Fußball-Club Bayern München e.V. is the most successful football club in German football. FCB to give them their shortened title, were formed in the Bavarian city of Munich on February 27th 1900.
Despite their multitude of honours, Bayern were very much the poor footballing neighbours in the city for the first sixty five years of their existence after footballers had broken away from the gymnastics club MTV 1879.
Early games were played on the Theresienwiese before the club moved to a ground of its own on Clemensstraße in Schwabing in 1901. A move to the ground of Münchner Sport-Club on Leopoldstraße followed in 1907.
Bayern became members of the Kreisliga, the top level division in the area of the time in 1910-11, going on to become champions at the first attempt with the team later going on to win the Süddeutsche Meisterschaft, South German championship in 1926 and 1928.
The club had grown support by this stage and had moved into Grünwalder Stadion in 1925 to as tenants to rivals TSV 1860 München. Both clubs would have equal standing when it was rebuilt after being bombed in the later War.
The team ended as southern runners-up in 1932 before going on in the Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft to reach the final where coach Richard Kohn led his charges to a 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt through goals from Oskar Rohr and Franz Krumm as the club were crowned as national champions.
In 1933 the ruling Third Reich installed a new top tier of sixteen regional Gauliga’s. Bayern suffered throughout the period as it had several Jews in prominent positions, including coach Kohn, who had to flee. FCB were labelled as the Jewish club with neighbours 1860 gaining support as a result.
Four third places were the best that Bayern could manage in the War years until they clinched the Gauliga Südbayern title in 1943-44 before winning a streamlined Gauliga Bayern the following season.
The five regional top flight division was introduced in 1945 with Bayern joining Oberliga Süd for a spell that would see them hire and fire thirteen coaches between joining and 1963. The team was relegated in 1954-55 after many seasons without any outstanding features.
A 2. Oberliga Süd runners-up spot the following season was enough to regain their status with Bayern going on to lift the DFB-Pokal German Cup in 1957 when a Rudi Jobst off Eintracht Frankfurt under coach Willibald Hahn.
The team finished third in the Oberliga Süd season of 1959-60 which was repeated in 1961-62 and again twelve months later. However, their performance over the previous dozen seasons was deemed insufficient to be given a place in the newly formed Bundesliga.
Zlatko Čajkovski was hired as coach with his team missing out on promotion through the play-offs in 1963-64. Youngsters Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier met up in the side who won the Regionalliga Süd title in 1964-65 and then made no mistake in their play-off group to go up to the Bundesliga.
A third place was clinched in their debut campaign with Bayern also winning the DFB-Pokal when Meidericher SV were defeated as Beckenbauer’s goal was added to by Rainer Ohlhauser and a Dieter Brenninger brace.
The Pokal was retained following a 4-0 win against Hamburger SV, as Müller’s double along with Ohlhauser and Brenninger goals doing the job for the side including Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Roth and skipper Werner Olk.
The season also heralded the clubs first European trophy when Bayern went all the way to the final of the Cup Winners Cup where a Roth extra time goal defeated Rangers at Städtisches Stadion in Nürnberg.
Branko Zebec was coach in 1968-69 as FCB won the Bundesliga title before completing the double as the DFB-Pokal was captured when two Müller goals were enough to overcome FC Schalke 04 2-1. A league runners-up spot followed as they finished behind Borussia Mönchengladbach who would become big rivals for several years.
The sides finished in the same positions in 1970-71 with consolation coming through a 2-1 extra time DFB-Pokal final win over 1. FC Köln thanks to goals from Beckenbauer and Edgar Schneider after the introduction of Paul Breitner and Uli Hoeneß to the team.
Udo Lattek was at the helm as the league title was won in 1971-72 as Bayern moved across the city to the new Olympiastadion which had been constructed for the 1972 Olympics and would become the venue of many major finals and internationals over the years.
The league title was retained the following season. 1973-74 would see Bayern win the European Cup for the first time when they defeated Atlético Madrid 4-0 after a replay at Stade du Heysel with Hoeneß and Müller both scoring twice while the Bundesliga title was won for a third consecutive season.
Dettmar Cramer led the side to the European Cup triumph of 1974-75 when Bayern won the final in controversial circumstances against Leeds United at Parc des Princes through goals from Roth and Müller. Referee Michel Kitabdjian made several strange decisions which can be viewed here in the highlights.
Saint-Étienne were defeated in the 1975-76 final at Hampden Park as Bayern became champions of Europe three times in a row as Roth struck again in a side which included a young Karl-Heinz Rummenigge alongside the stalwarts.
Beckenbauer departed in 1977 while Gyula Lóránt took over as coach for a season before the appointment of Pál Csernai before Maier, Hoeneß and Müller all moved on in 1979 as the team was required to be rebuilt.
Breitner and Rummenigge remained and became the centrepiece of Bundesliga triumphs in 1979-80 and 1980-81. Dieter Hoeneß was among the goals as Bayern reached the 1981-82 European Cup final where they went down to a solitary goal to Aston Villa at Feijenoord Stadion.
The DFB-Pokal was lifted as consolation as 1. FC Nürnberg were defeated 4-2 with Wolfgang Kraus adding a goal towards those from Hoeneß, Breitner and Rummenigge. The trophy was regained on penalties against Borussia Mönchengladbach following a Wolfgang Dremmler goal in normal time with goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff a hero.
The 1984-85 season saw Bayern regain their Bundesliga crown but go down in the Pokal final 2-1 to Bayer Uerdingen as Klaus Augenthaler captained the side. However, the trophy was lifted following a 5-2 win against VfB Stuttgart with Roland Wohlfarth scoring a hat trick and Michael Rummenigge a pair for the team including Lothar Matthäus.
The Bundesliga title also returned as ‘Die Roten’ completed the double before it was retained the following season. 1986-87 also saw another appearance in the final of the European Cup, where Bayern lost out 2-1 to FC Porto with Ludwig Kögl scoring the consolation goal.
Jupp Heynckes took over as coach in the summer of 1987 as his team became champions of Germany in 1988-89 and 1989-90 before ending as runners-up twelve months later. The team then had a relative slump.
Beckenbauer took over as coach for the second half of the 1993-94, leading the team to the league title which included Christian Ziege, Thomas Helmer, Christian Nerlinger, Mehmet Scholl and Dietmar Hamann.
Giovanni Trapattoni and then Otto Rehhagel were the next two coaches, but both ended their spells empty handed. Beckenbauer returned briefly and led the side to UEFA Cup triumph in 1995-96 as Bordeaux were defeated 5-1 on aggregate with Jean-Pierre Papin and keeper Oliver Kahn playing their part.
Trapattoni returned for a second spell, leading FCB to the Bundesliga title in 1996-97 as Jürgen Klinsmann, Mario Basler and Ruggiero Rizzitelli provided the goals. It was second place the following season but the DFB-Pokal was won 2-1 against MSV Duisburg with Basler and Markus Babbel netting.
Ottmar Hitzfeld had become coach when Bayern won their fifteenth German league title in 1998-99 as the team also reached the Champions League final. Manchester United won the game in dramatic circumstances after Basler opened the scoring. The side also lost on penalties to Werder Bremen in the DFB-Pokal final.
Big stars continued to perform for the club including the likes of Samuel Kuffour, Stefan Effenberg, Jens Jeremies and Carsten Jancker. The 1999-00 season marked Bayern’s centenary which was celebrated with their third double including a 3-0 DFB-Pokal success against Werder Bremen with Scholl, Giovane Élber and Paulo Sérgio scoring.
The title was retained twelve months later along with a fourth European Cup/Champions League victory when Valencia CF were defeated on penalties after skipper Effenberg scored from the spot in normal time.
A fourth double came in 2002-03 with the Pokal victory coming by way of a 3-1 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern as a Michael Ballack double was added to by Claudio Pizarro. Hitzfeld departed a highly successful time as coach at the end of the 2003-04 season.
Felix Magath was appointed in his place, leading Bayern to consecutive doubles in 2004-05 and then 2005-06 after the club had moved from the Olympiastadion to the Allianz Arena on the northern outskirts of the city, where the club shared again with 1860.
FC Schalke 04 were defeated 2-1 in the first of the DFB-Pokal finals with the goals coming from Roy Makaay and Hasan Salihamidžić before a Pizarro goal saw off Eintracht Frankfurt a year later. The team also included Lúcio, Bixente Lizarazu, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Owen Hargreaves and Zé Roberto.
Hitzfeld returned for a second spell as Franck Ribéry, Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni were signed. The 2008-09 DFB-Pokal was won 2-1 in extra time thanks to a Toni double against Borussia Dortmund, who would form Bayern’s major opposition for the next decade.
Ex player Klinsmann had a short term as coach before being replaced by Louis van Gaal who was joined by winger Arjen Robben while Thomas Müller made his way into the side. The team collected another league and cup double in 2009-10 with Werder Bremen beaten 4-0 in the Pokal final with Ivica Olić scoring along with Robben, Ribéry and Schweinsteiger.
FCB also reached the Champions League final but were undone 2-0 by Internazionale. Van Gaal was surprisingly replaced by Andries Jonker less than a year later before Heynckes returned to the helm with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer a major signing.
The 2011-12 campaign ended in treble misery as Bayern finished runners-up in the Bundesliga before going down 5-2 to Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal final and then in their home stadium to Chelsea on penalties in the Champions League final after Müller had put the team ahead in normal time.
However, 2012-13 saw Bayern win all three competitions. Dortmund were defeated 2-1 at Wembley in the Champions League final with Mario Mandžukić and Robben scoring. VfB Stuttgart were beaten 3-2 in the Pokal final as Müller added a goal to a brace from Mario Gómez.
Pep Guardiola arrived as the new head coach, leading Bayern to their tenth domestic double in 2013-14 with Thiago Alcântara starring throughout before Borussia Dortmund were defeated 2-0 in the final of the DFB-Pokal final with goals from Robben and Müller.
Robert Lewandowski and Xabi Alonso were signed as Bayern retained their Bundesliga title in 2014-15 before defending it in 2015-16 which was added to with a penalty shoot out final victory in the DFB-Pokal against Dortmund.
Carlo Ancelotti arrived to replace the resting Catalan as coach to take Bayern to a fifth consecutive Bundesliga title in 2016-17 with Mats Hummels being added to the squad. It was announced that joint tenants TSV 1860 München would be permanently leaving the Allianz Arena after their drop down to the fourth tier Regionalliga.
Young prospects Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso, Serge Gnabry and Niklas Süle were signed to strengthen the squad. Ancelotti departed as Heynckes took charge for a fourth and final time as he led the team to the 2017-18 league title.
In his final game Bayern were defeated 3-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Pokal final after Lewandowski had levelled the scores. The opposition coach Niko Kovač already knew that he’d be taking over at FCB following the game.
Kovač took his team to the league and cup double in 2018-19 as Joshua Kimmich impressed alongside the prolific Lewandowski, who continued to carry on his outstanding work, including a brace in the DFB-Pokal final against RB Leipzig when he added to a Coman goal.
Hansi Flick replaced Kovač as coach in the 2019-20 campaign as Bayern stormed towards their twentieth German league title as defeating Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 in the DFB-Pokal final to complete yet another double.
FC Bayern München will play in the Bundesliga in the 2020-21 season.
My visit
Friday 17th December 2016
I’d decided on a three night visit to Munich to enjoy the sights and some fine German beer which also handily coincided with the excellent Christmas markets. I certainly didn’t go short of food and drink!
In the morning I called at one of Bayern’s former homes, Städtisches Stadion an der Grünwalder Straße. It was still being used by the clubs second string in the Regionalliga but was now predominantly home to TSV München 1860.
After lunch I headed to Olympiapark and the Olympiastadion, where Bayern made their name as the major German football powerhouse before moving north to the new stadium at Fröttmaning. My visit can be read about here.
TSV 1860 München 1 FC Heidenheim 1 (Friday 16th December 2016) 2. Bundesliga (att: 15,300)
It would turn out to be 1860’s final season in residence at Allianz Arena owing to financial troubles and it not being too popular with their fan base. I saw a decent enough draw in a small crowd which was convenient for me to get a proper look at all the facilities.
Read about the match and further details and photos of Grünwalder Stadion by clicking here.
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