Ahead of kick-off, the players and fans ensured a really emotional moment: While Kies' team-mates warmed up in shirts with his number on, the fans produced an impressive choreography that stretched across the whole of the North and East Stand terraces during the official farewell by Michael Schade and Rudi Völler.
During the game against Hannover 96, it took a while for the striker to process his first impressions of his final game. With the match drawing to a close, he came off the bench and the fans went wild. "We want Stefan!" rang through the BayArena until the substitution happened: Kießling came on in the 83rd minute to make his 403rd and final Bundesliga appearance.
The scenes after the final whistle in Stefan's second home did not leave a dry eye in the house: There were kisses from his wife Norina and their children before Kies set off on a long lap of honour that ended up with his fellow players and the fans at the North Stand. After further vocal appreciation and the bumps from his team-mates, Kies' final speech made it clear: It was a fairy-tale farewell.
The German Football League (DFL) has launched the vote for the Bundesliga Team of the Season. As of now, fans of the Werkself can select no fewer than eight Bayer 04 players in the top XI of the 2023/24 campaign: on the shortlist are Lukas Hradecky, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, Alejandro Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka, Exequiel Palacios, Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface. Voting closes on Monday 22 April at 9:00 CEST.
Show moreBayer 04 Women have the chance to surpass their points total from last season with three games remaining in the Google Pixel Bundesliga as they visit RB Leipzig for Matchday 19 on Friday (kick-off: 6.30pm CEST). Victory against the promoted side would take Robert de Pauw’s team onto 31 points, one more than they managed in their 22 fixtures in 2022/23.
Show more14 April 2024 will go down in history at Bayer Leverkusen. We’ll try to reconstruct it all for you. Not only are the Werkself the first new champions of Germany since Wolfsburg in 2009, but only twice before in Bundesliga history has such the title been won earlier than Matchday 29. It ended Bayern Munich’s 11-year reign as champions. And Leverkusen are still undefeated in their 43 competitive matches this season, equalling the all-time record of a team in the five major European leagues. We round it all up in our Werkself review…
Show moreMedia from around the world have honoured the Werkself's season after they secured their first Bundesliga title with a 5-0 win at home to Werder Bremen. We round up the praise showered on Xabi Alonso's team…
Show moreSheer emotion at the BayArena! The final whistle in the home game against Werder Bremen (5-0) at 19.21 CEST marks the start of the Black and Red champions party. First on the pitch, then in the dressing room, in the press conference room and finally with the fans again in the stadium. Images from the first hours as champions of Germany.
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