A legendary football festival with Wembley moments and icons

Football writes its own history. Okay, that's a couple of euros in the cliché jar. But you could never have imagined a moment like this would happen on this glorious evening at SAP Garden in Munich! In the middle of the second half of the Beckenbauer Cup semi-final between FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, Arjen Robben got to the ball before Roman Weidenfeller, took it past the BVB keeper with his left foot - and slotted it home to make it 2-1 in the Champions League final! Okay, forget the last part, that was a bit too much nostalgia, but it was true: There was an absolute sense of déjà vu, because Robben actually did score in the Legends tournament in honour of Franz Beckenbauer to make it 1-0 and then celebrated wildly in what was a fiery atmosphere. Rocking Robben, so to speak. What more could a Bayern heart wish for?

But first things first: It was clear that this evening could be a special one even before  the Beckenbauer Cup kicked off. The more than 9,000 spectators in the completely sold-out SAP Garden had goosebumps even before the start of the legendary song ‘Gute Freunde kann niemand trennen’ (No-one can separate good friends) by Franz Beckenbauer and FC Bayern's new stadium anthem. "This is a great stage for Franz and for our 125th anniversary, it's a terrific day. We're thinking of Franz and celebrating a football festival today," said FCB CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen before announcing there would be a minute's silence at the start of the tournament in honour of former FCB president Fritz Scherer, who passed away last week. After the subsequent light show - in honour of a luminary figure - lit up the impressive hall, it was time for the first highlight to kick things off: The Bayern players were introduced - and for the first time, the volume reached a level similar to that when goals are scored at the Allianz Arena. Especially when two legends who once formed a feared strike partnership took to the artificial turf: Arjen Robben (41) and Franck Ribéry (41).

The return of Robbéry

Nostalgia showed on the faces of many spectators on Monday evening when the pair were shown on the giant video cube: For the first time since their emotional farewell in May 2019, which was simply perfect with the title being clinched in the last game of the season against Frankfurt and goals from Rib and Rob, the brilliant duo were back together in the jersey of their favourite club. "Franz belongs to Bayern, he's the Kaiser. If anyone deserves it, it's Herr Beckenbauer. It's a great honour for us to be here,’ said Mr Wembley Robben, who signed countless autographs during the breaks, watched the opponents play or chatted with teammates or opposition players. Crowd favourite Ribéry, whose unconditional love for the German record champions is legendary, said of the tournament: "Franz was a great personality and had an elegant demeanour. He was very important for Bayern and for football. I'm always happy to see Arjen. We're always on the phone to each other. I'll never forget our time together, it'll stay with me for the rest of my life."

So it came as no surprise that Ribéry celebrated in the arms of the Dutchman after scoring the first ever goal of the tournament in the opening game against Ajax. There was no doubt it made the hearts of the Bayern fans at SAP Garden and watching on MagentaSport swell! If you'd continued to follow Arjen Robben throughout the evening, one thing would have been obvious: his ambition is undiminished. "I honestly thought that some teams would take it easy. But everyone's getting stuck in. But we're doing it for Franz Beckenbauer and the foundation, that's the most important thing." Robben & Co. had to fight for a place in the semi-finals in the last group game against Real Madrid - with Iker Casillas, Pepe & Co. Naturally, Robbéry was there in the thick of it. After two Ribéry assists and goals from Mark van Bommel and Thomas Linke, the Bayern Legends coached by Philipp Lahm progressed to the semi-finals against BVB. "We're through, that's the most important thing. When you play, you want to win. It's crazy what a great event this is," said the former aggressive leader van Bommel. "Only Bayern Munich can do that. Franz was the Kaiser and everyone loved him."

The Cup from the fans' perspective

And how did the fans experience this unique evening with Rafinha, Claudio Pizarro & Co. at SAP Garden? Bayern fans Thomas and Luno didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to watch the Legends tournament in the new arena at the Olympiapark in Munich. It was a special evening for Luno, who was able to see former world-class players such as Lothar Matthäus and Giovane Élber, who played well before his time, live on the pitch. "I'm still a kid and I'm looking forward to seeing the older players flourish once again," said Luno before kick-off.

Thomas was very keen to pay his respects to the Kaiser. In sporting terms, he was hoping to witness the odd stroke of genius from a certain dynamic duo - and his wish was granted. "Seeing Robben and Ribéry once again is a highlight. This will probably be the last time they play together," said the Munich native, who has been a loyal fan of the German record champions for 40 years. "Robben became immortal at the club with his Champions League final goal." Ribéry also shaped the team over the years and gave FCB fans lasting pleasure. "They impressed for years together on the right and left flanks with the way they played football." The Legends match also gave the two Bayern fans the chance to get to know the brand new SAP Garden - “in the context of a tournament like this, that's a good opportunity, of course,” said Thomas.

Both cheered the team on as they came out on top in the semi-final against the Borussia Dortmund Legends in a game played on a knife-edge. In a hard-fought, entertaining match, FC Bayern came out on top thanks to goals from Robben and Diego Contento. Robben on the victory: "It was difficult, Dortmund have a few younger players. The fans are fun and the atmosphere is fantastic."

The Cup from the referee's perspective

Before the grand final between FC Bayern and Real Madrid - the European Der Klassiker - we spoke to someone without whom a small pitch tournament like this would not be possible: the referees, in this case referee Kathrin Lehmann. She was one of the five referees who officiated in the Cup matches. The former FC Bayern Women goalkeeper and Munich resident normally referees under 18 matches - today she shared the pitch with legends such as Lothar Matthäus and Pepe. "It's certainly a cool feeling when you're on the pitch with global stars like them," she said. "Of course I was a bit nervous."

She was particularly impressed by Robben and Ribéry, "how they control the game - but also how cheeky they still are," chuckled the Zurich native, who divides her time between the pitch and the ice: The 45-year-old normally analyses football events as a pundit on Swiss television and is also involved in the women's Bundesliga ice hockey team ESC Planegg. On Monday evening, she experienced the clashes in the SAP Garden up close. "You can see who is still ambitious," said Lehmann, "Robben is still very ambitious." Before the referee moves from SAP Garden back to the amateur pitches in Munich, she visibly enjoyed the atmosphere in the sold-out arena. "The Beckenbauer Cup is something very honourable and incredibly special". Naturally, she wants to tell her family and friends about this special experience - and anyone who would like to become a referee. "These are highlights that also show young people: It's cool to be a referee."

The grand final

Lehmann then officiated in the 3rd place play-off between Stuttgart and BVB (2-1), before the highlight match of the evening followed: Bayern's hit 'Stern des Südens' (Star of the South) heralded it - the grand final. Bayern Munich against Real Madrid. A small ‘Finale dahoam’ (home final) for FC Bayern, so to speak. The match was a demonstration of power by the FCB Legends, who ran out 4-0 winners after goals from Giovane Élber (2), van Bommel and Rafinha to win the first-ever, one-off Beckenbauer Cup. "It was an incredibly great evening with a fantastic atmosphere. We saw high-quality matches, and in the end the best team won. The most important thing was that the fans enjoyed it. Everyone is happy and absolutely thrilled," said FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer at the end of the event, before handing over a cheque to the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation.

What will remain of this evening are countless moments that would have pleased Franz Beckenbauer. The cream of European football came together in Munich - and said thank you. "It means a lot to us to be here in honour of Franz Beckenbauer. I'm proud to be part of it and I'm delighted that so many great players have come," said Real Madrid's Iker Casillas, for example, while defender Pepe added: "It was an incredible atmosphere. Franz Beckenbauer deserves all this, he's a great legend."

Casillas was honoured as goalkeeper of the tournament and BVB's Kevin Großkreutz won the top scorer trophy with four goals before the FCB Legends lifted the winner's cup. There was still one award left to be handed out: the player of the tournament. The man with the number 10 FC Bayern jersey accepted the award to thunderous applause, smiling reservedly after he had once again dazzled on the pitch. Just like in the best of times. But he wouldn't be Arjen Robben if he didn't want to share this individual moment with his team - and his pal Ribéry. "We share this honour," he said into the microphone in the direction of the Frenchman at the end. Another moment for the Bayern soul.

At the end of a unique and unforgettable evening in honour of Franz Beckenbauer, the fans went home delighted. And so FCB President Herbert Hainer concluded with the words "I am certainly sure that Franz was watching. He would have loved that. Franz always brought people together. His credo was: ‘Football unites people all over the world in a peaceful way’. That was absolutely the case today."

The detailed match report on the Beckenbauer Cup: