With a total of 20.8% (52 votes), Havertz narrowly beat the winners from the first half of the season Marco Reus (20%) and Jadon Sancho (14.8%) from league rivals Borussia Dortmund. "Six months ago, the now 20-year-old Leverkusen player was amongst the also-rans but a brilliant second half of the season has seen him overtake the more experienced Dortmund players," was the view of the kicker. Furthermore: "The victory for Havertz and the next generation (Reus was 30 a few days ago making him ten years older) was underlined by his stats: The attacking midfielder and inspirational force in the side netted 11 of his 17 goals in the second half of the season."
Under the heading of 'High flyer of the season', the most successful goalscorer of the Werkself (18%) was in second place behind the 19-year-old Dortmund player Sancho (30.4%) and ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt Luka Jovic (17.6%). "The rise of Havertz, now voted best player, was clearly not primarily associated with the previous season. The Leverkusen player made his league debut at the age of 17 back on 25 October 2016 in the 2-1 defeat at Bremen," declared the kicker.
The Werkself head coach Peter Bosz (5.6%) was the fourth highest response to the kicker request to name the top coach. That puts the 55-year-old behind Adi Hütter (Eintracht Frankfurt, 40.4%), Friedhelm Funkel (Fortuna Düsseldorf, 16.8%) and Florian Kohfeld (Werder Bremen, 12%).
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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