On behalf of Bayer 04, a small delegation made up of Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, sporting managing director Sport Simon Rolfes and midfielder Exequiel Palacios accepted the award in Hamburg. The World Cup winner and two-time Copa América winner, who is currently in rehab, travelled to Hamburg representing the whole team who are preparing for the DFB Pokal first round tie at FC Carl Zeiss Jena (Wednesday, 28 August, 18.00 CEST).
Talking about last season’s honours, Fernando Carro said: “They are not only very important for us but also all the fans who wanted the trophies so much.”
Simon Rolfes said: “The success was primarily down to our good team. A very good spirit has been created in the team and the club.” That’s always given us a special energy.”
Head coach Xabi Alonso joined a live link to the event. The 42-year-old spoke about the success of last season as follows: “The players are the most important part for me. We had a good mix of young and experienced players and a very good feeling from the start. Our target was to play good football and at some point we felt we had the chance to win the title. That season remains unforgettable for us all.”
In addition, Alonso explained why he decided to stay at the Werkself before the end of the season: “There’s great confidence in me here. This season is my third as a coach for a professional club. I had to show what I could do as a coach here. But I’ve also still got a lot to learn. I learn from players in every game and every training session. We’re starting from scratch now and we want to perform well again.”
In the presence of 600 guests from the world of sport, SportBILD presented awards in nine categories.
The Nerazzurri are in town: Today, Tuesday 10 December, Bayer 04 entertain the reigning champions of Italy Inter Milan on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Read on for the latest information on the home game at the BayArena.
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The Bayer 04 U19 team lost 1-0 to Inter Milan on the sixth and final matchday in the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2024/25. The only goal of the game was scored just after the hour mark. While the side from North Italy have finished top in the league phase with a maximum points return, the Leverkusen team appeared to have just missed out on the knockout stages of the European competition. There is faint hope looking to several games to follow where results are needed to go the way of the Werkself.
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Italian teams are known for being strong in defence. The fact that Inter Milan, the next opponents for the Werkself in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 20.45 CET), have not conceded a single goal in their last five matches is impressive. Will the visitors' keeper Yann Sommer be able to keep a clean sheet at the BayArena against Florian Wirtz and Co.? The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Werkself are away to Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 16. The game at the Signal Iduna Park on Friday, 10 January 2025, kicks off at 20.30 CET. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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