Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visits Leverkusen

Smiles at welcome dinner

The excitement for the days ahead was already palpable at the welcome dinner at the Schwadbud. For Paulo Sergio – an official club legend and director of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo – and his son Luiz Felipe, it was above all a reunion with the club they represent together with their academy in Brazil.

Training, excursions and more

One of the first sporting highlights of the trip was a joint training session with the coaches and kids from the Leverkusen Football Academy. Under the guidance of German and Brazilian coaches, the children and teens took part in a joint practice session, followed by a mini tournament to round out the day. In addition to Sergio, club representative Falko Götz and mascot Brian the Lion also stopped by.

Away from the pitch, there was plenty for the visitors to discover. A tour of the BayArena offered special insights into the Werkself’s home stadium, and a visit to Bayer AG was also on the itinerary. During group activities in the region, there was also plenty of time to get to know the surrounding area. The group went on a variety of excursions, including a boat tour on the Rhine and a visit to the Cologne Chocolate Museum.

Sergio: ‘Proud to bring the children and parents’

Of course, some Bundesliga football was a must. The guests got to experience the Werkself live, especially during the home game against Union Berlin. Highlights of the 4-0 victory over the Berliners included a flag display featuring the Brazilian kids before kick-off and a half-time talk with Sergio and Felipe. During the conversation, Sergio said, “I’m really happy to be back here. I’m very proud to bring the children and their parents here. I think they’ve gotten to know the Bayer 04 family now, and that’s really wonderful.”

Felipe emphasised: “It’s a lot of fun. We’ve now held camps with a total of 500 children. It’s really wonderful to represent Bayer 04 in Brazil. We’re very proud of the academy and want to grow even bigger. We’d like to thank our sponsors and especially Bayer 04 for their tremendous support.”

Taking home special memories

After a week filled with training, football and shared experiences, the group headed back to São Paulo on Sunday. In their luggage were many memories of Leverkusen that all the participants were able to take back with them to Brazil.