Jefta Bresser with Bayer Leverkusen at the Marveld Tournament

14 June 2026

“This is a tournament you want to be part of”

Jefta Bresser is practically a regular at the Marveld Tournament. „I’ve been coming here for years. First with De Graafschap, and later, even when I was working abroad, I always tried to return. Bayer Leverkusen has been here before, and this time we’ve been invited again.“

Our U14 team became West German champions, and two weeks ago, we also won the Kevin De Bruyne Cup in Genk. Maybe that’s why our boys started the match against Right to Dream a little too confidently. We were caught off guard, made a comeback in the second half, but ultimately lost 3-1. The result against Ajax was disappointing, even though we were the better team later on. But we bounced back well against PSV.“

One special detail in our squad is the presence of U13 talent Emre Alajbegovic. His older brother, Kerim, is an international player for Bosnia and Herzegovina and is currently playing at the World Cup. „Yesterday, he came on as a substitute in the 70th minute against Canada.“

„This is a tournament you want to be part of“, Bresser continues enthusiastically. „We basically do everything we can to be here. These are the moments that matter. We want to reach the absolute top of German football. That’s why we’re strongly focusing on our own youth academy – because that’s where the players need to come from. This requires quality improvements, better structures, and better coaches. The club’s history shows that players like Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz have risen from our youth ranks to the absolute top. We also loan out talented players to top clubs so they can gain experience.“

This year, even one of our own U19 players started in the first team. „We’re taking very deliberate steps. And don’t forget: we’re incredibly proud to be here and to participate.“

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