
It all started at 18.00 CET at the BayArena. After team chef Marius Kiepert presented the menu – spaghetti al dente and Greek yoghurt with fruit and brittle – and allocated the groups, there was a hive of cooking activity with plenty of questions too. The 14- to 19-year-olds had the opportunity to quiz the midfielder. The Werkself number eight was happy to share anecdotes on his best goal, feisty FIFA clashes, but also his cooking abilities. "I'm very happy to the cooking at home from time to time. My favourite meal is chili con carne... In Berlin it obviously has to be a real currywurst," revealed the Potsdam-born player.






After the culinary mission was completed, the self-prepared two-course meal was enjoyed in one of the many boxes at the BayArena. The evening was rounded off with autographs on aprons and selfies with a view of the stadium with everybody going home sated and with beaming smiles.
Would you like to get close up too? Then become a member of the Bayer 04 Teens Club for just €30 per year. You can sign up HERE.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 goalkeeper Simeon Rapsch. The Germany youth international goalkeeper has signed a long-term contract with the Werkself running to 30 June 2029. The 18-year-old joined Leverkusen from FC Viktoria Köln in the summer of 2024.
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Ken Izekor is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join third-tier side Alemannia Aachen with immediate effect. The 19-year-old centre-forward joined the club from Alemannia in 2018, and Izekor is now returning to his hometown.
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The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Bayer 04 have named Jorginho, a 1994 World Cup winner with Brazil, an official club legend. He is the second former Werkself player, after Paulo Sergio, to be accorded this special honour. For many years, the former Leverkusen defender has been deeply committed to helping people in need in his home city of Rio de Janeiro. More than 25 years ago, Jorginho launched the Bola pra Frente project, through which he uses the money he earned as a player – including during his time at Bayer 04 – to support children and young people in the favelas in particular. During a trip to Brazil lasting several days, Fernando Carro, CEO at Bayer 04, assured Jorginho of the club’s support for Bola pra Frente for at least another five years.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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