Munich offers great football experience

While Munich might not be the capital of Germany, it certainly holds the title as the country’s footballing capital.

Munich is one of the most successful cities in the world when it comes to the sport, having picked up an astonishing 44 trophies over the years.

The majority of those trophies were won by European heavyweights Bayern Munich – winners of 24 Bundesliga trophies, 17 DFB-Pokal cups and 5 European Cups – and their dominance of German football is unlikely to end any time soon.

FC Bayern München – Meet the big one

The record 25-time German champions, FC Bayern Munich are the biggest football team in the country.

At present, the Bavarian giants are also among the top three club teams in Europe. In 2013, Bayern Munich joined the privileged class of clubs to have lifted the European Cup no less than five times.

Based in the Allianz Arena, with a seating capacity of more than 75000 people, FCB is historically the most successful team in German football. The club was founded in the year 1900 by eleven football players but the club had to wait for 32 years to win their first national championship.

The German giants are not only the record winners of the league title, they also lead the charts of the most DFB-Pokal victories (17). Each season Bayern Munich are among the favourites to win the Champions League, the most elite club competition in the world, alongside the two Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Bayern Munich has been the home of the biggest footballing legends of all time. The likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Lothar Matthaus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Oliver Kahn, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philip Lahm have pulled on the renowned jersey of the club.

One can easily get an experience of a lifetime at the famous Champions League night matches at the Allianz Arena. The passionate football fans in Munich are always loud and cheerful. Die Bayern have retired the number 12 jersey in honour of their zealous fans, who are considered their ‘twelfth man’ on the pitch.

FC Bayern München’s website
www.fcbayern.de

Allianz Arena
Werner-Heisenberg-Allee 25
80939 München
www.allianz-arena.de

TSV 1860 München – Meet the underdogs

While Bayern’s dominance has stirred up a number of rivalries over the years, the club’s biggest and oldest derby is against city rivals TSV 1860 Munich, who currently play in the second tier of German football.

Unlike Bayern, 1860 Munich were one of the founding members of the Bundesliga, and were actually the more successful of the two clubs throughout the 1960s, winning an Oberliga Sud title in 1963 and following it up with a Bundesliga win in 1966. The rivalry between the two clubs was spawned by the considerable success of both sides during their early years, and despite 1860 Munich’s gradual decline, the detestation between them has lived on.

1860 Munich now share the Allianz Arena with their city rivals, much to the disgust of the fans. Although, the club have found it difficult to fill such a big stadium over the years, with the number of supporters dropping, and are looking for alternative accommodation which is more suited to their needs.

While attending a 1860 Munich game is unlikely to provide you with the same experience as a Bayern Munich match, the few games in which the two sides meet are always seriously exciting affairs. Tickets are hard to come by, given that it is such a big event in the German city and now such a rare occurrence, but if you can get your hands on one then it is the perfect match-up to immerse yourself in the brilliance of German football.

TSV 1860 München’s website
www.tsv1860.de