Zé Roberto visited the club a few weeks ago. He watched the training session, talked with Arthur and head coach Xabi Alonso and said hello to many employees he knows from his time at Bayer 04.
The midfielder made his debut for the Werkself in the summer of 1998. Four years later he left the club after 113 Bundesliga matches (18 goals), three runners-up finishes and one UEFA Champions League final. He went on to win four Bundesliga titles and four DFB Cups with Bayern Munich. He was named in the FIFA All-Star Team in the 2006 World Cup in Germany even though Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals. Bayer 04 fans included José Roberto da Silva Júnior, his real name, in their dream team to mark 40 years of the club being in the Bundesliga.
Zé Roberto finished his playing career at Palmeiras at the age of 43 in November 2017. He had led the team to one championship title and one cup triumph. And the Brazilian is still active now at the age of 50, including in the Baller League. He also offers online training programmes as a fitness influencer and has 2.8 million followers on Instagram.
A thrilling final but with no reward: the Bayer 04 U19s lost 5-4 to 1. FC Köln in the final for the German championship. Sergi Runge's side went into a commanding lead through goals by Artem Stepanov and Jeremiah Mensah, but the visitors battled back and turned it into a 4-2 lead before half-time. Leverkusen then showed their own comeback qualities in the second period, with Francis Onyeka and Kerim Alajbegovic restoring partiy, but Luis Stapelmann snatched the winner for Köln late on.
Show more
They had their hands full in the VAR centre in Cologne: eight goals were scored at the MEWA Arena on Saturday afternoon, but only four of them were allowed in the end as the Werkself and 1. FSV Mainz 05 closed the season with a 2-2 draw. It means Bayer 04 end the 2024/25 campaign as runners-up with 69 points, representing the fourth-best season in the club's history. What's more, the Werkself are now unbeaten away from home in two whole Bundesliga seasons, with their last away defeat coming exactly two years ago on Matchday 34 of the 2022/23 season at VfL Bochum. The Black-and-Reds can continue the record run next season - albeit without Alonso and Tah. Read what else the eventful final game for the head coach and the defensive leader had to offer in the Werkself Review.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-2 draw at Mainz 05 on the 34th matchday of the Bundesliga 2024/25...
Show more
Bayer 04’s final game of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season saw VAR drama and produced a new record for away results with a 2-2 draw in Mainz. The hosts had several goals ruled out before Paul Nebel put them ahead. Patrik Schick’s brace then turned things around in the second half before Jonathan Burkardt’s penalty levelled the game again. It means Leverkusen have now gone 34 away games without defeat in the Bundesliga, which no team has ever done before.
Show more
The Werkself bring down the curtain on their 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign with a game away at Mainz on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST). Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 meeting at the MEWA Arena.
Show more
