"He's tricky, quick to pose danger in front of goal and he accepts responsibility – and all that at the age of 21. Kai Havertz is on course to be a world star," raves bundesliga.de about our number 29. "Very calm on the ball, excellent technique and the instinct of a top goalscorer, Havertz is the key player for the Werkself. The Germany international is a real all-rounder, two-footed and good in the air," the tribute continues.
Havertz has scored 12 goals in the Bundesliga this season and was the provider of another six. With his goal on matchday 29 against SC Freiburg – his 35th Bundesliga goal to date – he went into the history books: No other player under 21 reached that milestone before him.
Click HERE to vote for Kai Havertz – up to Monday, 22 June (12.00 CET).
Other candidates for Player of the Season are Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry (both Bayern Munich), Amine Harit (Schalke 04), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig), Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho (both Borussia Dortmund).
There were celebrations among those in black and red at the RheinEnergieSTADION. On Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season, the Werkself beat 1. FC Köln 2-0 and registered their sixth successive win in the derby. Aleix Garcia put Bayer 04 in front after just seven minutes with a direct free kick. Leverkusen played with discipline and energy after that and didn't allow some fierce challenges to unsettle them. Patrik Schick made it 2-0 in the 86th minute, and Said El Mala's goal in stoppage time for Köln proved nothing more than consolation. Jonas Hofmann crowned the derby win with his 100th appearance for the club.
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Bayer 04 have won each of their last five competitive encounters with 1. FC Köln, and it's around seven years since their last defeat in the cathedral city. That said, the hosts are in strong form at home and will make it anything but easy for the Werkself at the RheinEnergieSTADION on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 15:30 CET). The Matchday News.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 2-0 win against Hamburger SV on Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
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1. FC Köln host Bayer 04 on Sunday 8 November (kick-off 15:30 CET) in the 75th Bundesliga derby between the Rhineland neighbours. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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