The 28-year-old gained his first experience as a youth coach during his time on a Sports Studies course in Barcelona and that included being at the Spanish third division club Unió Esportiva Cornellà. After completing postgraduate studies (Education and Sports Management) Sergi Runge moved on to one of the top clubs in Costa Rica: He was assistant to the first team coach at Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and also head coach of the U17 side.
After a year in Central America, he followed the call to La Masia and started at Barcelona in the summer of 2020. Runge, who speaks fluent German and English in addition to Spanish, this week started working alongside Thomas Zdebel on the coaching staff of the Leverkusen U17s.
He is the best example of how far successful and professional youth development can go: Kai Havertz joined Bayer 04 from Alemannia Aachen at the age of eleven. At 17, the Germany international made his first appearance for the senior team, graduated from high school in Leverkusen and is still the youngest player ever to make one hundred appearances in the Bundesliga. From London, where he plays for top club Arsenal, Havertz is closely following the discussion about the Bayer 04 Campus and, like more than 11,000 other supporters, has signed the petition launched by Bayer 04 fans from Monheim am Rhein.
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The first victory in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 is firmly in sight: On Wednesday, 5 November (kick-off: 20:00 GMT, 21:00 CET), the Werkself are away to Portuguese record champions Benfica. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the clear approach and the great importance of this encounter for both parties. Alejandro Grimaldo, who joined Bayer 04 from Benfica in 2023, also looked back on his more than seven years with the club.
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Three days after their convincing 4-2 victory at FC Carl Zeiss Jena, the Bayer 04 Women are once again favourites for their next Bundesliga fixture. On Wednesday, 5 November (19:00 CET), the Werkself welcome promoted Hamburger SV to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The match will take place as part of Bayer 04's Health Weeks - with a focus on organ donation.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Newcastle United on matchday 6 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on Wednesday, 10 December, at 21:00 CET. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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