Bayern Munchen Football Club Facts and History – Bayern Munich players, club history, stats, news

Full name:

FC Bayern München AG

Nickname(s):

Der FCB (The FCB),
Die Bayern (The Bavarians),
Die Roten (The Reds),
FC Hollywood

Founded:

1900

Home stadium:

Munich

Chairman:

Franz Beckenbauer

Manager:

Uli Hoeness

League:

Bundesliga

Facts & History

1 Bayern Munich Overview
2 Bayern Munich History
- 2.1 Club Rivalries
3 Stars of the Current Squad
4 Bayern Munich Legends
5 Team Honours
6 Club Management
7 Uniforms
8 Stadium
9 Sponsors
10 Important Links
11 References

Bayern Munich Overview

FC Bayern Munich is a German Football club based in Munich. Founded in 1900, it is one of the most successful clubs in football history with 4 Champions League and 20 German Championships, to name a few! They currently play their home game at the Allianz Arena, with a capacity of 69,900.

Bayern Munich History

In 1900, some members of a Munich gymnastics club decided to form a football club. Bayern Munich won its first title in 1909, as champions of the Bavarian league. A few years later, in 1926, they won the South German Championship.

In 1932, they won the German championship by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0. However, the advent of Hitler and World War II stopped Bayern's development. At that time, the President of the club and the coach were Jewish, and they left the country to survive.

After World War II, Bayern played in Oberliga Süd, one of five upper league conferences, until the creation of the professional league in 1963, the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, they suffered relegation in 1955, the first and only time this has happened! However, the following season, they won the German Cup (1956).

In 1966, with players such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier, Bayern finished third in their first season in the top flight. Moreover, they also won the German cup, qualifying for the 1967 European Cup Winners' Cup: they went on to win the competition in a memorable final against Rangers, thanks to Beckenbauer who scored the only goal of the game in extra-time!

Despite wining the 1967 German Cup, but following a slow progress in the Bundesliga, a new coach was appointed: Branko Zebec. He completely changed the offensive style of the Bayern play and went on to win the first double league and Cup in Bundesliga history, using only 13 players throughout the season!

In 1970, Udo Lattek was named as new manager. In fact, Borussia Mönchengladbach, who were promoted to the Bundesliga in the same year as Bayern, emerged as serious rivals to Bayern's supremacy. They would eventually win the 1970 German Championship. Therefore, on the recommendation of Beckenbauer, Udo Lattek was appointed as new coach. In his first season, he managed to win the German Cup. Moreover, in 1971, he led Bayern to their 3rd league titles. Actually, Bayern claimed the title in the last match of the season, in a 5-1 victory against Schalke 04! It was the first match in the new Olympic and also the first live televised match in Bundesliga history! Moreover, six players from Bayern were part of the German squad that won the 1972 European Championship! Bayern would eventually win the next 2 German championships.

In 1974, they became the 1st German team to win the European Cup: in the last seconds of the game, defender Georg Schwarzenbeck scored an equalizer against Atletico Madrid. 2 days later, the first ever replay of a European Cup final saw Bayern wining the cup 4-0, with 2 goals each from Uli Hoeness and Gerd Müller! In the following season, they defended their European title in a 2-0 victory over Leeds United! In 1976, Bayern managed to reach the European Cup Final again, defeating French club AS Saint Etienne 1-0. Bayern became the third, and to date last team to win the trophy in three consecutive years! The same year, they won the Intercontinental Cup against Brazilian club Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte.

In the 1980s, Bayern renewed with domestic successes, wining the Bundesliga in 1980 and 1981. Moreover they won the 1982 German Cup. With players such as Jean-Marie Pfaff, Klaus Augenthaler and striker Dieter Hoeness, they managed to reach the 1982 European Cup Final, which they lost 1-0 against English club Aston Villa. However, the next 2 seasons were unfruitful, and the club was facing financial issues. They sold Rummenigge to Inter for a world-record fee of €5 Million, losing a superstar but restoring their finance! In 1984, they won the German Cup: it was the beginning of a new, successful era. They went on to win 5 championships in 6 seasons, including a double in 1986! However, in 1987, they finished runner-up of the European Cup, losing the final against Porto 2-1.

After their 1990 championship win, the club, Bayern went trophyless until 1994, when Beckenbauer returned to the club as head coach: after a 3 year gap, they won the 1994 Championship! Meanwhile, in the 1991-1992 season, they were almost relegated, finishing 5 points only above relegation places! Following his success, Beckenbauer was appointed as club president. However, his successors as coach did not meet expectations: he dismissed coach Ribbeck and took control of the team himself, leading them to win the 1996 UEFA Cup, beating French team Bordeaux in the final. During that campaign, Jürgen Klinsmann established a new record, scoring 15 goals in the competition.

Bayern would eventually win the 1997 German Championship and the 1998 German Cup, before Ottmar Hitzfeld was appointed as the new head coach. In his first season, he won the Bundesliga and even reached the final of the Champions League. However, they lost 2-1 against [Manchester United, conceding 2 goals in injury time! The following season, led by goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and midfielder Stefan Effenberg, the team managed to reach the Champions League semi-finals, being eliminated by eventual winners Real Madrid (0-2, 2-1). On a national level, they won their 3rd double (league and cup)!

The 2000-2001 season was very fruitful for Bayern. They won their 3rd consecutive league title on the final day, and a few days later, they finally won the Champions League, 25 years after their last European success, defeating Valencia CF in Final. During the campaign, they took their revenge on Manchester United and Real Madrid, beating them respectively in the quarter-finals and in the semi-finals. In spite of their success, they went trophyless in the Bundesliga the following season, but they managed to win their 2nd Intercontinental Cup against Boca Junior.

In the 2002-2003 season, Bayern won their 4th double, winning the Bundesliga by a record margin. However, they were knocked out of the Champions League in the first Round Stage. In 2004, after 8 years as head coach, Hitzfeld was sacked, following poor results: they finished runner-up in the Bundesliga, and suffered a cup elimination by 2nd division Alemannia Aachen. He was replaced by Felix Magath, who led them to win a double in the 2004-2005 season.

At the beginning of the 2005-2006 season, Bayern moved from the Olympic Stadium to the new Allianz Arena: in fact, Bayern and local rivals TSV 1860 own the stadium together. And again, Bayern won the double, their 5th one. However, their European campaign ended quickly, when they lost 4-1 against AC Milan in the Round of 16.

In January 2007, following a poor start in the season, legendary coach Hitzfeld returned to Bayern: despite his best efforts, they finished 4th in the Bundesliga, lost the German Cup and didn’t qualify for the Champions League! They also lost several of their best players, including Ballack and Lizarazu. Therefore, they decided to re-arrange the team, signing new players such as Luca Toni and Frank Ribery.

Club Rivalries

As the most successful club in German Football history, Bayern has had many rivals.

On a national level, it includes Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04. Their main local rivals are TSV 1860 Munich, who was a very successful club in the 1960s, wining a cup and a championship. However, the rivalry lost importance over the last decade: actually, they are often referred to as "gymnasts" by Bayern’s fans, insinuating a lack of football honours.

On an international level, Bayern’s rivals are Real Madrid, Manchester United and AC Milan.

Stars of the Current Squad

Luca Toni is an Italian striker who started his professional career in 1994. After many years in small clubs like Modena and Brescia, Luca Toni was signed by ambitious Palermo in Serie B, in 2003. In August 2004, he made his debut in the national team as a substitute in a friendly against Iceland: it was also Marcello Lippi’s debut. Toni scored his first goal against Norway. In 2006 he won the European Golden Boot. On May 30, 2007, he signed a 4 years contract with Bayern for a €11 million transfer fee.

Miroslav Klose is a German striker. The man was born to play the World Cup. In two appearances, he scored 10 goals. He is the first in history to score 5 or more goals in consecutive WCs. The polish born player is the kind of striker Germany always can count in as his average is almost 0.5 goals per game as an international. After playing for Homburg, Kaiserslautern and Werder Bremen, he joined this season Bayern Munich for an estimated fee of €15m.

Franck "Bilal" Ribery is a French midfielder. He started his professional career in 2004 with French club FC Metz. Runner-up of the 2006 FIFA World Cup with the French National Team, he is well known for his acceleration and became in only 1 year the successor of Zidane. After 2 amazing seasons playing for Marseilles, he was transferred to Bayern Munich in 2007 for a €26 million fee, becoming in a few games one of the key players of his new team.

Oliver Kahn is a German goalkeeper who started his professional career in 1987. In 1994, he was transferred to Bayern Munich, his current club. So far, he has won 7 German titles, 5 German Cups, the 1996 UEFA Cup, and the 2001 Champions League and Confederation Cup. He also played for the German National Team, from 1994 to 2006. “The Titan” is one of the best goalkeepers in football history!

Coach 2007-2008: Ottmar Hitzfeld was a former striker. He first managed Bayern from 1998 to 2004 and led them to renew with Victory!! One of the most successful German coaches, he was named twice Coach of the Year (1997 and 2001) and is the only manager, besides Ernst Happel, to have won the UEFA Champions League with 2 different clubs (Borussia Dotmund and Bayern Munich). Ottmar Hitzfeld quit job at FC Bayern in June 2008 after a successful season (FCB won the double Bundesliga champion and DFB-Pokal). He started a new career as head coach of the Switzerland national soccer team after the "UEFA Europameisterschaft" in 2008.

Bayern Munich Legends

Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach and a former sweeper (libero). Also known as der Kaiser ("the emperor"), he is considered as the greatest German player of all-time, and one of the best in the history of football! Named twice Ballon d’Or (European Player of the Year), he played most of his career for Bayern (1964-1977), earning 427 caps and scoring 60 goals! He won, among other honours, 3 consecutive Champions League (1974, 1975 and 1976)! He also played for West Germany, appearing 104 times and playing in 3 World Cups. He won the 1974 World Cup, lifting the trophy as captain.

Stefan Effenberg is a former German midfielder. He started his professional career in 1987 with Borussia Mönchengladbach before moving to Bayern in 1990. He left Bayern 2 years later, went to Fiorentina before moving back to his first club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, from 1994 to 1998. He then signed again with Bayern, and won the 2001 Champions League as captain. The same year, he was named UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player! On an international level, he earned 35 caps and scored 5 goals for the German National Team.

Gerd Müller is a former German striker. With a personal record of 565 appearances and 489 goals, he is one of the most prolific strikers of all-time. Also known as “Bomber der Nation” (the nation's Bomber), he was named Ballon d’Or in 1970 and German Player of the Year in 1967 and 1969. He joined Bayern Munich in 1964: his partnership with Beckenbauer and Maier led the team to win 4 German Championships, 4 German Cups, 3 consecutive Champions League and 1 Intercontinental Cup! He scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches for Bayern Munich and 78 goals in 62 German Cup games!! He also played for the German National Team, scoring 68 goals in 62 games. Moreover, he won the 1972 Euro and the1974 World Cup! In 2000, he was named World Football's Greatest Goalscorer of All Time!

Most Appearances

Rank	Player	Career Dates	# Appearances
1.

Most Goals

Rank	Player	Career Dates	# Goals
1.

Player Recognition & Awards

Gerd Müller

German Footballer of the Year – 1967, 1969
Ballon d’Or (France Football) – 1970

Franz Beckenbauer

German Footballer of the Year - 1966, 1968, 1974, 1976
Ballon d’Or (France Football) – 1972, 1976

Sepp Maier

German Footballer of the Year - 1975, 1977, 1978

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

German Footballer of the Year – 1980
Ballon d’Or (France Football) – 1980, 1981

Paul Breitner

German Footballer of the Year – 1981

Lothar Matthäus

German Footballer of the Year – 1999

Oliver Kahn

German Footballer of the Year – 2000, 2001

Michael Ballack

German Footballer of the Year – 2003, 2005

Team Honours

German Championship (21): 1931/32, 1968/69, 1971/72, 1972/73, 1973/74, 1979/80, 1980/81, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1993/94, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2007/08
German Cup (14): 1957, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
League Cup (6): 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007
Intercontinental Cup (2): 1976, 2001
UEFA Champions League (4): 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001
European Cup Winners’ Cup: 1967
UEFA Cup: 1996

League The 2000-2001 season was very fruitful for Bayern. They won their 3rd consecutive league title on the final day, and a few days later, they finally won the Champions League, 25 years after their last European success, defeating Valencia CF in Final. During the campaign, they took their revenge on Manchester United in the quarter-finals, wining the 2 legs 1-0 and 2-1. They then defeated Real Madrid in the semi-finals (1-0 and 2-1).

Club Management

Club President: Franz Beckenbauer

Team manager: Uli Hoeness

Head Coach: Jupp Heynckes

On January, 2008, it was announced that Jürgen Klinsmann would succeed Ottmar Hitzfeld as head coach, signing a two year contract for 8 million per year! He started his job on 1st July 2008 and was fired because of a lack of success after only 10 month on April 27 2009. Interims head is now a well known person to FCB - Jupp Heynckes - He comes back to FCB after 18 years and will be interims head coach for the rest of the Bundesliga season 2008/09 (5 matches) Goal is to fight the Bundesliga championship and to get direct qualification for the next year championsleage.

Uniforms

Home: red and white striped hirt, red shorts

Away: white shirt with red trim, white shorts (championsleage)

Stadium

From 1925 to 1972, Bayern played their home game at the Grünwalder Stadion: actually, they were sharing the stadium with 1860 Munich. In 1972, they moved to the Olympic Stadium, which was built by the city of Munich for the 1972 Olympic Games. Eventually the stadium had a capacity of 63,000 for national matches, and 59,000 for international fixtures.

In 2002, Bayern and TSV 1860 jointly decided the construction of a new stadium, The Allianz Arena, which cost a total of €340 million! It has a capacity of 69,901 and is one of the most modern stadiums in the world. However, during the 2006 summer, 1860 Munich had to sell its shares due to a financial crisis. The inaugural game was played on May 30, 2005.