Guest writer Bayer 04 Leverkusen: “From Leverkusen to the world stage”
7 June 2026Over the past decade, Bayer 04 Leverkusen has slowly but steadily developed into one of Germany’s top clubs and a flagship of the Bundesliga in Europe. This rise – crowned by the double victory in 2024 – is no coincidence, however, but the result of the club’s sustainable development strategy.A central component: the sophisticated youth development program, through which world class players like Florian Wirtz and Kai Havertz made the leap to professional football. The secret lies not only in football development but also in the personal growth that takes place under top-notch conditions in Leverkusen. And thanks to this, yet another promising youngster was recently able to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional.
The Facilities – Professional and State-of-the-Art
When the Bayer 04 Training Center opened in 2000, the Werkself’s youth players were already provided with a training facility on par with Bundesliga standards, which has been continuously upgraded ever since: several natural and artificial turf fields provide ample space for extensive training sessions for all youth teams, while additional training areas and a state-of-the-art fitness facility allow for physical development off the pitch. At the training center itself, talented players in the U8 through U15 age groups train before subsequently moving not only in terms of football ability but also geographically into the immediate vicinity of the professional squad.
On the training fields in the shadow of the BayArena, the home stadium of Bayer 04, the U16, U17, and U19 players develop through demanding training sessions and high-level matches right next to – or even alongside – their role models. This is because promising talents are integrated into professional training at an early stage, and the very best are even occasionally called up to the Bundesliga squad. In this way, the young players not only learn from European champions and Champions League winners, but also get used to the physicality and pace of top-level play – and the final leap to the pros comes within reach.
The Staff – Ambitious Yet Approachable
Enabling as many promising young talents as possible to make this final leap – that is the mission Jefta Bresser, head of the Bayer 04 youth academy, has set for himself. When he was hired in October 2023, the 55-year-old Dutchman brought a wealth of experience to Leverkusen from his decades of coaching and youth development work in the top leagues of England and the Netherlands.
In the Rhineland, he relies on a young, competent, and ambitious staff to help the talents reach the very top through a holistic approach. Staff members at the club’s training center constantly scrutinize themselves and their work to continuously improve processes and serve as reliable and trusted mentors to the players.
While head coaches, assistant coaches, athletic trainers, analysts, and physical therapists focus on the players’ football skills and physical development, support staff and sports psychologists look after their individual mental well-being. The goal:Bayer 04’s youth teams should be recognized as much for their dominant, controlled, and combination-oriented playing style as for their friendly, polite, and team-oriented demeanor. To this end, the young talents are not developed as distinct player types, but as unique individuals who are expected to reach their full potential in an environment tailored to their needs – both on and, especially, off the field.
After all, at Bayer 04, the young players’ academic and vocational education takes precedence over their football development. Players should be able to land on their feet should a professional career not materialize for a variety of reasons. After all, football is many things, but by no means everything!
The Results – Havertz, Wirtz…
Nevertheless, Bayer 04’s holistic and sustainable development approach is bearing fruit on the field: The U19 team narrowly lost the German Championship final last season and – like many other youth teams in the top leagues of their age group – aims to compete for the title again this year. In addition, this season
the team advanced to the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League – the youth equivalent of the Champions League – for the first time in club history.
Thanks to the strong connection between the youth and professional teams, promising talents have also intensified competition within the Bundesliga squad in recent years – and, in some cases, played a key role in major successes. Florian Wirtz, born in 2003, became the fourth youngest debutant in 2020 as a member of Leverkusen’s U19 team and, shortly thereafter, the second-youngest goal scorer in Bundesliga history. With him as playmaker, Bayer 04 finished in the top three in three of the past four seasons and won the national double of the German Championship and DFB Cup for the first time in 2023/24 – as the only club to date without a single loss that season. Until his move to Liverpool FC last summer, Florian Wirtz scored 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 games for Bayer 04.
Kai Havertz joined the Bayer Leverkusen youth academy in 2010 at the age of 11. Over the following years, he progressed through all the youth teams and, under the guidance of the coaches and staff, developed into a model professional both on and off the pitch. After winning the German U17 Championship, he also made the leap to the Bundesliga team and contributed 45 goals and 31 assists in 150 appearances for the Werkself. His move to Chelsea FC was followed by victories in the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
and Montrell Culbreath
As the latest example of Leverkusen’s successful youth development program, Montrell Culbreath made his Bundesliga and Champions League debuts this season. The 18-year-old winger had already led both the U17 and U19 teams to runner-up finishes and played for Germany’s youth national teams. In his debut against RB Leipzig, the youngster scored immediately and also delivered strong performances in matches against FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC. In January, Bayer 04 extended Culbreath’s contract through 2030. After all, the strategy with young talents is, above all, one thing: sustainable!
Marveld Tournament – Highlight both on and off the pitch
While the focus of Bayer 04’s youth teams is on competing at the top of their respective state leagues, international tournaments and travel provide an important complement to their regular league schedule. In matches against the world’s best youth teams, the Leverkusen talents gain valuable experience on the field – and through these games, they learn to represent the club positively with a friendly and courteous demeanor.
For 16 years, the Werkself U15 team has traveled to the Marveld Tournament with great anticipationand hopes to contribute to the tournament’s success this year as well – both on the field and off – in typical Bayer 04 style.
By: Bayer 04 Leverkusen Media Department
This article can also be read in the Marveld Tournament 2026 magazine.
