The special connection between FC Bayern Women and Freiburg

Anyone looking at the Freiburg team photo from the 2019 DFB Cup final today will probably do a double-take at some familiar faces on there: Giulia Gwinn and Klara Bühl next to each other at the bottom, captain Clara Schöne at the top left. The picture from the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne between the then surprise finalists Freiburg and the 11-time cup winners from Wolfsburg preserves a moment when careers were still in their early stages, at least when you look at Gwinn and Bühl. At the same time, Freiburg's participation in the final at that time already hinted at where their careers might lead: to the big footballing stage, possibly to Munich at some point. Back then, the trophy remained a promise for today's Munich trio, with Freiburg losing 1-0 to Wolfsburg.

When Schöne, now assistant coach at Bayern, looks back on that day today, her memories are tinged with a sense of melancholy. It was her penultimate match for Freiburg, she says, an intense day on which she was "firmly convinced we would win the final". In the end they came close, "we played a very good game". Bühl, who was 18 at the time, has similar thoughts: she also had "one or two good chances - we were close, we were just missing the goal".

A few years later, however, they'd come full circle. In 2025, FCB Women would finally lift the trophy again, ending a 13-year wait. Schöne, who had already won the trophy with FC Bayern Women in 2012, celebrated her second title; for Gwinn and Bühl it was their first win. A trophy win that also included previous spells, some of which were formed on the pitches in the Breisgau. Bühl speaks of something "special", a shared history that connects Gwinn, Schöne and her through their time together at SCF: the years in Freiburg were unforgettable, "special moments, a great team, a lot of joy on the pitch".

Freiburg the foundation, Munich the stage

Freiburg was and is a reliable starting point for many players: clear structures, visible development. Bühl and Gwinn continued their careers at the highest level in Munich after starting their careers and training in the Breisgau. Today, both are central characters in the starting XI of the double winners and the national team, with Gwinn even captaining her country. They characterise the game in Munich as well as in the national jersey. For Schöne, who spent a long time as a player at FC Bayern before her time in Freiburg, the journey led her to the dugout.

SC Freiburg and FC Bayern Women have enjoyed a quiet but sustainable connection, if you will, for years: The team photo from 2019 becomes a sober but telling symbolic image: it shows how closely success is linked to continuity, training and smart decisions. From Freiburg to Munich and sometimes back: not mere geography, but a model in which talents became top performers and changes were rarely coincidences. Few clubs in the league have recently seen as much cross-movement as Freiburg and Bayern. And there's a logic behind every move.

Biographies as bridges

The list of players who have played for SCF and FCB is long and significant. In addition to Schöne, Gwinn and Bühl, current Bayern player Carolin Simon also played for both clubs. On the Freiburg side, this connection is particularly evident in one biography: Laura Benkarth, born and bred in Freiburg, was in goal for SCF from 2008 to 2018, before moving to Munich and playing in goal for FC Bayern between 2018 and 2023. After two years in Lyon, the now 33-year-old returned to the Breisgau last year.

But Benkarth is just one example. Looking back, a familiar pattern emerges: Melanie Leupolz, Verena Schweers, Lina Magull, Melanie Behringer, Sara Däbritz, to name just a few. They all took to the pitch in Freiburg and later played for FC Bayern. In Baden they received their training, in Munich they made their mark in title races and became leaders. National team debuts, major tournaments, captaincy roles included. Their paths were similar without being identical.

Perhaps what makes Freiburg special is the way in which the club removes the boundary between the environment and the pitch. The distances are short, the dialogue direct. For Gwinn, the spell at Freiburg was "decisive, the first step into the Bundesliga." A place where she "also grew up". Many familiar faces characterised this feeling of belonging: "I'm particularly looking forward to seeing Lisa Karl on Friday, who I played alongside for a long time."

What remains is the atmosphere. Like FC Bayern, Freiburg is "a very informal club", says Gwinn, an environment that is "extremely good for young players in particular" because it welcomes new faces effortlessly, "that's what Freiburg is all about". Bühl, in turn, describes a meticulous environment in which training and enjoyment come together and "the first experiences in the Bundesliga" are possible "without any great pressure". And from a coaching perspective, Schöne summarises this experience as a principle: for young players, Freiburg had "the ideal mix - enough experienced players to provide direction, but not so many that playing time got lost".

Reunion on Friday evening

On Friday, their paths cross once again: A tough away game awaits the Munich women, while Freiburg face a special home game when the double winners visit the compact Dreisamstadion. Gwinn and Bühl know what to expect; matches in Freiburg have never been easy. The crowd gets behind the home team and spurs them on. The rhythm in the stadium rarely tips in favour of the visitors. "Freiburg are tough opponents," says Gwinn, looking ahead; in recent years, SC "have often got a result at home, even against the top teams in the league. Everything will be demanded of us, we'll have to be very alert right from the start."

The reverse fixture was a clear-cut affair for the Munich side: An Oktoberfest atmosphere, a convincing 4-0 win, Gwinn's comeback after recovering from an inner ligament injury. But the league is once again tight and full of twists and turns this year. The Freiburg women celebrated their 200th Bundesliga win at HSV last weekend. A sign: We're there, we're growing, we belong. SCF have shown it in recent years: a fifth-place finish last season, with two sixth-place finishes prior to that in the Bundesliga. The overall record heavily favours Bayern (35 wins, 6 draws, 7 defeats), but as everyone knows, numbers don't decide a game. Two of the last three games at SCF ended in draws, so Barcala's side will need to be on their guard.

Clara Schöne is currently completing her pro licence:

🏟️💫 FC Bayern Women play their Champions League quarter-final at the Allianz Arena: