Laughter, astonished gasps and applause were the order of the day when FC Bayern invited well over 2,000 refugee kids, orphans and socially disadvantaged children to a couple of carefree hours at Circus Krone in Munich on Wednesday evening.

The show included routines involving dogs, horses and "Fritzi the wild boar". A football juggler, acrobats and trampoline artists showed off their amazing skills. However, a special highlight came with the appearance of Xabi Alonso, Joshua Kimmich and Sebastian Rode. The Bayern trio were brought into the big top by a clown and persuaded to form a very special and laughter-inducing band, decked out with wigs and air guitars.

The evening was organised by the FCB youth section, inspired by Uli Hoeneß. "He's the guiding light," said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in a brief address. The FCB chairman and his fellow board directors were joined at Circus Krone by members' club president Karl Hopfner, head coach Pep Guardiola and Arjen Robben, many of them accompanied by their families.