Once again, Kai Havertz with 12 goals – as in 2018/19 (17 goals) – was the most prolific Leverkusen forward and he played a big part in the black and red attack that netted 63 goals this season. In a repeat of last season, Kai is followed by Kevin Volland (10), scoring double figures for the third campaign in succession, plus the Argentinian central striker Lucas Alario (7).
Havertz secured a record with one of his 12 goals: The winner in the 1-0 victory in the home game against SC Freiburg on matchday 29 was his 35th in the top flight. As our number 29 was only 20 years and 353 days old at the time, that goal set a record in the Bundesliga – no other player was younger when they reached that milestone.
Just one matchday later, exceptional talent Florian Wirtz also set a record with his curler past Germany keeper Manuel Neuer for the final goal in the 4-2 defeat against FC Bayern: At the age of 17 years, one month and three days, the Germany U17 international became the youngest ever goalscorer in the history the Bundesliga – and also in the Bayer 04 record books.
No other Werkself player needed less time on average to score a goal: The 19-year-old Paulinho scored three goals in 291 minutes on the pitch in the Bundesliga. The Brazilian, currently recovering from a torn cruciate, netted a brace in the four-home win against Eintracht Frankfurt. At the start of year, Paulinho played a crucial part in helping Brazil qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo with three goals in seven games. As with the European Championships, the Olympics have been postponed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This Bayer 04 player can outpace nearly everybody in the league: Leon Bailey's top speed this season was measured at 36.4 km/h in the game against Hertha Berlin on matchday 33. That sets a new record for a Leverkusen player since the recording of tracking data in 2013/14 and is also the third highest this season. Only Alphonso Davies (FC Bayern) and Dortmund's Achraf Hakimi were slightly quicker.
There are also positive stats to report from the defence: The Werkself have been able to rely on Lukas Hradecky in goal. The Finland goalkeeper, who was an ever-present this term, saved 100 shots and also kept 10 clean sheets. Hradecky also foiled 14 clear-cut chances from opponents – more than any other keeper this season. And the sports journal Kicker also recognises the achievements of the Leverkusen goalkeeper: Hradecky had the best marks of all the Bundesliga keepers. He also had the fourth best assessment of all the players in the league.
And finally, although not a record, the achievement of Sven Bender is still impressive. The central defender had 2,993 touches in 34 league games – that is only beaten by Joshua Kimmich (3,314). Sven Bender also has the highest pass completion rate in the team (95 per cent).
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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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 personalised 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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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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