Bayern Munich | Ten years ago: That’s how Guardiola came to Munich

Pep Guardiola is preparing this week to finally fulfill his big dream of winning the first Champions League title with Manchester City. So far he has been denied this title in seven years on the island, just like before with FC Bayern. The fact that the star coach worked in the Bundesliga for a few years was a minor sensation at the time. The protagonists still remember well how they lured the Catalans to Munich back then.

In July 2011, it was the then successful coach from FC Barcelona himself who drew the attention of the club bosses at FC Bayern. According to Uli Hoeneß, during a big preparatory tournament of FC Bayern in the Allianz Arena, there was a brief exchange of words, which was to have far-reaching consequences.

“Suddenly, it was already running out, he said between the door and Angel: ‘I can imagine to work for Bayern, I can imagine working for Bayern,” Hoeneß was quoted by “Sport Bild”.

“We registered that, and then it concerned us more and more. And suddenly we were trying to get him to come to us,” explained the current honorary president of FC Bayern, who was much more involved in the fate of the German record champions at the time .

In cooperation with the then CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sports director Christian Nerlinger, after talks that lasted several months, Guardiola was brought to Bayern Munich.

Hoeneß reports: “It was terrible for Jupp”

Uli Hoeneß personally informed the then Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes that a new head coach would take over from the summer of 2013. “He wasn’t amused, of course, even if he showed understanding when I explained to him that there probably wouldn’t be a second chance later to get Pep Guardiola. It was terrible for Jupp,” said Hoeneß.

After it was clear that Heynckes would be leaving in the summer of 2013, this led to an outstanding reaction within the team, as he continued: “Then the team showed incredible solidarity with him at the training camp in Qatar, this wonderful person, this great coach . From that moment on, they grew together like burrs. That brought us huge success.”

Guardiola finally inherited the first Bayern treble in the club’s history in the summer of 2013. Although he was superior three times in the Bundesliga and won the championship with an impressive style of play: In the premier class, Guardiola was denied the really big hit with FC Bayern. He and his team were eliminated three times in the semi-finals.