The match against Roma on Thursday night was something special: Bayer 04 were in a European semi-final for the first time since 2002. “18 May is a very special day for us all. We will talk a bit about the old times and hopefully of course, watch a good game,” said Rüdiger Vollborn, to this day the Leverkusen player with the most appearances and back then the Werkself goalkeeper, two hours before kick-off in the semi-final second leg.
One of the biggest moments in the club’s history was 35 years ago to the day: Bayer 04 won the UEFA Cup on penalties against Espanyol at the BayArena. After a 3-0 defeat in the first leg, the Werkself fought back and ended up as winners of the competition.
A large number of the heroes of 1988 returned to the BayArena to watch this season’s semi-final second leg. “It’s incredible that almost all of us from back then are here. We met up again for the first time ten years ago and repeated that five years ago. Today is the third time. I hope we can make it a regular event,” said Vollborn.
And although it was not enough to go through to the final of the Europa League this year, May 18 in 1988 and in 2023 – above all thanks to the tremendous atmosphere at the BayArena – will never be forgotten in the history of Bayer 04.
The group was made up of Reiner Calmund, Marcus Feinbier, Falko Götz, Minas Hantzidis, Christian Hausmann, Florian Hinterberger, Thomas Hörster, Gerd Kentschke, Knut Reinhardt, Christian Schreier, Rüdiger Vollborn, Herbert Waas and Thomas Zechel.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have secured a new premium partner in the form of DRIVIO. DRIVIO, already part of the club’s partner portfolio as a reliable car subscription partner for Bayer 04, will continue to support the club in this capacity and, with immediate effect, also join the premium group of companies that cooperate closely with the Werkself. The premium and car subscription partnership between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and DRIVIO will initially run until 30 June 2027.
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Following last weekend’s big game against Wolfsburg, Bayer 04 Women face another exciting challenge as they visit Hoffenheim to kick off Matchday 3 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga on Friday (kick-off: 18:30 CEST).
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Under the slogan ‘Holidays without War’, 60 children from war-torn Ukraine took part in the summer camp organised by the German-Ukrainian association Blau-Gelbes Kreuz in Leverkusen and the surrounding area in August. The children aged between 10 and 14 – many of whom have lost their parents in the war – come from the Ukrainian twin towns of Leverkusen, Cologne and Monheim am Rhein: Nikopol, Dnipro and Volodymyr. Bayer 04, Bayer AG and TSV Bayer 04 supported the camp to mark its 10th anniversary, enabling even more children and young people than in previous years to spend a few carefree days’ holiday away from the war in the Rhineland.
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Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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New to Leverkusen and straight up onto the roof at the BayArena: Guéla Doué has arrived. In an interview with Werkself TV, the new right-back talks about his previous links with Bayer 04 and how much he’s looking forward to his first home match. Have a look!
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