The FC Bayern players were showing a few understandable signs of fatigue at 11 in the morning local time (5 am CET) on Friday when they left their plane after a nine-hour flight and stepped onto Chinese soil. But not half an hour later, any remaining weariness had vanished as a crowd of some 1,000 screaming fans laid on a breathtaking welcome to Beijing for Germany’s biggest club. The sea of humanity stretched far and wide, almost all the folk clad in replica shirts, brandishing smartphones and taking countless pictures.
Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer and Co have rarely experienced anything like it. Some of the players even pulled out their own phones to shoot souvenir videos. “Super Bayern, Super Bayern” sang the fans, perfectly replicating the South Terrace anthem. “This is really unbelievable,” declared Neuer, recipient of the loudest cheers. Photos featuring world champions Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller, Mario Götze and Jérôme Boateng were also much in demand.
Once the players finally reached their tour bus, the party transferred to the team hotel for lunch. The schedule for the afternoon includes a press conference at the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium with Pep Guardiola, Lahm and Boateng, with the first training session of the tour immediately afterwards. Our fcbayern.de reporters are there to bring you all the latest news!
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