Key Figures

The architect: When Uli Hoeneß took over the club’s management on May 1, 1979, Bayern were financially strapped and far from the dominant force they are today. The butcher’s son from Ulm continued over the next 40 years what he had begun as a player — building an empire from scratch, transforming a provincial club into a global powerhouse…

The Kaiser: The shining light of German football was there from the very beginning as Bayern conquered the Bundesliga. He still had to find his position, but never his role. Whether as a left winger where he started, the midfield dynamo he became, or the libero he invented — Beckenbauer redefined football itself…

The president: Wilhelm Neudecker served as FC Bayern president from 1962 to 1979. He died on December 24, 1993. Under his presidency, the club transformed from Munich’s number two into a global force with four European trophies and multiple German championships…

The late triumphator: In 2009, Jupp Heynckes was considered unemployable as a Bundesliga coach. His recent stints at Schalke 04 and Borussia Mönchengladbach had ended poorly. Heynckes was a "yesterday man." Yet his return to Bayern in 2011 would culminate in the historic 2013 Treble — arguably the greatest season in German football history…

The "flying" Dutchman: When Arjen Robben joined Bayern in 2009, he actually had no desire to move to Munich. He’d had a good season at Real Madrid (2008/09), but it wasn’t enough. With Florentino Pérez’s Galácticos rebuild, Robben became surplus. His decade at Bayern would make him a legend — defined by that left foot cutting inside…

Goalkeeping legend: With 699 competitive appearances, Sepp Maier is FC Bayern’s all-time record appearance holder, far ahead of Oliver Kahn. Maier played 17 years for the club from 1962 to 1979. He was one of the central figures of the Bayern teams of the 1960s and 1970s — eccentric, brilliant, and utterly irreplaceable…

Der Bomber: 365 Bundesliga goals (all-time record), 68 international goals in 62 caps, World Cup top scorer 1970. The greatest goalscorer of his generation — perhaps of all time. Not the tallest, not the fastest, but unstoppable in the box. After retirement, he battled alcoholism and Alzheimer's disease. Bayern gave him a lifeline and a job. He died on August 15, 2021 in a care home near Munich.