How FC Bayern Munich Became a Soccer Powerhouse

by Oliver Zink, age 13

FC Bayern Munich is one of the most prestigious and classic teams in the world of soccer. They have won almost every trophy in the world.

The team was founded in 1900 in Munich, Germany. Their first 31 years were slow, but gained momentum and eventually won their first title. They were the only club to accept Jewish players in the 30s which gave them the nickname “The Jew’s Club.”

In the 40s, many young men were fighting in the World War, so soccer was not as important and it waned in popularity. In 1955, they narrowly avoided bankruptcy because of their poor performance. The five years before 1955 yielded no titles and they slowly lost support and money.

In 1963, the Bundesliga, a German soccer league was formed. Bayern was not one of the 16 teams included in it, however, they gained promotion two seasons later. From 1965 to 1967 they had “The Axis” with Sepp Mair, Franz Beckanbauer, and Gerd Muller. They were some of the best soccer players in the world and they won many titles for the team. In 1967 they helped win the Cup Winners Cup, three straight European Cups from 1974 to 1976, along with four Bundesligas, and four DFB Pokals.

The club’s era of dominance continued, led by the duo Paul Breitner and Karl Heinz Rammenigge. It became a joke that the club was FC Breitnigge because of their overreliance on the duo. The 80s were a good time for the club, they won six Bundesligas and three DFB Pokals. European trophies were harder to come by and the club lost both European Cup finals in 1982 and 1987.

The 90s were chaotic for the team, winning a title in 1990 but ending the 1991/92 season dangling close to the relegation zone. Losing to Norwich in the 1994 UEFA Cup was the final straw and they resorted to a change of personnel. Berton Bauer was appointed as head coach; he proved to be a capable manager, winning a title that year and the next.

Ottmar Hitzfelds was appointed head coach in the 1998 season and started the club’s big return to the European scene during his six years at the club. They won a Champions League and solidified themselves as Germany's top players by winning four Bundesliga and two DFB Pokals.

They are the only German team to win the Continental Treble of the League,

Cup, and Champions League. They achieved this twice in 2012-13 and in 2019-20, the most recent accomplishment led by Hansi Flick. Bayern leads the Bundesliga table by 700 points along with being the third-ranked team in the world. They earned the record for most games played in 2021-22 in their 1,935th fixture.

They have had many amazing players in their team like Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski and are going to have more. They are the most successful team in Germany and one of the best in the world. Although their start was slow, they have won 31 Bundesligas. Bayern Munich is one of the most dominant clubs in the world, and they don't seem to be slowing down.

[Sources: ESPN; Bundesliga]