How Bayern celebrated ninth successive title before kick-off

Joshua Kimmich gazed at the screen in the catacombs of the Allianz Arena. While he and his teammates were preparing for the Saturday evening clash against Borussia Mönchengladbach, the afternoon games were in the closing stages. Nearest challengers RB Leipzig had fought back from 2-0 down to level at Borussia Dortmund, but ultimately fell to a 3-2 defeat after conceding late. It meant that the last remaining title rivals were out of the race, and Dortmund had actually handed Bayern the championship.

‘A murmur went through the dressing room’

It was certainly a little strange that Bayern were already crowned champions for the ninth year in a row without kicking a ball – but that didn’t stop the celebrations. Before they went out onto the field, the Bavarians congratulated each other on their achievement. “The mood was quite relaxed in the dressing room. We were aware of it and a murmur went through the dressing room,” revealed Thomas Müller, describing the scenes inside the stadium after the good news from Dortmund.

“A lot said that it’s much nicer to do it with a win, but I see it differently. Once you’ve achieved it, then it's wonderful – even if it does happen as a result of a Dortmund win,” said Müller, adding that the confirmation of the title gave them extra motivation for the subsequent match. “We were happy and it pushed us on to go the extra mile.”

After their work was done, the Bayern team celebrated the title success in new t-shirts – order them here from the shop.

Champions-like display against Gladbach

And Müller wasn’t exaggerating. Lifted by the news, the Bavarian express steamrollered the visitors from North Rhine-Westphalia with a 6-0 rout. “The game was worthy of champions,” praised Hansi Flick after his team’s magnificent performance in the game and over the whole season.

There was just one dampener to the successful evening. “After a game like that, when you win 6-0, we miss going over to the stands and celebrating with you,” said Kimmich afterwards in an emotional video message to the Bayern fans. “We miss you and hope you’re back here soon.” Because among all the joy over the title, everyone at FCB would like nothing more than to be able to celebrate successes together with the fans again soon.

Video message to fans, reaction to the title and much more – everything on Bayern’s ninth straight title in one place: