How the Bayern heroes of 2001 brought San Siro back to Munich

Sammy Kuffour grabbed the stadium microphone, with a broad grin on his face – and all of a sudden sang his famous “Rot-weiße Trikots” (“Red-and-white shirts”) chant to the stadium. No pathos, no rehearsed act, just a cheerful moment among old acquaintances. The fans inside the Allianz Arena immediately joined in. For a brief moment, it seemed like time had stood still. Twenty-five years after the triumph of Milan, the Champions League-winning side of 2001 reunited ahead of the final match of the season against Köln – and reminded why this team still has a special place in Bayern history.

A reunion of European heroes

“It was a great idea to invite the players from 2001,” said honorary president Uli Hoeneß later on at the title party for the current team, to which the heroes of 2001 were also invited. On 23 May 2001, FC Bayern beat Valencia 5-4 on penalties in the Champions League final at the San Siro, with Oliver Kahn the hero of the night. Ahead of the season finale, most of those involved gathered together again in Munich. Items from the club museum also commemorated that night, when Bayern claimed the European football crown for the first time in 25 years.

These heroes were in attendance

The following players from 25 years ago were on the pitch on Saturday: Antonio Di Salvo, Bernd Dreher, Stefan Effenberg, Giovane Élber, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Henke, Carsten Jancker, Jens Jeremies, Oliver Kahn, Samuel Kuffour, Thomas Linke, Sepp Maier, Patrick Mölzl, Hasan Salihamidžić, Roque Santa Cruz, Thomas Strunz, Michael Tarnat, Stefan Wessels, Michael Wiesinger and Alexander Zickler. “I’m really happy to see friends who are very important to me again today,” said Santa Cruz, for example.

The anniversary was particularly brought to life through the message that carried through the whole evening: “Today is a good day to make history.” The line, that the fans also used in their tifo, symbolised the connection between the past and the present. Special jackets from the adidas collection were personalised for the 2001 team, with names and numbers on the back. A memento of a team who earned their place in the club’s history through character and resilience.

A shirt for eternity

A special art project was also dedicated to the anniversay. Together with the Italian brand Ressentia, FC Bayern produced a sculpture of the legendary 2001 shirt, based on an original jersey which was crystallised by hand – as a symbolic immoralization of one of the greatest moments in the club’s history. The context could hardly have been more fitting: an Italian piece of craftmanship for a final in Milan, which to many Bayern fans still ranks as one of the club’s most emotional nights.

“It’s obviously nice, Bayern is like a family,” said crowd favourite Kuffour. And that’s also exactly why his spontaneous chant perfectly summed up the evening. The players from then don’t need to explain anything. A few renditions of “Rot-weiße Trikots”, a lot of laughter and the memory of the San Siro are more than enough.