Eliesse Ben Seghir finally returns to the field with Leverkusen

Eliesse Ben Seghir has officially returned to competition. Absent from the field for several months, the Moroccan international participated on Wednesday evening in Bayer Leverkusen’s victory against NK Celje (2-0) during the first day of the Europa League group stage.

Starting the match on the bench, the Atlas Lion was brought on in the 80th minute in place of Moussa Diaby. Ben Seghir thus played the last ten minutes of the match, while Leverkusen was already leading by two goals thanks to an own goal by Svit Seslar in the 15th minute and a goal from Facundo Medina in the 74th.

This is particularly an important milestone for the 21-year-old Moroccan. His previous official appearance dated back to May 16, 2026, during the draw between Leverkusen and Hamburg (1-1) in the Bundesliga. He had then played just under half an hour. Since then, Ben Seghir had not played with the first team.

After this long absence, this gradual return should allow him to regain his rhythm and progressively earn a more significant place in Leverkusen’s rotation. The German club also highlighted his return to competition at the end of the match, marking his first appearance this season, which is good news as the next challenges approach.