Germany searched for FC Bayern: Football junkie Max Eberl grabs Uli Hoeneß's hand

FC Bayern Munich made short work of RB Leipzig at the start of the new Bundesliga season. The Saxon club was unable to counter the record champions' attacking football. But the real spectacle unfolded in the stands.

In what seemed like an eternal euphoria for FC Bayern Munich in the opening game of the 63rd Bundesliga season, Uli Hoeneß leans forward in the VIP box in the 42nd minute. The stadium is celebrating Michael Olise's second goal, Bayern's third overall. The stadium can't stop celebrating, and with it, of course, the FC Bayern bosses.

The victory against RB Leipzig was already secured before halftime. Only one team is playing on the pitch. RB Leipzig is in a poor state, at times reminiscent of FC Schalke 04. They were ousted from the Allianz Arena in 2020 with an 8-0 defeat at the start of the pandemic-hit season. After that, the champions didn't play a home game to open the season. In the comeback of the "home opener for champions" five years after Schalke's horror trip to Munich, Bayern now humiliates the visitors from Saxony. The final score is 6-0 for the record champions (all highlights here on RTL+) .

Hoeneß couldn't yet know the exact score shortly before halftime, but the recognition had to be given. Max Eberl, the record champions' sporting director, later described what happened up in the VIP box as follows: "He extended his hand to me, and I gladly took it. Because the 3-0 was simply a beautiful goal." One of many beautiful goals, as Eberl proudly noted, his enthusiasm unabated. This game was almost perfect, only a few small things were missing, the team gave him great joy, and in general: oh, how beautiful everything is!

Bavaria is happy about the scent mark

When Eberl talks about the FC Bayern team, and especially about what's happening on the pitch, he beams. Or he gets excited. Not on this evening. After a 6-0 win, he doesn't need to, but on other evenings, when he throws himself in front of his players and blusters. FC Bayern always puts on a good show. This Friday, it's a spectacular show. One that perhaps wasn't expected in this form so early in the season.

"I'm feeling very, very good tonight," he says. "We made our mark. 6-0 against RB Leipzig. That's an exclamation mark, and we have to let it stand." Perhaps not just let it stand, but also watch it. Because Eberl doesn't even have to exaggerate when he raves about Olise's 3-0 goal, nor does he have to exaggerate when he praises Luis "Lucho" Diaz to the skies a little later, specifically highlighting the 2-0 goal by the new Liverpool signing.

Lucho's goal in the 32nd minute was a perfect goal. "I have no idea how much contact we had in such a confined space in front of the penalty area. That's quite extraordinary in football terms." Indeed, the 70-million-euro Premier League player hammered the ball under the bar with a perfect combination through a few triangles deep in Leipzig's half.

Luis Diaz to Joshua Kimmich, who to Harry Kane, who to the incoming Serge Gnabry, backheel, and at the end of the line, "Lucho," Jürgen Klopp's former protégé, is waiting again. Luis Diaz puts the ball under the crossbar. Kimmich's eyes pop out. He opens his mouth wide, screams, and the entire stadium screams with him.

Leipzig suffers heavy blows

Except for Leipzig. They stood there in awe. They were also in awe at the 3-0, and they couldn't contain their amazement at Kane's hat trick in the second half. They even provided the assist for the first goal. As he fell, Castello Lukeba poked the ball to Bayern's Olise in the penalty area. Lukeba and fellow center-back Willi Orban usually see balls fly over their heads and the opponents race behind them. Full-backs Ridle Baku and David Raum played their part. "We got a slap in the face," the new Leipzig captain later explained, struggling to keep his composure in front of the microphones.

Munich thrashed Leipzig. That hardly caused any fear or alarm in the league. 18 out of 18 top-flight coaches were backing Bayern to win anyway. The record champions had already rebalanced the balance of power too much last year. The club had also strengthened too well this summer. Diaz from Liverpool, Jonathan Tah from Leverkusen, and the young Tom Bischof from Hoffenheim all arrived. Lurking behind them was 17-year-old Lennart Karl, who played over 20 minutes against Leipzig and almost scored. "We've made room for the young players," said Eberl. You can believe that or not. But it doesn't matter on this day.

On this day, the focus is on the impending total dominance of the Munich team. Vincent Kompany has given FC Bayern a clear structure, moving the team away from Thomas Tuchel's hectic adjustments. The processes are working well on this evening, with constant positional changes in attack leaving little access to the attack. Bayern are everywhere and Leipzig are nowhere. Once they arrive, they score. Leipzig score to make it 1-4. But the celebrations don't last long. Because Lukeba dribbles on a free kick in the build-up, referee Badstübner disallows the goal. In the end, at least the record remains: Leipzig have never lost by a bigger margin in the Bundesliga. But they haven't been there that long either.

The Premier League stars meet

So on this mild Friday in August, only Bayern score, and there are three top stars. Three players who have arrived at the Isar from the Premier League in recent years. Diaz scores the 2-0, Olise the 1-0 and 3-0, and Kane does the rest with his hat trick in the 64th, 74th, and 78th minutes. Together, these three players cost 218 million euros. A lot of money, a lot of quality. No one else in Germany can afford that. But no one else in Germany has the appeal to even attract such players. Elsewhere, the young stars sign up; in Munich, they are big names. Names that everyone who has ever watched football knows.

But the annual new signings from the Premier League are also a deception. Over the years, FC Bayern have somewhat lost both money and appeal. While over in England, former Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola repeatedly complains about a squad that is far too large, while on the British Isles, Chelsea are trying to offload a ton of players, the record champions can no longer finance a similar squad. This is because the Bundesliga club has to pay higher salaries to lure stars from the most successful and competitively balanced league to Germany. It's a kind of mainland surcharge for the players from the island and for the players they want to keep away from it.

Max Eberl does everything, but Hoeneß wants more

"We're football junkies," Eberl said before the game on Sky. There, he talked about his excitement for the new season. But everyone just wanted to hear him rebel against the supervisory board's latest order. Eberl isn't allowed to buy any more players. He has to loan them out now, after he'd already sold an entire attack. Thomas Müller is gone, and so is Leroy Sané. Mathys Tel, Kingsley Coman, and Paul Wanner are bringing in a lot of money. But not enough. Only for DFB stars Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade are there special restructuring funds. Both are unavailable for various reasons. The special fund is being canceled.

Eberl has to shape what he's allowed to shape. Uli Hoeneß is still calling the shots. A loan player is being called in, and everyone's excited about that: because a loan player isn't a real transfer, and it seems almost inconceivable that a loan player could lead FC Bayern to a Champions League title. The problem at FC Bayern isn't the Bundesliga title, it's the Champions League. Year after year, they stop there before the final. It's not enough for the club's self-image.

That's where it's decided whether the season will go well, poorly, or perhaps even outstandingly. But that's where the quality is so concentrated that a squad that's too small can quickly be thrown off track by injury or exhaustion. What's enough against Leipzig or Hoffenheim may suddenly no longer be enough in games against Barcelona, ​​Liverpool, or even Inter.

Germany is addicted to FC Bayern

"We are cautious businessmen," said President and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Herber Hainer before the game in the club museum. There, he announced the contract extension with Telekom and delivered the decisive line. He said: "We deliver content every day." That's what the entertainment business of professional football is all about. No one knows this better than Uli Hoeneß. He invented the entertainment business of professional football in Germany and left the competition behind.

FC Bayern is the dominant club in Germany. The record champions leave no one cold. Everything that happens in Munich is exaggerated. Bayern happily embraces it. They're a content machine; the country is addicted to the latest stories from the star of the South. The current one is largely shaped by Eberl. Hoeneß extends his hand after his players' spectacular goals, and Eberl gladly accepts it. He's a football junkie among businessmen.

But Eberl is also a businessman. One who can only loan out. "On August 22nd, we won't find the perfect fit we'd like, one that's still available for loan and costs nothing. That's asking too much, I think," says Eberl with a laugh. If he's being precise, he could still find one in January. This squad should suffice until the next transfer window. Bayern's problems usually only begin when the days get longer again. But now they're getting shorter.