German legends, European conquerors and global icons - Bayern Munich are one of the world’s biggest football clubs.

Bayern Munich are Germany's most successful football club. They won the treble (DFB-Pokal, Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League) in 2012/13 and 2019/20.

They are based in Munich, Bavaria, and play their home matches at the 75,000 capacity Allianz Arena

The club is followed around the world but they tend to be strongly disliked by Bundesliga fans. The hatred is unsurprising given their success however, Bayern's road to the top was not an easy one.

In more recent times, a Bayern team containing the likes of Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer has been one of the most difficult to beat not only in Germany but in all of Europe.

In March 2023, Julian Nagelsmann led Bayern to the Bundesliga title at the first time of asking, topping the table with 77 points ahead of Borussia Dortmund in the 2021/22 season. It was Bayern's tenth consecutive Bundesliga.

However, Bayern sacked Nagelsmann in March 2023 after dropping to second in the table following a 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.

Under Thomas Tuchel, Bayern won their 33rd national title in 2023, but 30 of those have come since 1968/69, a season which ended a 37-year title drought.

Tuchel confirmed he was stepping down from his role as head coach at the end of the 2023/24 season after the club missed out on the domestic title for the first time in over a decade.

Tuchel was replaced by Burnley manager Vincent Kompany in May 2024.

 

Formation and early history

Bayern Munich were formed in 1900 by a group of 11 players led by Franz John, breaking away from MTV Munchen and its conservative gymnasts. They struggled to make an impact outside of their region and had to wait until 1932 to win their first national title.

Bayern endured severe financial difficulties in the 1950s and were on the verge of bankruptcy before industrialist Roland Endler provided much-needed financial stability. In 1962, building contractor Wilhelm Neudecker took over as president of the club, paving the way for Bayern's rise to become one of the world's leading clubs.

Nevertheless, Bayern missed out on an invite to join the newly formed Bundesliga in 1963. Rivals 1860 Munich gained a place on the strength of their first place in the Oberliga Sud, one of five regional leagues forming the top level of soccer in West Germany. Bayern finished third that season and had to wait two further years before being admitted to the Bundesliga.

Club legends: Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer, Ottmar Hitzfeld

Striker Gerd Muller joined Bayern Munich in 1964 with the club still outside the Bundesliga. They gained admission after winning their regional league in 1965 and went on to claim four Bundesliga titles together.

Muller and Bayern were German champions in 1968/69, 1971/72, 1972/73 and 1973/74. The last of these triumphs came in the same year as a European Cup victory for the club. They also went on to defend their continental title in 1974/75 and 1975/76.

Muller left Bayern Munich in 1979. His total of 365 Bundesliga goals for the club remains intact today, with no other player in the history of German soccer coming close to matching his goalscoring achievements.

Franz Beckenbauer was an equally influential player during Bayern's era of unprecedented success in the 1970s but at the other end of the pitch. The defender was nicknamed 'Der Kaiser'.

Ottmar Hitzfeld was a particularly successful coach for Bayern over the course of two spells (from 1998 to 2004 and 2007 to 2008). During this time, Hitzfeld won 14 major trophies including five Bundesliga titles and the 2000/01 Champions League.

Jupp Heynckes era

Jupp Heynckes is one of Bayern's most successful managers having guided them to their treble success in 2012/13. He first presided over Bayern from 1987-1991 before further spells in 2009 (as a caretaker), 2011-2013 and 2017-18.

Heynckes won FIFA's coach of the year prize for Bayern's successes in 2013. That year they lifted the Champions League with a 2-1 win over fierce rivals Borussia Dortmund, while also winning the Bundesliga and the German Cup. A year earlier, Bayern lost the Champions League final to Chelsea on home turf.

Apart from his stints at Bayern, Heynckes was a player and manager for Borussia Monchengladbach and also briefly resided in the managerial hotseat at Real Madrid.

Heynckes led Real Madrid to the 1997/98 Champions League title but was sacked a week later. Bayern, however, have shown a greater degree of consistency in celebrating Heynckes.

"Jupp made himself immortal," said chairman Rummenigge of the 2013 treble-winning coach. "Jupp was a fantastic coach. But Jupp is, above all, a wonderful human being, a gentleman, a role model."

Heynckes' most recent stint in charge at Bayern saw him take the reins for just under a season in 2017/18 following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti as head coach.

The Pep Guardiola years

Guardiola took over after Heynckes first spell at the club had ended following the 2012/13 season.

He led Bayern to three successive Bundesliga titles, but he was unable to steer them to another Champions League crown.

Nevertheless, his style of play was a breath of fresh air at Bayern and he left in 2016 with the team once again the clear dominant force in German soccer after a period during which they had been threatened by Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund.

In total he won seven major trophies in his three seasons at the club. On top of the Bundesliga trophies, he picked up two DFB Pokals, a UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Hansi Flick era

Bayern Munich cycled through several managers after Guardiola left the club in June 2016, all with varying degrees of success.

Carlo Ancelotti won the Bundesliga in the 2016/17 season, but went out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stages. He was sacked in the September of the new season after reportedly losing the dressing room and Heynckes returned to steer the club to the title again.

Croatian and former Bayern Munich player Niko Kovac took the reins for the 2018/19 season, and steered the club to their seventh consecutive Bundesliga title. He also won the DFB Pokal after beating RB Leipzig in the final.

But he left the club in November of the 2019/20 season after a 5-1 loss to his former club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Kovac's assistant Hansi Flick, who had been number two to Germany manager Joachim Low, took charge on an interim basis at first before being given the job full-time in December.

He guided the club to the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the Champions League, to give the club only the second treble in its history. Bayern Munich also became the first club to lift the trophy with a 100 percent win record.

The following season he lifted the 2020 Super Cup and the Club World Cup and the Bundesliga again.

In May 2021, Flick was named as the new Germany head coach and left Bayern Munich with seven trophies under his belt and an incredibly high 83 per cent win rate.

Post-Flick years

RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann was brought to the club in July 2021 and led Bayern to the Bundesliga title at the first time of asking.

Bayern's tenth consecutive Bundesliga title came after they topped the table with 77 points ahead of Borussia Dortmund in the 2021/22 season. However, they surprisingly crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of 2-1 on aggregate to Villareal in the quarter-finals.

Bayern sacked Nagelsmann in March 2023 after dropping to second in the table following a 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, and former Chelsea, PSG and Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel became the new head coach.

Bayern Munich clinched their 11th straight Bundesliga title following a dramatic finish in the final round of games in the 2022/23 season.

In what may be their sweetest title win of the past decade, Tuchel's men started the day two points adrift of pre-match leaders Borussia Dortmund.

But the pressure told on Borussia and they only managed to draw 2-2 with Mainz, to make matters worse, Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller had a penalty saved.

Meanwhile, Bayern won 2-1 away to FC Koln thanks to a late winner from Jamal Musiala in the 90th minute, which secured the title and the first of Tuchel's career.

Tuchel admitted before the end of the season that the club had fallen well short of their expectations after their eliminations from both the UEFA Champions League and the DFB-Pokal.

"Our season will not be a cause for celebration. The points we've earned and the quality of our game will not meet our expectations. Regardless of the outcome, it will no longer be a satisfactory season," Tuchel said.

Bayern's struggle to find a reliable and consistent scorer has plagued them since their esteemed striker Robert Lewandowski departed for Barcelona last summer.

The acquisitions of Sadio Mane from Liverpool and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting failed to address the issue, as their performances fluctuated throughout the season.

Despite signing England striker Harry Kane, the 2023/24 season was one to forget for Bayern as they lost the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen. The first time they had missed out on the domestic title in over a decade.

Bayern were also knocked out in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid and and crashed out of the DFB-Pokal in the second round after losing by 2-1 to FC Saarbrucken.

Tuchel confirmed he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

He was replaced by Burnley manager Vincent Kompany who agreed a contract until 2027 at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Munich's rivals

Apart from the local rivalry with 1860 Munich, Bayern have no shortage of foes, largely because of how competitive they are on several fronts.

They have a major rivalry with Borussia Dortmund which was re-ignited in the modern era by Dortmund's back-to-back Bundesliga title wins in 2010/11 and 2011/12 under Jurgen Klopp. Bayern provoked hostility from Dortmund supporters by signing the likes of Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski from the Ruhr-based club.

The rivalry with Manchester United also runs deep as Bayern were on the verge of winning the 1998/99 Champions League final against the Red Devils before an iconic comeback from Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

Bayern also have a longstanding European rivalry with Real Madrid, the most successful club in the history of the Champions League - an accolade Bayern badly crave.

Bayern Munich's value

Bayern Munich are the third highest earning football club in the world, having reportedly raked in €611million in 2022. This figure also makes them the largest sports club in the whole of Germany.

Forbes rated Bayern's team value at approximately $4.275billion in May 2022.