Review has all the reaction and analysis of the 6-0 victory at the BayArena.
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