Seoul is the location for FC Bayern's first acid test of pre-season as the German record champions entertain Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on their Audi Summer Tour 2024 on 3 August. The friendly in the South Korean capital is part of the Coupang Play Series. fcbayern.com has taken a closer look at the opponents from North London for you. You can watch the clash live with FC Bayern TV PLUS.
That time a promoted team were English champions
The storied English club, which was originally founded in 1882 as a cricket club, takes its name from a medieval nobleman. Sir Henry Percy (1364-1403), the youngest son of the Duke of Northumberland, was baptised "Harry Hotspur" because of his heroic deeds. The football team named after him has also enjoyed plenty of success in its long history, even if their title-winning days are somewhat in the past. Tottenham won the FA Cup in 1901 and remain the only non-league club to have won the competition since the formation of the Football League in 1888. Incidentally, with this victory Spurs established a new tradition: tying ribbons in the colours of the winning team to the trophy.
The Londoners have won the FA Cup eight times in total, most recently in 1991. You have to go back further for their last league title: in 1961, Spurs won the old First Division, 10 years after claiming the crown as a promoted team in England's top flight. With four League Cups and seven Community Shields, the club who finished fifth in the Premier League last season has a well-filled trophy cabinet. The Londoners have also made their mark on the European stage, winning the UEFA Cup twice (1972 and 1984) as well as the the Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.
Kane & Dier: Two ex-Spurs on Bayern's books
Since the start of this year, Bayern have two former Tottenham players in their ranks in Harry Kane and Eric Dier. The English duo spent a total of nine years together at Spurs. Kane, who joined FCB before the start of last season, made 435 competitive appearances for his boyhood club and is their record goalscorer with 280 goals. Dier, who moved to Munich in January, was also a key player for Spurs for many years. The defender played 365 games in the white shirt (13 goals). Among the biggest successes of their time together in the English capital was the run to the Champions League final in 2019, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool. However, Kane will miss the reunion with his former club in Seoul, as the striker is still on holiday having reached the final of the European Championship this summer.
Minjae & Son: Battle of South Korea's top stars
The crowd at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul can also look forward to the meeting between South Korean duo Minjae Kim and Heung-min Son, two of their country's best footballers. FCB defender Minjae, who was named South Korea's Player of the Year in January, was born in the city of Tongyeong in the south-east coast, 368 kilometres from Seoul in the north of the country. Spurs attacker Son was born in Chuncheon, a city 76 kilometres north-east of the capital. If both are on the pitch, there are likely to be several direct duels between the centre-back and the forward on Saturday.
"I've only played against Sonny in training to date," said Minjae in Friday's pre-match press conference. "He's a top player but Tottenham have many other great players who we need to be wary of. Obviously, I hope that we walk off as winners tomorrow and I'm looking forward to my first match against him."
Tottenham Hotspur: the year after the upheaval
Son is a pillar of the Spurs squad, which underwent a major rebuild last summer. In Kane and long-time captain Hugo Lloris, two club legends departed. Under new coach Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham spent a lot of money and signed players including James Maddison (from Leicester City), Pedro Porro (Sporting CP), Micky van de Ven (VfL Wolfsburg) and Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus). German striker Timo Werner has also been on loan at Spurs since the winter, on a loan deal from RB Leipzig that runs until 2025.
With a refreshed squad, the Lilywhites finished fifth in the Premier League last term. That was in large part thanks to top scorer Son, who posted 17 goals and 10 assists in 35 Premier League games. The aim for the Londoners in 2024/25 is to get back among the Champions League places. Their biggest signing of the summer so far is 18-year-old midfield talent Archie Gray, who's arrived from Leeds United.
Bayern and Tottenham: meeting again in London
Just seven days after the friendly in South Korea, the two teams will meet again, this time in London on 10 August (kick-off 18:30 CEST). For Tottenham, it will be their final warm-up for the opening Premier League fixture against Leicester on 19 August. Postecoglou's men have won all three of their pre-season friendlies so far against Heart of Midlothian (5-1), Queens Park Rangers (2-0) and Vissel Kobe (3-2). The German record champions begin their league campaign on the following weekend at Wolfsburg on 25 August.
For this year's Audi Summer Tour, the German record champions are travelling to the South Korean capital Seoul. fcbayern.com has summarised for you what makes the city so unique, what special features Seoul has to offer and which sports are particularly popular there:
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