The social media community primarily know Furkan Kayacik by the name 'Furkyplayz'. On his similarly named YouTube channel, he entertains more than 73,000 followers with his gaming content for the FIFA football game and he is also followed on Instagram by 12,600 people. "Furky is at home in the online gaming world and a familiar face on the circuit. He will strengthen our team and beyond that work as a content creator," explained Florian Dederichs, director of internationalisation & eSports at Bayer 04.
Kayacik most recently played for the TF eSports team (20 22 September 2021) and before that he was with JBG Gaming for a year. His greatest successes include a top eight finish in the prestigious Licensed Qualifier Event in Bucharest (FIFA 19) and first place in the WeekendLeague with 120 to 0 wins last December (FIFA 21). The year before, 'Furky' succeeded in securing 30 wins to 0 in under four hours in the WeekendLeague – a record time.
The 21-year-old is full of ambition and commitment for his time under the Bayer Cross. Kayacik: "We have a squad with great potential and we will work on our game every day. I want to win as many games as possible with my teammates." The new signing will take part in all competitions including the EA Global Series and the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL).
In addition to his role on the console, Kayacik will also work for Bayer 04 in the future as a content creator on social media and he will also entertain #B04eSports followers with videos on the club Twitch channel.
Here is the presentation of ‘Furky’ on Bayer 04 TV.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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