The two-time winner of the Copa America, who is currently working on his comeback from injury took time out after rehab on Thursday afternoon to meet the 100 plus children present on the training ground. The inquisitive youngsters posed a host of questions to Palacios at the start. The Argentinian revealed that his best friend in the team is Piero Hincapie. In addition, 25-year-old shared exciting insights into what it feels like playing alongside Lionel Messi: "As a child I always watched him play on television. He was an idol of mine back then," said Palacios about his international teammate and added: "Playing alongside him now is something I could never have dreamt of."
After all the questions, every request for an autograph was met: Palacios took time out for each child to sign boots or jerseys as well as posing for one or two selfies. The session ended with a communal group photo that included the coaches and support staff. At the end of the visit, Palacios made a young fan particularly happy by presenting him with his new training top – a fitting end to a successful day of training at the football school.
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
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At the training camp in the Weimarer Land region, Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez and his long-standing assistant Pol García talk about their first few weeks with the Werkself, their expectations of their own work, the coaching staff and the squad, as well as the style of football they want the team to play. They emphasise the importance of a winning mentality within the team, comment on cultural and personal differences in the world of football, and outline their goals for the coming season...
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