Red, white, black, silver and even yellow - FC Bayern have played in many different colours in the 124 years of club history. Some kits are closely associated with very special moments and stories. On the occasion of the club's 124th birthday, fcbayern.com looks back at the kits and their special stories.
The beginning of a success story
In the early years after foundation, Bayern wore the original club colours of white and blue. From 1906 - after the merger with the Munich Sport Club (MSC) - FCB started playing in red shorts and white shirts. With this combination, the Bavarians soon celebrated success, which culminated in 1932 in the first big trophy. In the final of the German championship in Nuremberg, the Munich side prevailed against Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to goals from Ossi Rohr and Franz Krumm, and celebrated the first title in the club's history.
The "Betzenberg lucky kits"
As well as the classic red, there have also been unusual colour combinations in the kits of the record champions in the past. This was certainly the case in the 1983/84 season, when the Munich side played with the "Brazil look" for the first time. The reason for this was not stylistic, rather it was a ploy by then president Uli Hoeneß to end a long drought at Kaiserslautern's 'Betzenberg' stadium. Between 1975 and 1982, Bayern only took two points from eight Bundesliga games in the Palatinate, which is why they came up with something different for the next game there on 26 November 1983. Bayern played in the new kits for the first time and finally beat Lautern thanks to a penalty kick by Klaus Augenthaler. Though used less often in the late 1980s, Bayern again used the yellow and blue combination for the away kit in the 1993/94 campaign.
All white for the UEFA Cup
As well as 33 German titles, 20 DFB Cup wins and six Champions League victories, there are a few trophies that FC Bayern have only won once. One such trophy is the UEFA Cup, which the Munich team lifted in the 1995/96 season. After the Reds only finished sixth in the league the previous season and missed out on the European Cup, Lothar Matthäus and Co competed in the UEFA Cup. Bayern fully blossomed and advanced to the final against Girondins Bordeaux. The Reds secured victory in both the first and second legs and received the trophy in all white in the southwest of France. The logo on that winning kit was on a silver shield. The Bavarians wore a similar logo on their chests in the 1960s and 1970s.
The mother of all defeats
Although the history of FC Bayern and its kits is associated with numerous successes, the German record champions have also had to endure one or two bitter defeats in the past. The mother of all those defeats was the Champions League final against Manchester United on 26 May 1999. After their successes in the European Cup in 1974, 1975 and 1976, they hoped to bring the trophy back to the Bavarian capital after 23 years, while wearing the then silver away kit - with the logo on a silver shield like the 1996 UEFA Cup final kit. Against Sir Alex Ferguson's team, the Munich side dominated the game for long periods and held a 1-0 lead until shortly before the end, but Sheringham and Solskjær turned the game on its head in injury time. The title dreams of Ottmar Hitzfeld's team ended in minutes in a bitter disappointment that remains unforgotten to this day.
Training kits against Köln
One of the most unusual 'kits' was worn by Bayern in the away game at 1. FC Köln in 2001, when the Munich side had to put on white warm-up tops over their red shirts. The reason for this was a mishap on the part of the then kitman, who had forgotten the set of white away kits in Munich and instead had only brought the home kits to Cologne. As Köln were playing in red, then president Uli Hoeneß personally cut off the sleeves of the white shirts and the players wore them over the normal shirt - the unique outfit was ready.
All red on Europe's throne
The 2012/13 season was FC Bayern's most successful ever. Both at national and European level, the Bavarians were the measure of all things and, after the bitter defeat in the final at the Allianz Arena the previous year, finally ascended to the throne of European club football. With the 2-1 victory in the all-German Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, the generation of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Co finally crowned themselves with the coveted trophy and let the year 2013 go down in club history with four other titles (Bundesliga, DFB Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup).
🎥 Enjoy once again! The best moments from the 2013 Champions League final!
An even more successful season was to follow seven years later, when Bayern once again won the Champions League in red, as they had done in 2013. At the finals tournament in Lisbon, Hansi Flick's men earned the sixth Champions League success in the club's history thanks to magnificent victories over FC Barcelona (8-2), Olympique Lyon (3-0) and in the final against Paris Saint-Germain (1-0). With the other five titles (Bundesliga, DFB Cup, DFL Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup), the Munich team achieved the historic sextet, a feat only previously achieved by Barcelona in 2009.
🎥 This is how Bayern secured the sixth Champions League in club history🏆:
Past and present combined
On 8 March 2020, Bayern played in a very special kit. To commemorate the club's 120th birthday, the Munich side opted not to wear the all-red home jersey in the match against FC Augsburg, but used the historical reissued anniversary kits. At the sold-out Allianz Arena, FCB played in white retro jerseys and red shorts - a tribute to the outfit of the first German title in 1932 - and gave FCA no chance in a 2-0 victory. A worthy setting to once again celebrate FC Bayern's now 124-year success story!
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