Bayer 04 only presented the eSports new signings Anna ‘B04_ANNA’ Klink and Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr a few weeks ago. The duo were supposed to be gradually introduced for possible appearances in the VBL alongside the Leverkusen professional gamers Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ De Cae and Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin. However, the 18-year-old Landwehr made his debut for #B04eSports on the third double matchday in the Club Championship – and that on the unfamiliar Xbox console.
Equally astounding: The Leverkusen newcomer only learned about his VBL appearance in the evening on Tuesday morning. "I got up at 4.30 and went to work as usual," explained Landwehr. "After I got the call in the morning, the anticipation was massive and I immediately started preparing." After the 2-1 individual win for 'DETO' against a very defensive Hamburg player in Daniel ‘HSV DANIEL’ Dwelk on PlayStation, it was time for the debut of the #B04eSports teenager.
Landwehr faced the Hamburg Xbox professional gamer Cina ‘LOSTINTHEWAVESZ’ Hosseindjani. "I was rather excited but then I did manage to control the game more or less," said the 18-year-old after his first VBL individual match that he deservedly won 4-2. His PlayStation teammate and FIFA world champion 'DETO' praised the new signing as a “very good player" and talked about very close practice matches in training.
As the following double-header against HSV ended in a goalless draw, the #B04eSports players secured an overall 7-1 win against the team from Hamburg in the early evening.
The matches against Hamburg were followed by clashes with VfL Bochum. 'DETO' was on the wrong end of a 5-1 scoreline against Cihan ‘CIHAN_OFFICIAL’ Yasarlar. Landwehr was more successful: The youngster was a winner in the individual game against Bochum's Ali ‘PREDATORFIFA’ Oskoui Rad. He scored in the last minute to seal a 4-3 victory. "What a great happy ending," rejoiced the 18-year-old with a broad grin. In a repeat of the result against HSV, the double-header with Bochum also ended goalless.
Thanks to the total of eleven points on matchdays five and six, Leverkusen have moved up to top spot in the North West section in the Club Championship. The #B04eSports players are back in action on Tuesday 1 December against Schalke 04 (18.00 CET) and Eintracht Braunschweig (20.00 CET).
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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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
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