Measuring 70 by 50 centimetres and weighing 30 kilograms, a new history of Bayern Munich, officially unveiled at the Säbener Strasse on Wednesday, is literally one of the biggest books about football ever published.
4 Sterne - 111 Jahre (Four stars – 111 years) is a 552-page compendium of facts and information chronicling the long history of the club. The book, marking the 111th anniversary of the club’s foundation in 1900, will be published at the end of the current season.
“It's a major project, and more than merely a book,” commented Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Limited to a single print run of 4,111 copies, “it’s an extraordinary and ambitious project, but very fitting for us. It's nothing humdrum or everyday,” said Rummenigge, hoping the matchless book “will win us plenty of friends.”
Each individual volume will be hand-finished from premium materials and thus unique. Every purchaser will also receive a certificate of authenticity personally signed by Rummenigge and Bayern President Uli Hoeneß.
FCB youth products and Germany internationals Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger were present at the unveiling, and showed great interest in the club’s history up to the start of the new millennium. “FC Bayern has long been associated with success, emotions and personalities, all of which have shaped the club,” observed Lahm.
Logo and stars in brass
“Incredible things always happen at Bayern, domestically and in Europe. That's the big difference compared to other German clubs,” said Schweinsteiger, specifically referring to the 1999 and 2001 Champions League finals and the dramatic 2001 Bundesliga triumph in Hamburg.
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