Bayern Munchen proved impossible to beat once more, finishing the season 13 points above second-placed RB Leipzig. It’s the ninth consecutive triumph for the Bavarian giants in the German league.
After hammering Augsburg at home 5-2 on the last day of the season, Bayern was awarded the Bundesliga trophy. With the league secured weeks ago, Bayern still managed to keep tension high until the last minute of the campaign. Literally. In the 90th minute of the game against Augsburg, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scored his 41st goal this season. The 32-year-old beat legendary Bayern and Germany striker Gerd Muller, who set the previous record for most goals during a season at 40 no fewer than 49 years ago.
Lewandowski found himself in an excellent position to score after a shot from the edge of the box was basically sent to his feed by Augsburg’s keeper. And the ‘Polish Destroyer’ didn’t miss the target, setting a historical goal-scoring frontier of his own.
“I have no words. I tried to score for 90 minutes, I tried all I could. And I did it in the 90th minute so I’m so, so happy,” a smiling Lewandowski told the media. “I anticipated the rebound. My intention was to score earlier, of course, But I knew that chance would come at some point. I need to thank my teammates for trying everything they could.”
After the game finished, Lewandowski offered Gerd Muller’s wife, Uschi, a special shirt with a personalized message and a “4EVER GERD” logo printed on it. Lewy and Muller’s wife met in Bayern’s museum, in the spot dedicated to her husband’s amazing performance in the 1971-1972 season.
Lewandowski is the first player in the history of the Bundesliga to become top goalscorer four years in a row.
New times at Bayern
The game on Saturday was Hansi Flick’s last outing as Bayern manager. He will most probably take charge of the German national team after the European Tournament this summer. Current Mannstaft coach Joachim Low is out of contract and will seek to continue his career at club level.
Bayern will replace Flick (56), who won them seven trophies since joining in November 2019, with 33-year-old Julian Nagelsmann. To get their man, Bayern accepted to pay up to $30 million (including bonuses) for Nagelsmann to be released from his deal with RB Leipzig.
The new coach won’t need to worry about his superstar players getting complacent.
“I used to think that when you are at Bayern, it gets boring when you become champion so often,” Bayern and Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich said on Saturday. “But that’s not the case. It’s always something special.”
Bayern’s objectives for next season remain the same as always: win everything there is to win.