Rummenigge: The Bundesliga need have nothing to fear

FC Bayern are going for their first title of the season in February, as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says in his foreword to the members’ magazine 51: “We’re going to the Club World Cup with the clear goal of bringing it back to Munich. Our team and Hansi Flick attach great importance to this title.”

In autumn, the FC Bayern CEO recalled, “our coach and the leading players were sitting in my office because it looked like the Club World Cup would be cancelled. They asked me to support FIFA in hosting the tournament because they really wanted the historic chance to win a sixth title within a few months. Six trophies in one year - only Barcelona achieved this back in 2009. It was crucial FIFA and the tournament organisers were able to present a sensible hygiene plan. Now we're looking forward to the Club World Cup.”

Title greed part of Bayern's DNA

Rummenigge explained how he is “very impressed by the hunger for success that is part of our team. Always wanting to win everything has long been part of the DNA of this club. I still remember exactly how my teammate at the time, Jupp Kapellmann, explained FC Bayern to me a few weeks after my arrival in 1974. He said: losing once is a problem, losing twice is a crisis - and the third time the coach is in danger. Every generation of players at FC Bayern has had to face this pressure to succeed for more than 50 years. It is the great strength of our club that it always brings out the highest motivation from the enormous demands placed on it. As a player, I always felt every defeat personally.”

📸 Even as a player, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge learned what matters at FC Bayern. In the gallery we look back at his career:

Players with the right mentality

“Especially in the current season, you can see better than ever what kind of mentality our players have,” the CEO added. “They won everything in 2020, they have a tight schedule - but they still want more. Under these circumstances, I value extremely highly the fact we’re top of the Bundesliga. At the same time I’d like to make on thing clear at this point: the Bundesliga has improved enormously in quality at the top.”

“German club football had to look up to Spain or England for many years,” said Rummenigge, “but now at the highest level we need have nothing to fear from any other top league. The standard has risen tremendously. This year, for the first time, all six German representatives are rightly in the knockout stages of the Champions League and Europa League. The development is impressive. What our rivals currently lack is more consistency in delivering the great performances they’re capable of.”

Keep going!

As a result, FC Bayern must “not let up one little bit,” the CEO demanded. “In the future, we want to continue inspiring our fans with successful, attractive football. Our goal is to win in style - in FC Bayern style. We’ll stay greedy beyond the Club World Cup. Because we have many big goals in 2021.”

Manuel Neuer is also looking forward to his first chance for a title this year: