The dream of one day becoming a professional footballer is shared by millions of young talents around the world. With the FC Bayern World Squad, FC Bayern München and its partner Volkswagen are now bringing 15 international Under 19 talents a step closer to fulfilling this dream. In the coming months, the players will be digitally trained by professional FC Bayern coaches and equipped with individually tailored training plans. The highlight of the project is a match between the World Squad and the FC Bayern U19s in Munich.
Special opportunity and cultural exchange
The complete journey of the young hopefuls, from training via the selection process to the match against the senior FC Bayern youth team, will then be broadcast as a six-part exclusive content series. With this initiative, FC Bayern and Volkswagen aim to promote young footballers worldwide, give players from structurally weaker regions a stage, and encourage cultural exchange.
„"In addition to the sporting development of the young players, this once again underscores FC Bayern’s core values: diversity, tolerance and cohesion.””
Jörg Wacker
Jörg Wacker, FC Bayern München AG Board Member for Internationalisation and Strategy: “I am delighted at the opportunity to realise this unique youth development project together with our partner Volkswagen. Fifteen players from15 different nations form an exceptional global team. In addition to the sporting development of the young players, this once again underscores FC Bayern’s core values: diversity, tolerance and cohesion.”
Six-part documentary on YouTube
The record champions are supported by Volkswagen. The auto manufacturer has been a sponsor of FC Bayern's youth section since last year and has already been involved in the "Freestyle Tournament", among other things. "Volkswagen supports football across the board. That's why the promotion of talented young players is particularly close to our hearts: after all, that's the source material for the sport. The FC Bayern World Squad is an ideal project for young talent. It seeks out talents all over the world and, in addition to skills on the ball, also conveys the core values of the sport. Diversity, internationality and working towards the future with the best talents are a perfect fit for Volkswagen. That's why we're very happy to be involved," commented Klaus Zellmer, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand with responsibility for ‘Sales, Marketing and After Sales’ at Volkswagen.
Training camp and friendly match in Munich
A total of 654 players from 64 nations showed off their skills in more than 1,200 short videos, thereby applying for one of the coveted squad places. The only requirement for participation was the year of birth, 2003 or 2004. The scouting and decision-making process was led by a professional coaching team with former Bayern captain and World Cup winner Klaus Augenthaler and international FC Bayern youth coach Christopher Loch. They will now also lead the digital training of the selected young talents, in which special focus will be placed on team building and cultural exchange in addition to the sporting aspects. The FC Bayern World Squad will conclude with a training camp in Munich for all selected talents. There, the young footballers have the chance to get to know FC Bayern even better and to compete in a match with the FC Bayern U19s.
The six-part documentary about the FC Bayern World Squad will be shown on the FC Bayern YouTube channel from mid-August. There, fans can once again follow how the dream of becoming a professional footballer can turn into reality.
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