Ten FC Bayern highlights of 2025

A celebration for the ages: in February 2025, FC Bayern marked its 125th anniversary with a spectacular week of festivities, treating fans to everything their hearts desired, from special jerseys and a red-and-white Allianz Arena to the legendary ‘Mia san mia’ evening at Nockherberg. The highlight was the Beckenbauer Cup in the sold-out SAP Garden, where FC Bayern legends including Robben, Ribéry, Lahm and Matthäus took on European giants such as Real Madrid and AC Milan – and ultimately triumphantly held aloft the trophy honouring der Kaiser. Spine-tingling moments, emotional reflections and a donation to the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation turned the tournament into a real football festival that brought the history and spirit of FC Bayern to life in a unique way. With 400,000 members, an anthem that brings people together and countless legends in the spotlight, the record champions showed at their anniversary celebrations how tradition and innovation still go hand in hand, even after 125 years.

It was the moment everyone had been waiting for: In February, Jamal Musiala, the magician with that ‘certain something’, extended his contract with FC Bayern until 2030, remaining the face of a new generation who are creating magical moments in Munich. Alphonso Davies will also remain an integral part of the Bayern family until 2030, while midfield motor and leader Joshua Kimmich extended his contract until 2029 and stands firmly rooted at Säbener Straße. Iconic goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is in his 15th season with the record champions after extending his contract until 2026, and Sven Ulreich will also remain as a reliable backup until 2026. FC Bayern's club media team came up with some special ideas to mark the contract extensions of these key players: Musiala made a grand entrance at the Allianz Arena, Davies rapped to his own song, Kimmich planted a tree on Säbener Straße and Neuer made himself comfortable in a sea of his own jerseys.

The emotional highlights in December were Davies' comeback against Sporting after 261 agonising days and Musiala's return to training after 164 days out injured.

What a start! In his first season in a Bayern jersey, Michael Olise stormed down the wings, thrilling fans with his spectacular dribbling and secured the title of FC Bayern Player of the Season with 43 goal contributions in 55 competitive appearances – garnering almost half of all votes in the fan poll. The left-footed France international shone as the Bundesliga's top provider, scoring 12 goals and setting up another 18, which also earned him an outstanding second place (behind Florian Wirtz) in the poll for Germany's Footballer of the Year. Olise was not only instrumental in helping the club win its 34th league title, but was also the Bundesliga's most prolific left-footed player and became the first Bayern newcomer since 2004/05 to reach double digits in goals and assists in his maiden season. Head coach Vincent Kompany was full of praise for Olise: "I see his hunger every day. He's a very hard worker. That's the foundation, coupled with his talent."

It was an evening no one in the stadium will ever forget: as the sun set over Fröttmaning, Thomas Müller ran onto his home turf, the Allianz Arena, for the 355th and last time, and was greeted by the fans with thunderous chants of "Müller, Müller!" After a stirring match against Gladbach, in which emotions and gratitude were palpable, Müller was the first to lift the Meisterschale before climbing into the heart of the Südkurve, the south stand – where he had been cheered on for 25 years. The club legend, who won everything there was to win during 750 competitive appearances, scoring 248 goals and delivering 222 assists, said farewell with a declaration of love for the fans: “I love you all. Take care, servus!” As a world champion, two-time treble winner and record appearance-maker, Müller will never be forgotten – and showed until the very end that you can have big dreams even if you come from a small village. His farewell was marked by joy, pride and the promise that his connection to FC Bayern and its fans will live on forever. In addition to the iconic Müller, FC Bayern also bid farewell to other deserving players at the end of the season, including Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sané, Eric Dier and Mathys Tel.

It was the moment Harry Kane had been waiting so long for: carrying the Meisterschale and grinning broadly, the England captain delivered his first major club trophy to the FC Bayern Museum – and made history in the process. In his second season in the Bundesliga, Kane not only became the top scorer again with 26 goals, but was also voted ‘DFL Player of the Season’ and racked up a total of 36 goal contributions. Alongside 11 other first-time champions in Germany, such as Eric Dier, Michael Olise and Konrad Laimer, he celebrated the record champions' 34th title, which they won by dominating the league with attacking power, team spirit and impressive consistency. The emotional title celebrations Kane and his teammates enjoyed after the final whistle were the crowning glory of a season packed with records, firsts and unforgettable moments – and a promise of many more title dreams to come. "It feels incredibly good. We've worked very hard all season, pushing ourselves physically and mentally, and there's nothing better than celebrating when you've won something together," said Kane.

Sun, palm trees and hard work: the Club World Cup in the USA and the base camp in Orlando provided the perfect setting for FC Bayern to engage in some real team building. In Florida, the players worked up a sweat together, celebrated victories, attended fan events and reinforced their team spirit – from the veterans, to the new signings such as Tah and Bischof, to the youngsters. The trip through the USA not only generated new fan clubs and international excitement, but also many special moments beyond the pitch. In the quarter-final against PSG, Kompany's side showed true grit and passion, putting up a strong fight against the Champions League winners and bringing them to the brink of defeat. But despite a strong performance including two disallowed goals, they ultimately came up short – the bitter 2-0 defeat and Jamal Musiala's serious injury were a heavy blow.

Nevertheless, the time spent in Orlando brought the team closer together, as Kompany and Max Eberl emphasised on several occasions. "The Club World Cup was a gift for us, even if it ended dramatically. But as a team, together with the entire staff, we had an incredibly good time. We grew closer together, became more focused and concentrated," said board member for sport Eberl. The motivation to win new silverware is greater than ever – and the global Bayern family has continued to grow.

At the end of July, FC Bayern pulled off a real transfer coup in the shape of Luis Díaz. The Colombia international, who fought his way from the dusty streets of Barranca to the biggest stadiums in Europe, is a rocket on the wings, who brings pace, technique and passion to Munich's game. Díaz, who won trophies at Junior de Barranquilla, Porto and Liverpool, impresses not only with his dribbling skills and goal-scoring threat, but also with his mentality and fighting spirit – qualities that immediately made him a fan favourite. His story is one of perseverance and family support, and his goal in Munich is clear: "To win every possible title."

With 13 goals and seven assists in 22 competitive appearances so far this season, as well as numerous outstanding defensive performances, ‘Lucho’ has already demonstrated how he can enrich the Bundesliga and FC Bayern. Other pre-season signings such as Nicolas Jackson, Jonathan Tah, Tom Bischof and Lennart Karl also contributed to keeping clean sheets and creating scoring opportunities.

Vincent Kompany ushered in a new era for FC Bayern: in his maiden season, the Belgian coach led the Bavarians to the Bundesliga title and thrilled everyone both on and off the pitch with his modern, intense style of play. Under his empathetic leadership, the team grew together into a real unit, dominating the league with an impressive 23 wins and just two defeats, and celebrating the title on the Matchday 32 of the 2024/25 season. His early contract extension in October tying him to the club until 2029 was a clear commitment to continuity and stability – Kompany is highly regarded by players, fans and officials alike and has rekindled the joy of football. With his open style of communication, focus on team spirit and promotion of young talent, Kompany has made his mark on FC Bayern and set the stage for further great successes.

A spine-tingling moment for the Bayern fans in attendance: Herbert Hainer was re-elected as president of FC Bayern at the 2025 Annual General Meeting with an overwhelming 95.63 per cent of the votes – a clear sign from the members of their desire for continuity and cohesion in the year marking ‘125 years of FC Bayern’. In his emotional speech, Hainer linked tradition and the future, paid tribute to legends such as Beckenbauer and Müller, celebrated the Bavarian treble in men's and women's football and basketball, and praised the new club anthem as a gift from the fans. Together with the re-elected vice-presidents Prof. Dr Dieter Mayer and Walter Mennekes, Hainer is committed to sustainable development, social engagement and the unmistakable Bayern DNA: "No transfer fee could ever secure our DNA – it's priceless." With innovative projects, record-breaking membership numbers and its calling out of hatred and incitement, FC Bayern remains an identity powerhouse that combines tradition and innovation, even after 125 years.

With supreme confidence and unbridled determination, FC Bayern stormed through 2025 and this season's Hinrunde: not a single one of the 16 Bundesliga away games in 2025 was lost – 12 wins and four draws marked a historic run that had previously only been achieved in 1986 and 2013. The team amassed an impressive 41 points in the first 15 games of the season, equalling the club record that had previously only been achieved in the 2013/14 campaign. The away win at Heidenheim just before Christmas saw the record champions clinch their 28th Herbstmeisterschaft (unofficial autumn championship) with two matchdays of the first half of the season still to come in January. They also have a whopping nine-point lead over second place, the second-largest cushion for league leaders at this point of the season in Bundesliga history.

Vincent Kompany's side suffered their only defeat of the season in the Champions League against league leaders Arsenal (3-1). With 15 points after six games, FCB occupy an outstanding second place in Europe's premier club competition - and the record cup winners are also still in contention in the DFB Cup. The aim here is clear: win the Pokal again after their last triumph in 2020, and the next hurdle is the quarter-final against RB Leipzig in February. The young talents including Wisdom Mike and Lennart Karl, who has been involved in eight goals in 22 competitive appearances so far, have also played a big part in the successful season to date. Cassiano Kiala and David Santos Daiber also made their debuts in Heidenheim. "The two have been training with us for almost eight months now. In training, they've consistently come up against players like Harry Kane and Joshua Kimmich and have been able to gain valuable experience. We knew we could rely on them," said Kompany after the game.