Who is better, Ronaldo or Messi? This question once again divided opinion, as it did among the more than 100 kids present at the Bayer 04 Football School when Borja Iglesias put it back to them in eager anticipation. Shortly afterwards, however, everyone was in agreement when the Werkself pro asked the kids for their opinion of his teammate Florian Wirtz - hands immediately went up in unison in the young audience.
Iglesias went on to say that he even won 1-0 in Portugal with the Spanish national team against Cristiano Ronaldo, although he conceded a few goals against Messi with his clubs in the Spanish league. However, his own childhood idols were not CR7 or Messi: "As a striker, I naturally thought Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres were great. I even know Torres personally, which is a great honour for me." The Spaniard also revealed that pepperoni pizza is his absolute favourite food. "Even though I'm not allowed to eat it that often, of course," he joked.
Even after half an hour, there were no fewer raised hands from the curious kids, who went into the press conference fully prepared and, like the real journalists, peppered the striker with tricky questions - such as what drew him to Leverkusen. "It's always been a dream of mine to play football outside of Spain," explained Iglesias. "That's why it wasn't really difficult for me to come here. And I felt at home here right from the start. Bayer 04 is a big club, but also a very familiar one." It was therefore easy for him to settle in quickly, he added: "We all get on really well as a team. Obviously I speak the same language as Grimaldo, but I also have a very good relationship with Flo and Jona [Jonathan Tah]. And Jerry [Jeremie Frimpong] is a real joker!"
Afterwards, the Spaniard naturally left no selfie or autograph request unfulfilled. One little visitor had even prepared something very special and presented Iglesias with a picture he had painted himself. The 31-year-old was touched and summarised afterwards: "It's a great event, it's a huge thing for the children and you can tell how excited they are. But also how well they have prepared. It was really great fun and very refreshing," and jokingly added: "But I'll have to put my hand in the ice barrel first after signing so many autographs." (laughs) Let's see which player will answer the questions of the young journalists next week...
Want to become part of the Bayer 04 Football School? No problem! HERE you'll find all the information.
Italian teams are known for being strong in defence. The fact that Inter Milan, the next opponents for the Werkself in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 20.45 CET), have not conceded a single goal in their last five matches is impressive. Will the visitors' keeper Yann Sommer be able to keep a clean sheet at the BayArena against Florian Wirtz and Co.? The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 16. The game at the Signal Iduna Park on Friday, 10 January 2025, kicks off at 20.30 CET. Read on for information on ticket sales.
Show moreTwo champions go head-to-head: The Werkself entertain Inter Milan at the BayArena on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League. The game against the team from Lombardy is on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Head coach Xabi Alonso and defender Edmond Tapsoba revealed their keen anticipation ahead of the top match against the Italian champions at the pre-match press conference. In addition, the duo talked about the strengths of the visitors and the difference from playing teams in the Bundesliga.
Show moreThe fact the team led by head coach Xabi Alonso have learned from the draws against Holstein Kiel, Werder Bremen, VfL Bochum and VfB Stuttgart was demonstrated by the 2-1 win for the Werkself against FC St. Pauli on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to the victory against Hamburg side, Bayer 04 are now unbeaten in the last eleven Bundesliga matches (six wins, five draws) – only Bayern Munich are on a longer run at the moment. All of the last three matches have ended in victory. The Werkself review.
Show moreWerkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04’s 2-1 win against FC St. Pauli on the 13th matchday of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign…
Show more