Loan extension: Rafaela Borggräfe to stay at Bayer 04

“Rafaela settled in without any teething problems during the Rückrunde last term and was a very reliable presence for us,” said Achim Feifel, sporting director of the Bayer 04 Women’s team: “She is a highly professional athlete who is constantly striving to improve and, in the long term, aims to get back in contention for the senior national team. With these high standards she sets for herself, she is a major asset to us both in sporting terms and in terms of her mentality. Thanks to her loan move, we are very well-positioned in the goalkeeping department for the coming season.”

Following her move from the English FA Women’s Super League (WSL), Borggräfe made ten Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04 in the Rückrunde. Before that, she played for SC Freiburg from 2013 to 2025 before moving on to Liverpool. The 25-year-old progressed through all the youth teams at the German Football Association (DFB) up to the U23s and was first called up to the senior national team in December 2024.

“The decision to stay at Bayer 04 for another year was an easy one for me because I feel very much at home here, both on and off the pitch, and I’ve been able to develop well over the past few months,” said Borggräfe: “In the new season, I want to take on even more responsibility, deliver consistently good performances and achieve our goals with the team.”