BAYERN GAME February 2025
TODAY THE CLUB INSPIRES MILLIONS, THROUGH FOOTBALL AND BEYOND
Thomas Müller
For Thomas Müller and Aleksandar Pavlović, it doesn‘ t
Ftake long to settle in on their journey through time. The
Ftwo are sitting next to each other on a wooden bench,
Fwaiting for the photographer to rearrange the set, and Müller nudges his team-mate in the side:“ Pavlo, just imagine: We‘ re about to play in a Munich derby, we‘ re going to thrash them, because we‘ re FC Bayern – and then there‘ ll be‘ Kesselfleisch’( boiled belly pork) for everyone!“ Typical Müller, and Pavlović has to laugh. There‘ s no question that on this day, the duo really do look like they‘ re on their way to an FC Bayern football match in 1900, with what they consider to be a contemporary meal afterwards to round off the day.
Thomas, what question would you like to ask one of the founding fathers of FC Bayern? Thomas Müller: Hmm, let‘ s see … How big was the squad? I think they were 17 when they started, weren‘ t they? So, what I would ask them is who were the main rivals, the best in the district so to speak, and which club was the most progressive? Along the lines of“ that‘ s where we want to be, we want to compete with them, we want to beat them at some point because they‘ re setting the benchmark right now”. It would be interesting for me to know what were the main reasons FC Bayern was founded, for fun or with ambition? Aleksandar Pavlović: Personally, I think people got together for football to have fun. They just wanted to do what they loved. This passion for football and for Bayern is what connects us across all generations. When we wear the jersey, we give everything for the club, then as now. Do you have a specific question for the first president Franz John? AP: As Thomas already said: how did it all came about? How did he come up with the idea of founding FC Bayern in the first place? How did they manage it financially? What were the big challenges back then? I‘ d be interested to know that.
What would the founding fathers say today if they saw FC Bayern 125 years later? TM: Phew, I wouldn’ t want to put words in anyone‘ s mouth. That would almost be presumptuous. There‘ s no such thing as a crystal ball, nor was there one back then. But you don‘ t have to be a psychic to suggest that 125 years ago, hardly anyone would have imagined what FC Bayern would be like now. It‘ s impressive how incredibly vast numbers of people around the world are inspired by this club today, how many millions see it as something extremely positive in their lives, through our football, but also through many things at Bayern that go beyond football.
The FC Bayern players stayed behind at Säbener Straße for a so-called marketing day after training. They were positioned all over the site to create videos, be available for photo shoots and provide statements. A large room in the basement was converted into a changing room, and when Müller and Pavlović slipped into outfits from 1900 at the start of their journey through time, their teammates looked on in astonishment. Dayot Upamecano immediately whipped out his smartphone to take a photo of the pair.
How does it feel to slip into the historic jersey? AP:( struggling with the buttons on his trousers) Did they really play football in shirts back then? Should it be this big? Just getting dressed would take me too long( laughs). But I‘ d be very curious to find out what it was like to play in these clothes. How well you could run around in them, when it rained for example. How they actually played football back then. I find that exciting. It‘ s completely different, not really my style at all. And the fact that people used to play football in it … I don‘ t think I could do it. Although it‘ s looser than I thought. TM: Well, I think you could play in these clothes. I certainly don‘ t feel uncomfortable in them. I‘ m not sure I‘ d have the trousers necessarily going to below the knee, but they‘ re very airy and you can move well in them. Maybe the length was also helpful when slide-tackling. I honestly don‘ t know if it was possible to play on the finest grass everywhere back then. AP: How do you wear the socks? Like with lederhosen? It looks a bit like you could go straight to a garden party afterwards. Kind of classy. TM: From our modern perspective, the players were dressed quite formally back then. Wouldn‘ t hurt one or two roughnecks today( grins). AP: But I have to say one thing: this shirt is bluish. There‘ s
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