The Werkself players wore the new home shirt for the 2023/24 season with the cross on the chest for the first time in the match at the Spanish Champions League club. A badge marking the charity match on the front of the shirt was another highlight. The shirt auction raised €16,739. The top seller at the auction was the shirt worn by Florian Wirtz with a value of over €4,000.
The money raised will be used to carry out the first clinical study in Europe on the treatment of SPG50. Children from Spain and Germany will take part in this clinical study, which will build on a study previously carried out in the USA. Javier Garcia, president of the Columbus Foundation, said: "The Columbus Foundation thanks Bayer 04 for their great support. This enables us to start the second clinical study at the beginning of next year. The families of the children affected have great hopes in the study for the treatment of this previously incurable disease."
The Fundación Columbus:
The Columbus Children’s Foundation has the mission of raising funds for research into rare diseases and to find treatments for these through gene therapy. The friendly against the Champions League team from La Liga is specifically part of the battle against spastic paraplegia 50 (SPG 50). This rare neuromuscular disease affects a very limited number of children with symptoms including developmental delay, mental incapacity and changes to or absence of speech.
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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