FC Bayern Munich, one of the world’s most successful football clubs, celebrated its 124th anniversary on February 27th, 2024. Founded on February 27, 1900, in the Schwabing district of Munich at the Café Gisela, the club emerged from a breakaway group of members dissatisfied with the Munich Turnverein (MTV) 1879.
The initial founding group comprised eleven young men, led by Franz John, who became the club’s first president. John, later designated an honorary vice-president of the club, played a pivotal role in establishing Bayern Munich as an independent entity. The club’s early years were marked by a focus on promoting athletic pursuits beyond the traditional gymnastic focus of the MTV.
Today, the club’s ownership structure reflects a unique model of member participation. The FC Bayern München e.V. – the registered association encompassing the club’s roughly 400,000 members – holds a 75 percent stake in FC Bayern München AG, the entity responsible for the professional football operations. The remaining 25 percent is divided equally among Adidas AG, Allianz SE, and Audi AG, each holding an 8.33 percent share.
Bayern Munich’s home ground, the Allianz Arena, located in the north of Munich (Schwabing-Freimann), is a modern football stadium capable of hosting 75,024 spectators for national matches and 70,000 for international games.
Throughout its history, FC Bayern Munich has amassed an impressive collection of titles. The club has secured the German championship a record 33 times, most recently in the 2022-23 season. They have also won the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) on 20 occasions. On the European stage, Bayern Munich has been crowned Champions League winners three times, and the European Cup (now Champions League) three times. Further accolades include two FIFA Club World Cup titles, two Intercontinental Cup victories, two UEFA Super Cup titles, and one UEFA Cup title. They have also won the German Supercup 10 times and the German League Cup six times, along with one South German Cup title.
Thomas Müller currently holds the record for the most appearances for FC Bayern Munich, with 746 competitive matches played. The club’s all-time leading goalscorer is Gerd Müller, who netted 570 goals in 613 games for the Bavarian giants.
Numerous legendary players have donned the Bayern Munich shirt, including Oliver Kahn, Sepp Maier, Manuel Neuer, Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Philipp Lahm, David Alaba, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lothar Matthäus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Robert Lewandowski, and many others. The club has also been guided by a succession of renowned managers, such as Zlatko Cajkovski, Udo Lattek, Jupp Heynckes, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Hansi Flick, and currently, Thomas Tuchel.
The club is widely known as “Die Roten” (The Reds), a nickname derived from the team’s traditional red colors. Another moniker, “FC Hollywood,” was coined by former coach Giovanni Trapattoni, referencing a period of internal turmoil within the club during the 1990s.