And then it's back onto the balcony in the South Stand – in front of the fans. A cardboard Meisterschale in hand, the stadium microphone amongst the group. Werner Wenning, Fernando Carro, Simon Rolfes, Xabi Alonso, Lukas Hradecky, Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and Co. direct emotional words to the fans. And the party is in full swing.
Armed with plenty of cold drinks, part of the team storm head coach Xabi Alonso's press conference on the first floor. The Spaniard gets a soaking – but that's all part of the fun.
It's time to celebrate! The team toast the historic title win in the home dressing room at the BayArena. The mood is relaxed and beer is flowing! After that, it's onto the balcony in the South Stand at the BayArena – in front of the fans.
There's no holding back! A few seconds after Florian Wirtz makes it 5-0, the referee blows for full-time – and the fans stream onto the pitch from all sides. There are emotional moments between the players and the fans that will never be forgotten. There are floods of tears, warm embraces and full throated cries of celebration. We've done it! Bayer are champions of Germany!
The Werkself are champions of Germany with the brilliant 5-0 display including a Wirtz hat-trick. 29 Bundesliga games unbeaten, a 16-point lead over the rivals from Munich and Stuttgart. The Werkself have more than deserved to lift this title.
Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Nathan Tella for the time being.
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After a week in the Algarve, the Bayer 04 Women returned home on Saturday afternoon. The Werkself had six training sessions, two friendlies and a lot of time together as a team. Roberto Pätzold's team will be back in action in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga next Friday for the start of matchday 15.
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"We didn’t make the right decision at the right moments," said captain Robert Andrich after the 1-0 defeat away to TSG Hoffenheim, where Bayer 04 endeavoured to control the game but failed to score. The Werkself also had two enforced substitutions due to injuries. Nevertheless, the coach, captain and debutant Janis Blaswich are positive about the coming weeks. The Werkself review.
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