The third instalment of the documentary series, which offers FC Bayern fans a look behind the scenes of the project and accompanies the young players on their journey with the German record champions, starts on Thursday at 4pm CET. The goal is professional football. A challenging path with many ups and downs - both on and off the pitch. Take a look and find out which of the young stars continue to dream, and whose dreams came to an early end.
With Roy Makaay as head coach of the Class of '23, you’ll experience the sporting challenges the youngsters face, what drives them and how they get used to the professional environment of FC Bayern.
FC Bayern will release two episodes every Thursday at 4pm over a four-week period. The exclusive series can be viewed on the FC Bayern Munich YouTube channel, on the club website and in the app.
The annual global project, which was launched in 2021 in collaboration with partner Volkswagen, aims to offer U19 players from across the world an ideal platform to enable them to find a way into professional leagues around the world. In its third year, there were almost 6,000 applicants, twice as many as in the previous year.
Andreas Jung, FC Bayern board member for marketing: "With the FC Bayern World Squad, FC Bayern and Volkswagen, as the main partners of this global flagship project, want to promote not only sport but also the development of young footballers around the world, give players from underdeveloped areas a chance and promote general cultural exchange. In the documentary, we will follow the development of the team at close quarters, giving fans unique access to all activities, on and off the pitch."
Stephan Franssen, Head of Sponsoring at Volkswagen: "In the third season of the FC Bayern World Squad, the participants are once again given a real opportunity to make their way into professional football and for personal development. The focus is on internationality, diversity and community. No matter where you play, no matter who plays - it's football."
Jochen Sauer, head of the FC Bayern Campus: "The FC Bayern World Squad project is an important international scouting initiative from the club and has developed so well over the last two years that it no longer serves merely as a training school but is now firmly anchored in FC Bayern's elite youth football programme. The project serves as a springboard for undiscovered young players who have the opportunity to find their place in professional football thanks to its huge reach."
Once again this year, 23 players from 18 countries had the opportunity to develop their skills under the guidance of head coach and club legend Roy Makaay. Together with the coaching team, the Class of '23 travelled to Buenos Aires for a 12-day training camp with three matches against the youth teams of famous Argentinian clubs Estudiantes de la Plata, Argentinos Juniors and River Plate.
Two further matches were played against the youth teams of KSV Hessen Kassel, a partner club of Volkswagen, and Hamburger SV. The annual highlight of the project was once again a match against FC Bayern's U19s, which took place at the Campus.
FC Bayern is also keen to give young players from all over the world something to take with them off the pitch. For instance, the content of the ‘Rot gegen Rassismus’ initiative was addressed with them. The also team played with the English slogan ‘Red against Racism’ on its chest.
You can see how the games ended and what the boys experienced from Thursday onwards!
Find out more about the FC Bayern World Squad project here.
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