Discover Bayern Munchen
FC Bayern Munich – winning as part of its identity
FC Bayern Munich is not simply the most successful football club in Germany. It is an institution that transformed German football’s position in Europe and gradually developed into one of the largest sporting organisations in the world.
Bayern has collected dozens of domestic trophies, won Europe’s leading club competition six times and remains the only German club to have completed the treble of league, domestic cup and Champions League on two separate occasions.
Its success is not based purely on financial power. The club has maintained remarkable continuity, regularly placed former players in leading positions and created a culture in which finishing second means being the first loser. That mentality is expressed by the famous Bavarian phrase “Mia san mia” – we are who we are.
Eleven founders in a Munich restaurant
Bayern was founded on 27 February 1900 by eleven young men led by Franz John. The group separated from the gymnastics organisation MTV München after it refused to join the newly established German football association.
The founders met at Munich’s Gisela restaurant and created their new football club that same evening. Red and white would eventually become its defining colours.
The first major success arrived in 1932. Bayern defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2–0 in the German championship final to win its first national title. The club was led at the time by its Jewish president Kurt Landauer, one of the most important figures in its history.
Kurt Landauer and Bayern’s darkest period
Landauer promoted modern club management, investment in the team and systematic youth development. Under his leadership, Bayern first established itself among Germany’s strongest teams.
Following the rise of the Nazi regime, he was forced to resign in 1933. Because of its Jewish members and officials, Bayern was labelled a “Jewish club” and gradually lost its former position.
Landauer was arrested following Kristallnacht and imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp for 33 days. He subsequently escaped to Switzerland. After the war, he returned to Munich and was re-elected Bayern president in 1947.
He is now remembered as one of the fathers of the modern club. A statue at Bayern’s Säbener Straße training ground commemorates his contribution, while the club museum dedicates an important section to his life.
The Bayern team that was excluded from the Bundesliga
Despite already being a German champion, Bayern was not selected as a founding member of the Bundesliga in 1963. The German football authorities did not want two clubs from the same city in the new competition and chose the more successful TSV 1860 Munich instead.
It was a painful but ultimately decisive event. Bayern began constructing a young team around three players who would change its history: goalkeeper Sepp Maier, defender Franz Beckenbauer and striker Gerd Müller.
Bayern earned promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965. Within only a few seasons, the newcomer became Germany’s leading team and then a major European power.
The golden spine: Maier, Beckenbauer and Müller
Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller were among the finest players of their generation. Maier was an exceptionally dependable goalkeeper, Beckenbauer changed the way the world understood the role of the libero, and Müller could score from almost any situation.
Bayern won the German Cup in its first Bundesliga season. In 1967, it lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup before claiming its first Bundesliga championship and another domestic cup two years later.
The defining period arrived during the 1970s. Bayern won three consecutive league titles and then lifted the European Cup in three successive seasons between 1974 and 1976.
Its first European Cup final against Atlético Madrid produced extraordinary drama. Bayern was losing until the final minute of extra time, when Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck equalised with a long-range shot. As penalty shootouts were not yet used to decide the competition, the final was replayed two days later. Bayern won the second match 4–0.
Victories over Leeds United and Saint-Étienne followed. Bayern also won the Intercontinental Cup in 1976 and had firmly established itself among the greatest clubs in world football.
Gerd Müller – the scorer who changed the club
Gerd Müller joined Bayern from the small Bavarian club TSV Nördlingen in 1964. He did not possess the physique normally associated with an elite striker, but his movement inside the penalty area and ability to finish without preparation were almost impossible to defend.
Müller scored 365 Bundesliga goals, which remains the competition’s all-time record. His 40 league goals during the 1971/72 season established another record that survived for almost half a century.
His goals helped transform Bayern from an ambitious regional club into European champion. Müller also scored the decisive goal for West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final.
Uli Hoeneß and the creation of a modern powerhouse
By the end of the 1970s, Bayern’s future was far less secure than it appears today. The club was in debt and the celebrated European Cup-winning generation was beginning to break apart.
In 1979, the 27-year-old Uli Hoeneß became general manager. The former player constructed a modern commercial operation, expanded Bayern’s partnerships and insisted that the club should not spend more than it could afford.
During the following decades, Bayern developed from a financially vulnerable organisation into one of the economically strongest sporting institutions in the world. Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Franz Beckenbauer created a leadership structure built around former players who understood both football and Bayern’s distinctive culture.
Breitnigge and domestic dominance
Following the departures of Beckenbauer and Müller, Paul Breitner and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge became the leading personalities. Their partnership earned the nickname “Breitnigge”.
Bayern returned to the top of the Bundesliga and began building the domestic dominance that would later reach unprecedented levels.
In 1987, it overtook 1. FC Nürnberg to become the club with the most German championship titles. Bayern has continued to increase its advantage over every domestic rival ever since.
FC Hollywood
The 1990s brought trophies but also internal conflicts, powerful personalities and endless material for the German media. The star-filled team became known as “FC Hollywood”.
Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, Stefan Effenberg, Oliver Kahn and Mehmet Scholl were among Germany’s leading footballers, but their strong personalities sometimes created considerable tension within the squad.
One of the era’s most famous moments was Giovanni Trapattoni’s furious press conference in 1998. The Italian coach’s emotional delivery and the question “Was erlauben Strunz?” became part of German football culture.
Despite the instability, Bayern continued to collect domestic honours and won the UEFA Cup in 1996. It defeated a Bordeaux team featuring Zinédine Zidane, Christophe Dugarry and Bixente Lizarazu in the final.
Ninety seconds from glory
The 1999 Champions League final remains one of the most painful matches in Bayern’s history. Mario Basler gave the team an early lead against Manchester United, and Bayern created several opportunities to decide the contest.
It entered stoppage time leading 1–0. Manchester United then scored twice within a matter of seconds to win 2–1.
Bayern’s players were left lying on the Camp Nou pitch after the final whistle. The defeat became a symbol of football’s cruelty but also created the motivation for another attempt at European glory.
Redemption in 2001
Two years later, Bayern returned to the final. It faced Valencia at Milan’s San Siro, where a match dominated by penalties finished 1–1 after extra time.
Captain Oliver Kahn became the hero of the shootout. The German goalkeeper saved three penalties as Bayern won its first European Cup in 25 years.
Ottmar Hitzfeld’s team was built around imposing characters including Kahn, Stefan Effenberg, Mehmet Scholl, Hasan Salihamidžić and Giovane Élber. It did not always play the most beautiful football, but it possessed an exceptional ability to survive decisive moments.
A final in Bayern’s own stadium
Another major European disappointment arrived in 2012. The Champions League final was played at the Allianz Arena, and Bayern dominated Chelsea for long periods.
Thomas Müller scored the opening goal shortly before the end, but Didier Drogba quickly equalised. Arjen Robben then missed a penalty during extra time before Chelsea won the shootout.
It was an exceptionally painful defeat. Bayern also finished second in the Bundesliga and German Cup that season. One year later, however, those disappointments helped create one of the strongest teams in the club’s history.
The historic 2013 treble
Under Jupp Heynckes, Bayern was almost flawless during the 2012/13 season. It won the Bundesliga with a record 91 points and defeated Barcelona 7–0 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-final.
Borussia Dortmund awaited in the final at Wembley. Mario Mandžukić gave Bayern the lead, İlkay Gündoğan equalised, and Arjen Robben scored the winning goal in the 89th minute.
Victory over VfB Stuttgart in the DFB Cup final then made Bayern the first German club to complete the treble.
The triumph was particularly symbolic for Robben. One year earlier, his missed penalty against Chelsea had made him one of the faces of failure. At Wembley, he became the decisive hero.
Guardiola, records and eleven consecutive titles
Pep Guardiola succeeded Heynckes as head coach. Under the Spaniard, Bayern developed an even more sophisticated positional game, dominated the Bundesliga and established several domestic records. It was eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals in each of his three seasons, however.
Domestic dominance continued after Guardiola’s departure. Bayern won eleven consecutive Bundesliga championships between 2013 and 2023, a record among Europe’s leading leagues.
The era was defined by Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller, David Alaba, Jérôme Boateng, Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben and later Robert Lewandowski.
Neuer transformed the modern goalkeeper position with his willingness to play far from his goal. Robben and Ribéry created the feared “Robbery” partnership, while Lewandowski broke Gerd Müller’s long-standing record by scoring 41 Bundesliga goals in 2020/21.
A perfect European campaign and six trophies
Hansi Flick took charge during the 2019/20 season and transformed Bayern into an extraordinarily aggressive and confident team.
Bayern won the Bundesliga and DFB Cup before defeating Barcelona 8–2 during the unusual Champions League final tournament. It then beat Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the final through a Kingsley Coman goal.
Bayern won all eleven of its Champions League matches that season. No other winner has completed an entire campaign in the competition with a perfect record.
Further victories in the German and European Super Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup completed a historic sextuple. Bayern became only the second European club to win all six available trophies within one successful cycle.
The end of the streak and another recovery
Bayern’s eleven-year championship sequence was ended by unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in 2024. A season without a trophy represented a major failure by Bayern’s standards and demonstrated the extraordinary level of expectation surrounding the club.
Under Vincent Kompany, Bayern returned to the top of the Bundesliga in 2025 and successfully defended the championship. By 2026, the club had won 35 German national titles.
The ability to respond to disappointment has always been central to Bayern’s identity. It may lose an important match or even an entire season, but it almost always rebuilds quickly and returns to challenge for the largest trophies.
The Allianz Arena
Bayern has played its home matches at the Allianz Arena since 2005. Situated on the northern edge of Munich, it holds approximately 75,000 spectators for domestic fixtures.
Its facade consists of thousands of inflated diamond-shaped panels. During evening matches, the entire stadium glows red and becomes one of the most recognisable sporting buildings in the world.
Inside, three steep tiers offer excellent views of the pitch. The Südkurve forms the centre of Bayern’s active support, producing the loudest singing, flags and large choreographed displays.
The arena is also home to Germany’s largest club museum. Visitors can explore Bayern’s enormous trophy collection, historic shirts and objects connected with the greatest personalities in its history.
From the Grünwalder Stadion to the Olympiastadion
Before moving to the Allianz Arena, Bayern spent many years at the Grünwalder Stadion, which it shared with city rival TSV 1860 Munich.
Following the 1972 Olympic Games, the club moved to the Olympiastadion. Its revolutionary tented roof became a symbol of modern Munich, and it was there that Bayern developed into an economically powerful European institution.
The athletics track placed supporters a considerable distance from the pitch, however. The Allianz Arena therefore provided not only greater commercial opportunities but a much more intense football atmosphere.
The academy and Bayern’s local core
Although Bayern regularly signs international superstars, its most successful teams have also included important academy graduates.
Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller all developed in the club’s youth system. Each became a captain, a World Cup winner or the symbol of an entire generation.
Müller is perhaps the perfect representation of Bayern’s distinctive identity. His self-created role as the “Raumdeuter” – an interpreter of space – has become recognised throughout world football.
The modern centre of youth development is the FC Bayern Campus, which opened in 2017. It combines training pitches, education, academy facilities and a home for the women’s team. The objective is to regularly develop players capable of succeeding in one of the most demanding squads in world football.
Bayern’s greatest legends
Franz Beckenbauer, known as “Der Kaiser”, is arguably the most significant personality in Bayern’s history. As a player, he led the club to three European Cups and later helped oversee its transformation into a global powerhouse.
Gerd Müller established goalscoring records, Sepp Maier dominated the penalty area and Uli Hoeneß combined a successful playing career with an even more influential role in the boardroom.
The following generation featured Paul Breitner, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Matthäus and Klaus Augenthaler. Around the beginning of the new millennium, responsibility passed to Oliver Kahn, Stefan Effenberg, Mehmet Scholl and Giovane Élber.
Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski defined the modern era.
Few clubs could produce such an extensive list of players who influenced not only their own team but the development of European and world football.
The Munich derby with TSV 1860
Bayern’s oldest and closest rival is TSV 1860 Munich. During the early decades, the team known as the Lions was often more successful and was selected ahead of Bayern for the inaugural Bundesliga season in 1963.
The clubs’ positions gradually reversed completely. Bayern became a global power, while 1860 dropped into Germany’s lower divisions.
The first teams now meet only rarely because they compete at different levels. The city rivalry has not disappeared, however. Munich remains divided, and the derby continues to possess a unique meaning for traditional supporters.
Borussia Dortmund and Der Klassiker
Borussia Dortmund is Bayern’s most significant modern sporting rival. Their meetings are commonly promoted as “Der Klassiker”.
It is not a traditional regional derby. The rivalry developed through battles for German championships, tension between the clubs’ leadership and the movement of important players between them.
It reached its greatest European stage in 2013, when Bayern and Dortmund contested the Champions League final at Wembley. Their matches remain among the most watched fixtures in the Bundesliga.
Historic opponents also include Borussia Mönchengladbach, which challenged Bayern for domestic supremacy during the 1970s, and 1. FC Nürnberg. The meeting with Nürnberg is known as the Bavarian derby, although it also represents the cultural rivalry between Old Bavaria and Franconia.
Real Madrid holds a special place among Bayern’s European rivals. The clubs have met so regularly in the Champions League that their encounters are sometimes described as the European Clásico.
Success, power and controversy
Bayern’s position naturally creates powerful emotions. Rival supporters frequently criticise its financial advantage, prolonged domestic dominance and habit of signing leading players from competing Bundesliga clubs.
The club’s commercial relationship with Qatar also created significant debate. Some members and active supporters opposed the partnership because of human-rights concerns and demanded a greater influence over the board’s decisions.
Another major controversy surrounded Uli Hoeneß, who was convicted of tax evasion in 2014 and served a prison sentence. He later returned to the club and was re-elected president, demonstrating the extraordinary loyalty he continued to command among Bayern members.
Such episodes show that Bayern is not simply a perfectly controlled winning machine. It is a huge members’ organisation where tradition, commercial interests, personal loyalty and differing ideas about social responsibility regularly collide.
Mia san mia
“Mia san mia” can be loosely translated as “we are who we are”. At Bayern, the expression represents confidence, independence and a belief that the club can overcome any situation.
Some see it as a healthy winning mentality. Others interpret it as the arrogance of the richest and most successful club in the country. Both readings belong to the same story.
At Bayern, simply winning is rarely enough. The expectation is to dominate matches, challenge for every available trophy and respond immediately to failure.
What is a Bayern match like?
A visit to the Allianz Arena offers one of Germany’s largest football experiences. The journey towards the stadium and the first view of its illuminated facade already create a sense of a major occasion.
Inside, visitors see international stars, precisely organised matchday entertainment and more than 70,000 spectators. The strongest atmosphere comes from the Südkurve, particularly during Champions League nights, derbies and decisive fixtures.
Munich itself offers the historic centre around Marienplatz, the English Garden, traditional beer halls, major museums and easy access to the Alps. A football weekend can also include the Olympiapark, BMW Museum or Deutsches Museum.
Bayern inspires so much support and opposition because very few people remain neutral towards it. Its history combines footballing brilliance, extraordinary personalities, painful defeats, controversy and an almost permanent desire to win.
FC Bayern Munich is not merely the club that has collected the most German trophies. It is a club that came to regard victory as its natural responsibility.
