The dream is now a reality. Bayern are through. Dortmund are through.
That which we have been saying for so many years, dear readers, has
become a reality. The Germans have taken the football world by storm and
proven their dominance with an all-German Derby date in London on May
25th, 2013 where Bavarian giants FC Bayern Munich take on the pride of
the football hotbed that is the Rühr district, Borussia Dortmund. The
pundits say, dismissively so, that "The football purists will enjoy this
fixture." Why must you be a "football purist" to enjoy a derby between
two of the best clubs in Europe, and two teams who have earned the right
to identify themselves as such, is beyond me.
These are two
footballing giants of Europe. Their place in this Champions League
final, hosted in the heart of London, England, the self-proclaimed Holy
Land of Football, is symbollic of the state of the game today. The
beloved EPL, plagued by financial woes, tabloid media hounds dogging
their players, allegations of racism, adultery and slander running rife
while everyone fears the advent of Finacial Fair Play Rules, is enough
to make one wonder if this is a sports league or a day-time serial. Will
there be characters who die, then come back from the dead to spite
their once-spurned lovers as well? "Damn that Laslo!"
And now,
in the marquee event of the Football Calendar this year, in the Grand
Stage that is London England's best football stadium, we will be
watching a match between... two German Giants. You know, Germany. The
land where attendance figures are at 96% of greater capacity year after
year. The land where no club is allowed to have a majority owner, by
law, due to the 50% +1 rule. The land where teams are not allowed to run
up massive deficits in order to compete. The land where full stadiums,
cheap tickets and great football are the norm. The land where they groom
their own talent in their extensive youth academy system as well as
purchasing stellar young players the world over to ply their trade in
Germany's top flight.
This is the same league which was one used
it as a stepping stone to the EPL or La Liga. A proving ground, if you
will, for players like Vincent Kompany or Rafael van der Vaart to show
the world what they had to offer while their agents salivated at the
huge contracts and transfer fees being tossed at their respective clubs
for the services of their clients. This does still happen, dear readers,
but more and more star players, like Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben and
Manuel Neuer of Bayern to name a few, are saying more frequently "No, I
think I'll stay in Germany thank you."
Longtime readers of Your
Humble Narrator and "DAS BOOT!" are well aware that we have been singing
the same refrain, of praise and adulation for the Bundesliga and it's
governance, which leads to record profits, record attendance, and record
performances, for almost five years now, dear readers. And even I, Your
Humble Narrator, jumped on the Bandwagon late, as the league was really
starting to pick up steam. As much as it may grate the gears of staunch
Serie A, EPL and La Liga supporters to stop believing your own hype, to
stop and take a moment to admire German football and the way they do
business in the Bundesliga and to start taking notes.
For those
of you who have not been taking notes, allow Your Humble Narrator to set
the stage for what will be the most entertaining and spirited Champions
League encounters we have seen in recent memory. Dortmund and Bayern
have been rivals for years. It is the age-old German rivalry. North vs.
South. East vs. West. Black and Yellow vs Red and White. The rich and
successful Golden Child that is FC Bayern, spending liberally and lauded
the world around, FC Hollywood faces off against the hard-working and
passionate fan base of the Rühr district's Schwarzgelben, born in the
industrial heart-land of Germany's robust economy.
Though Munich
now boast one of the most modern and desirable of stadiums by way of
the Allianz Arena, it wasn't that long ago that Bayern played in
Munich's Olympic Stadium, which was large, drafty, and nowhere near as
intimate an environment at the new Allianz Arena is today, with an
olympic sized running track separating the fans from the action on the
pitch. Dortmund, on the other hand, have had the same stadium for
decades with only the name having changed. The beloved Westfalenstadion,
named for their geographic region of Westphalia, may be the Signal
Iduna Park in title, but in the hearts of BVB fans, it will always be
Westfalenstadion, the home of the Yellow Wall; a wooden grandstand that
holds 22,000 of the most die-hard football fans you will ever see.
The
competition between the clubs is fierce. Bayern have more money.
Dortmund has a better reputation in Germany, while Bayern far more
popular outside of it. Dortmund has the biggest stadium. Bayern has more
trophies. Dortmund have great young talent. Bayern BUY Dortmund's great
young talent. The one talent they couldn't buy last season was bought
by Dortmund; Marco Reus. In retaliation, Bayern have successfully
courted Mario Götze away from Dortmund, with Robert Lewandowski and
possibly Mats Hummels not that far behind him on their way down south to
the Säbener Straße. Dortmund have better fan choreography, but Bayern
have the loudest fans. Both teams enjoy phenomenal fan support, at home
and on the road, and have a strong tradition of passionate, educated and
loyal fans who bleed either red and white or black and gold
respectively.
Bayern, having thoroughly trounced Barcelona by an
aggregate score of 7-0 can make a rightful claim to the title of the
Best Club in European Football as of today, with a stellar array of
victories, trophies, new records being set this season, and an endless
list of records set historically in thir club's books. The last team to
win a Champions League title out of Germany, however, was Dortmund.
Bayern can beat just about any team in the world on any given day, but
one team who knows them better than any other and delights in the
rivalry between the two clubs.... is Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund
eliminated Bayern from the DFB Pokal (or the German Cup, for short) last
season. Bayern eliminated Dortmund from the competition this season.
Dortmund edged out Bayern in the league last season. Bayern put plenty
of distance between the two squads this season. To call this a tale of
David and Goliath would be a misnomer, for anyone who perceives Dortmund
to be a "David" in the footballing world is showcasing their ignorance.
This is a tale of Goliath and Goliath, two German Super powers, one
more well-known and celebrated than the other, coming tete-a-tete to
settle a score that has been simmering between the two teams for about
24 months now, ever since Dortmund put an end to Bayern's impressive
string of dominance to deny them a Bundesliga title not just once, but
two years running.
This match is going to get ugly. There will be
cards. Passions will be running VERY high. There will be loud,
screaming fans, clad in their team's colours, singing, dancing and
cheering at the top of their impressive lungs, trying desperately to
drown out the sound of their opposition. There will be beautiful
football from two of the world's best clubs, featuring the bright young
stars from Germany, Poland, Turkey, France, the Netherlands, Brazil and
the Ukraine. Germany's best goalkeeper faces off against it's most
under-rated. The best coach in Europe faces off against the coolest
coach in Europe.
There are so many storylines in this final,
dear readers, that one simply cannot count them all. One thing is for
certain. It will be a great match. It will be a great final. It will be
one for the ages and one that any footy fan should thoroughly enjoy. As a
loud and proud FC Bayern Munich man, this will be a special final for
me, because I fully expect this will be the match where my long-standing
suffering of lost finals and semi-finals comes to an end. After three
losses in 4 seasons in Champions League Finals, The Bavarians all agree
on one thing. This is our year.
RekordMeister
DeutscherMeister
EuropaMeister
Bayern, die Meisterschaft!
Then
again, nothing is set in stone, dear readers. There are no guarantees
in football, and you never know what can happen out there on the pitch
between now and then. Win or lose, however, it will be one hell of a
match to watch. Oh, and for those of you who were not already aware of
all these things, just a simple reminder.
Bayern and Dortmund
play each other in the league this Saturday, in case you want a taste of
how much animosity and passion exists between these two teams. With all
to play for in a few weeks time, and nothing for either of them to lose
in the league, expect a hard-fought and highly physical affair in the
Signal Iduna Park with a little blood on the cleats and some harsh words
to be shared. If you weren't a Bundesliga fan until now, dear readers,
now is an excellent time to start.
Saturday afternoon. 15:25, local time. I will be watching, with an ice-cold Löwenbräu in hand. Will you?
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