Bayern Munich in Korea is a really big deal. Here's why.

Football

Published: 23 Jul. 2024, 09:07 Updated: 23 Jul. 2024, 17:10

Bayern Munich in Korea is a really big deal. Here's why.

Bayern Munich pose prior to the start of the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on April 30. [AP/YONHAP]

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich will soon introduce themselves to a massive crowd of Korean fans in Seoul on their first visit to Korea.

Over 66,000 fans booked tickets for the Coupang Play Series match between Bayern and Tottenham Hotspur at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Aug. 3, which sold out within minutes.

The Coupang Play Series, organized by Korean e-commerce company Coupang, is a preseason exhibition series featuring European teams and a K League all-star team.

Launched in 2022, this year's series marks Bayern’s first visit to Korea and sets the stage for a Korean derby between Bayern defender Kim Min-jae and Tottenham captain Son Heung-min in Seoul.

Yet the Kim-Son face-off is hardly the sole reason for the hype as Bayern are the most successful team to have accepted Coupang's call.

Bayern are not just the winningest team in Bundesliga history; they have achieved historic feats, like a treble that has eluded even 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid.

What kind of club is Bayern, Kim's home for the last year, and what significant accomplishments do they have in Germany and Europe?

Success from the beginning

Founded by members of a Munich gymnastics club in 1900, the club saw early success in Germany before the Bundesliga began in 1963.

Bayern reached the semifinals of the 1900-01 South German championship and won some local trophies before winning the first regional Bavarian league Kreisliga in 1911.

A few years after the first world war, Bayern won multiple trophies like the South German championship in 1926 and went on to claim their first national title by winning the German football championship in 1932.

The club’s history in the early years carried over to the dawn of the Bundesliga in the 1960s.

Their first league season running from 1965 to 1966 saw them finish in third and win the DFB-Pokal Cup, followed by more trophies later in the decade.

The 1970s saw Bayern rising to prominence on the European stage, with the club winning three straight European Cup — now called the Champions League — titles from 1974 to 1976, becoming the first German club to achieve the feat with legendary forward Gerd Muller, who is still regarded as one of the best players in history.

Drought in Europe

The 1980s saw Bayern dominate the Bundesliga, winning the league title seven times from 1979-80 to 1989-90 seasons. But it wouldn't be until the next century that the club saw another European Cup title.

Bayern's European Cup title drought persisted in the following decade despite multiple Bundesliga wins. A chance to end the drought in 1999 failed after Manchester United scored two goals in stoppage time in the Champions League final to win it 2-1 and snatch the trophy.

Bayern’s fourth Champions League title did not come until the 21st century when the squad, led by legendary goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and English midfielder Owen Hargreaves, lifted the coveted trophy in 2001.

Oliver Kahn [JOONGANG ILBO]

The late 2000s saw Bayern claim domestic titles, again, with a bigger success to be unfolded in the following decade.

Glory days in the 2010s and now

Once the 2012-13 season began, Bayern became unstoppable, dominating domestic competitions and the Champions League, which earned them their historic first treble.

Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes celebrates with the Champions League trophy after beating Borussia Dortmund in the 2012-13 final at Wembley Stadium in London on May 25, 2013. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

That was only the beginning of their unprecedented run in the decade, however, with the Bundesliga giants going on to win the league for 11 consecutive seasons until they were stopped at the hands of Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 2023-24 season.

During their winning spell, Bayern completed one more treble in the 2019-20 campaign thanks partially to former Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski, becoming the second team to do so after FC Barcelona.

Bayern Munich celebrate with the Champions League trophy following their victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 23, 2020. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

While the 2023-24 campaign left Bayern empty-handed, news about the team drew headlines in Korea as it was a debut season for Kim and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

International fan base

Bayern’s immense success on the European stage during the 2010s was enough to attract more fans worldwide, with over 42 million users following the club on Instagram as of Monday.

It is unclear how big the Bayern fan base is in Korea, but an official fan club does exist here with over 8,500 fans registered on Naver, Korea’s biggest search engine.

The club’s international popularity, title-winning streak and their constant appearances in the Champions League knockout stage reeled in the revenue.

The 2022-23 season, for example, totaled a revenue of 854.2 million euros ($930 million), and the group’s net profit for the year was 35.7 million euros — a 23-million-euro increase from the past season. Their brand value as a club reached $1.19 billion in 2022.

What does the Coupang Play Series entail?

The Coupang Play Series sets the stage for the Korean derby between Kim and Son, but also a clash between Son and his former Spurs teammate Eric Dier, who moved to Bayern in January.

A clash between Son and his long-time teammate Kane, however, will not take place as the English striker will need a three-week break before returning to action after playing in the Euros final on July 14.

Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on April 30. [AP/YONHAP]

Whether giving players a three-week break is a FIFA rule or a league rule is unclear — FIFA has not responded to a request to comment from the Korea JoongAng Daily as of press time — but Bayern is likely to have a similar policy.

Fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium will still be able to see most German players of Bayern like goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, who played until the Euro quarterfinals on July 5.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]