Now reach for the stars with the cockatoo

Shortly after they had collectively cheered the team, they turned their adulation to one person in particular. The Südkurve – the heart of the Bayern fans – which had once again pulsed incessantly during the 4-2 victory over VfB Stuttgart and, three days on from the triumphant win over Real Madrid, had once more shovelled truckloads of energy down onto the pitch with their chants, was now chanting “Kompany, Kompany”.

That’s exactly what the Bayern fans had done just 14 days earlier, 2,000 kilometres to south-west at the Bernabéu. The Bayern head coach had waved back somewhat tensely, with the return leg still in mind. This time, however, a huge weight came crashing off Kompany’s shoulders. The resounding home victory over the team in third place had secured Bayern’s 35th championship title with four games to spare. So Kompany ran towards the south stand, raised a fist in celebration and, drunk with joy and beaming, threw it into the Bavarian air several times. “Wonderful,” he later described his emotions. “These moments are the result of an incredible amount of hard work over many years. When you finally get there, you have to enjoy it. At that moment, it’s all about simply enjoying everything. From tomorrow, it’s back to business as usual.”

Another display of the highest quality

This second title of the season, which once again came at the hands of Stuttgart after August’s Franz Beckenbauer Supercup triumph, was preceded by yet another masterclass. “It really is something quite special,” said Joshua Kimmich. “This season in particular has been a very, very good Bundesliga season. Today’s game wasn’t a given either, coming here after the Madrid games and playing like we did against the team third in the table.” Admittedly, Bayern struggled initially to build fresh momentum following their nerve-wracking and gruelling triumph over Real Madrid, despite making eight changes to the starting line-up. But Stuttgart ensured that momentum did materialise with their opening goal. Chris Führich punished a careless, passive home defence with a well-placed low shot into the Bayern net with 21 minutes gone. The goal was like the spark that suddenly got the Bayern engine running again.

Suddenly, the team’s passing play became more fluid, their legs felt lighter, and their challenges took on a level of aggression that really hurt Stuttgart. After 32 minutes, Jamal Musiala dribbled through a handful of VfB defenders with such ease and finesse that Raphaël Guerreiro only had to tap the ball in to equalise. Just how hard the equaliser hit Stuttgart was shown by the fact that Bayern were celebrating again just 96 seconds later. A misplaced pass in the build-up was capitalised on by Luis Díaz, who played a fine pass to Nicolas Jackson to make it 2-1. And with that, the game had been completely turned around in just over a minute and a half. For the first time, the Südkurve, really enjoying themselves now, broke into the chant of “Deutscher Meister wird nur der FCB” – Only FCB will be champions. “We knew already that we’d done it, but we really wanted to win this game today and do it in the manner we’ve done throughout the season. I think that’s made us so good this year, that there’s been no difference to us whether there was more or less on the line,” Leon Goretzka later revealed.

Three quickfire goals

Barely 180 seconds after that, the score was 3–1. And this one was a highly emotional moment as Alphonso Davies, having fought his way back from a cruciate ligament rupture over several months, having gone through some really tough times along the way, was able to celebrate his first goal since the injury. It was an explosion of energy. Davies had last scored in December 2024 in the 5-1 win over RB Leipzig, while Díaz recorded his 28th goal contribution of the league campaign. He’s scored 15 himself and provided 13 assists. The rest of the match statistics also spoke volumes. Bayern recorded 14 shots on goal to Stuttgart’s five, and 16 successful dribbles to Stuttgart’s five, whilst enjoying over 60 percent possession. And this despite Stuttgart putting up a fierce fight, as underlined by their 14 tackles to Bayern’s three.

Kompany decided to keep the lively, skilful duo of Musiala and Díaz in the changing room to rest them at half time, with an eye on Wednesday’s DFB Cup semi-final in Leverkusen. Harry Kane and Michael Olise came on in their place, and seven minutes later the English striker scored the next goal. It was his 32nd of the season and Bayern’s 15th by a substitute this campaign. That Kane would score against VfB again was a safe bet, given he’s got more Bundesliga goals against them (10) than any other club.

11 teenagers in a season

With the team comfortably ahead, the rest of the match was more of a procession. Olise tried to work his usual magic on his left foot with a deft shot bound for the top left corner, only for Maximilian Mittelstädt to leap into the air behind his already beaten goalkeeper and somehow manage to head the ball over the bar. Jonas Urbig, who deputised flawlessly for Manuel Neuer, also had the chance to shine once more in a one-on-one against Bilal El Khannouss. Bara Ndaye, the young Senegalese with the fairy-tale career path, made his Bayern home debut at the Allianz Arena, while Deniz Ofli played his very first Bundesliga match. He’s now the 11th teenager that Kompany had fielded in competitive fixtures this season. And Stuttgart scored a nice goal shortly before the final whistle to make it 4-2.

But then the celebrations were already under way, although they were deliberately low-key this time, given the tasks still ahead. “We didn’t have any big ups or downs but have been very consistent. We haven’t quite managed it like this in previous years, even when we won many titles,” Kimmich said happily as he looked back over the campaign. And Musiala, “It’s a great moment for us. We wanted to take the next step with our mentality. We’ve shown that game after game throughout the whole season, always with the same energy and the same hunger, no matter who against. That’s brought us the title a bit earlier.”

Even Sebastian Hoeneß, the visiting coach, joined in with his praise: “I’d like to congratulate Bayern on the title. They’re thoroughly deserved champions, no doubt about that. Also the way they come across – as a team, the coaches, the club – deserves the utmost recognition. They’re a very good representative of Germany football, so I’d like to congratulate them, even though we lost here today.”

And so to the illustration of the cockatoo in the Bayern jersey, holding the Bundesliga trophy. The porcelain figurine has become an indispensable part of every celebration following the 2025 triumph, evolving into a cult figure for the team after the first title under Kompany. The magnificent bird has long since lifted the team onto its back and carried them to their first titles. This flight is far from over. The cockatoo is set to carry them all the way to the stars.

“It’s been a fantastic season overall, and as president I’m naturally delighted,” said president Herbert Hainer. He too was beaming: “And hopefully this won’t be the last title. The women’s team are also on the verge of their fourth consecutive Bundesliga title and are in the cup final. And I hope we do the same with the men on Wednesday so we can then head to Berlin with them as well.” CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen remarked: “I think the cockatoo is in for quite a journey.”

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