If FC Bayern Munich meets Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Final on Sunday, one or two of the German record champions will remember 27 September 2017 with unease. At that time, the Bavarians had to travel to Paris in the group phase of the royal class – and collected a gossip with far-reaching consequences.
In fact, FC Bayern wanted to win the duel with PSG in order to create the necessary conditions “for us to become group first at the end of the day”. This slogan was issued by CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge before the game in the Prince’s Park in Paris.
But it was different. The Munich team, then coached by the already controversial Carlo Ancelotti, collected one of the most bitter abrasions in the club’s recent history. In the summer, FC Bayern probably set a course for the upheaval of the following months and years with the memorable bankruptcy in Paris in mind. The commitments of Alphonso Davies and Leon Goretzka were packed. In addition, Serge Gnabry returned from his loan to Hoffenheim with the prospect of playing a larger role in Munich in the future.
All three are part of the regular squad of FC Bayern before the final match for Europe’s football crown against PSG – and are expected to do better on Sunday in Lisbon than their predecessors on that bitter evening in September 2017.
