
There was plenty of laughter at this first edition of “Rudi invites you” at the Schwadbud. No wonder, as the wide variety of stories that club representative Stefan Kießling and former Werkself player Gonzalo Castro regaled the guests with were as thrilling as they were amusing. “Kies” described the emotional end to his career from a first-hand perspective and, shortly afterwards, had the room in stitches again with his recollections of his 'phantom goal' from October 2013 against TSG Hoffenheim, when he headed the ball past the post and it slipped through a hole in the side netting and was given as a goal.
The Bayer 04 fans listened intently as the pair spoke with host Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter Tobias Ufer about secrets that had not yet been made public. “You have to be there to experience it,” Vollborn summed up afterwards – and fans of the Werkself will soon have the chance to do just that!








True Werkself experts have something to look forward to with the next edition of “Rudi invites you”. On Tuesday 12 May, Rüdiger Vollborn will be hosting a black and red quiz night with Alexander Palitza, a local quiz host. Fans can register either in teams of four or individually and look forward to all sorts of exciting questions about Bayer 04. More detailed information about the quiz night and registration will be published in good time via the club’s own channels. Anyone interested can become a member HERE right now and benefit from priority booking!

Bayer 04 host Borussia Mönchengladbach at the BayArena on matchday 12 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
Show more
Bayer 04 host Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena on matchday 14 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
Show more
“As far as mentality and determination are concerned, we have nothing to reproach ourselves for,” Robert Andrich said up after the first home defeat for the Werkself this term. In terms of their play, too, the Black and Reds put in a respectable performance for long stretches of this intense and physical match, outperforming VfB Stuttgart in most areas. It was only in terms of efficiency in front of goal that the Swabians had the edge over the Werkself. Head coach Carles Martínez wants to learn from this so that, in future, they can “win this sort of match too”. The Werkself review.
Show more
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 working 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 personal 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…
Show more