It was a day for goosebumps at the Munich Allianz Arena on Sunday. No surprise given the programme that was on offer at the Allianz FC Bayern Team Presentation. When Philipp Lahm, captain of the 2013 treble winners, initiated the chorus of “Jupp, Jupp, Jupp” and the legendary coach Jupp Heynckes walked into the Arena, or when Bastian Schweinsteiger made a surprise appearance as captain in the Wembley Revival, when CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen announced that FC Bayern Women will play a Bundesliga match at the Allianz Arena for the first time in October (full story), or when Jamal Musiala, Manuel Neuer and Co were presented to the 45,000 fans – there was something for every red and white heart.
Hainer: We'll give everything to make the fans happy
At the Allianz Team Presentation, president Herbert Hainer said that the club will continue to give everything in the new season "to make the FC Bayern fans happy. Jan-Christian Dreesen knows exactly what FC Bayern needs right now." At the moment, he said, "the sporting matters are being dealt with step by step in our transfer council, and this is being done calmly and rigorously. We want to create the conditions so that the fans can look forward to everything that is coming - and we're confident."
“This club is special. I’m wishing for a very special season,” said CEO Dreesen. “It was great to see the joy on the faces of our legends. It was like 10 years ago. Today was great fun.” Head coach Thomas Tuchel added that it’s always special to come into the stadium. “It was nice to see all the legends. We've had a great event with a great atmosphere.”
FC Bayern Legends start things off
To mark 10 years since the 2013 treble, several legends of the German record champions had the honour of starting the Team Presentation. The coaching and backroom staff as well as the majority of the squad from back then were introduced on the field – including surviving pair Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller.
"It's a huge joy to see my former team," said coaching icon Heynckes. "It's nice that so many players have come. I want to thank the players but in particular the fans - the fans are the most important people in football.“ Following the presentation of the legends, the Wembley winners took on Borussia Dortmund Legends in a rematch of the final.
2-1 win against BVB Legends
Just like back then, Bayern Legends celebrated together on the pitch, danced and even the substitutes joined in. Luiz Gustavo celebrated his birthday with a long-distance cracker to make it 2-0, after Claudio Pizarro had opened the scoring following fine play from Schweinsteiger, who was on the pitch for 21 minutes.
"The last time I put on football boots was in 2019, it was like a new feeling again," said the "Football God" after his spontaneous appearance. "For me and my teammates, it's very special to play in front of the Bayern fans in this stadium. It's great that we can spend a day like this together." Kevin Großkreutz made it 2-1 in the last minute – replicating the scoreline from that night at Wembley 10 years ago.
The report on the Legends rematch:
Team Presentation for women & men
The Legends rematch was followed by the presentation of FC Bayern Women, who won the Bundesliga title last season and have big hopes for the coming campaign – particularly after some big-name signings. The players who aren't involved at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were introduced onto the pitch along with head coach Alexander Straus and his staff. "We want to get even better and try to bring more trophies to Munich," commented Straus.
FCB Women will play a league match at the Allianz Arena for the first time in October:
The women were followed by the men, who walked out of the tunnel one by one. Sven Ulreich was first out, last was his goalkeeping colleague Neuer, who's on the comeback trail: "I'm doing very well, I'm on a good track. I'm optimistic, looking forward to the new season and working hard to get back quickly.“ Head coach Thomas Tuchel and his team were also introduced, including new fitness and individual training coach Nicolas Mayer.
The players then stayed on the pitch for a training session lasting 90 minutes or so. As well as passing drills and conditioning work, the Reds particularly entertained the watching fans with a small-sided training game. After the training camp at Tegernsee and three sessions at Säbener Straße, FC Bayern travel to Asia on Monday afternoon for the Audi Summer Tour 2023.
„We've had a great event with a great atmosphere.”
Thomas Tuchel
Varied programme in and around the Allianz Arena
The day already started with numerous activities for fans outside the stadium. That continued inside the Arena with shirt competitions, the naming of Jamal Musiala as the new KIDSCLUB captain and his award for Player of the Season. An eventful day ended with a fan challenge on the pitch, featuring Maximiliane Rall, Serge Gnabry and a number of supporters, who experienced goosebumps one last time. FCB fans won't forget this experience in a hurry.
Catch up on the day with our live blog:
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