For native-born Bavarians Thomas Müller and Aleksandar Pavlović, the Bayern Munich connection is strong. What makes the club so special to them? The pair explored this topic in a February interview for Säbener51.
“Where do you start? Where do you end?” said Müller in comments captured by @iMiaSanMia. “I think there’s a very special identity in the club. It certainly won’t have been so firmly established around 1900, but something has developed over the decades that you don’t find elsewhere in this form.
“The success story certainly began with the way Bayern established itself very quickly after promotion in 1965, both domestically and internationally. At that time, it was possible to retain that core of young players, many of them from Munich and Bavaria, that group around Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier and Gerd Müller. Then came Uli Hoeneß, Paul Breitner. We mustn’t forget Katsche Schwarzenbeck and Bulle Roth — they all became icons. Something grew back then that is still the foundation of Bayern today.”
Pavlović added: “And of course this unconditional striving for success that emerged with this generation is still an essential and driving part of the club’s DNA today. As a player, you get that from day one. In my eyes, the biggest secret of Bayern’s success is the huge sense of solidarity, this family atmosphere at the club, together with the fans. You can just feel it, even on the pitch. We have this ‘Mia san mia’ inside us.”
Two players carrying the Bayern torch across the generations. Now Müller is on his way out, his last hurrah coming at any moment as the Bavarians head into the FIFA Club World Cup knockouts.
As for Pavlović? The journey is just beginning.