MUNICH: Thomas Mueller hailed Bayern Munich’s “phenomenal” achievement after they were confirmed Bundesliga champions for the ninth season in a row on Saturday.
Robert Lewandowski grabbed a hat-trick in a 6-0 thrashing of Borussia Moenchengladbach at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Bayern were confirmed champions even before kick-off after Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 win at home to second-placed RB Leipzig earlier in the day sent the title to Munich.
“Nine titles in a row, that’s crazy. And I was there each time. I’m very grateful for that,” said Mueller, 31, who now holds the joint record of 10 Bundesliga titles with team-mate David Alaba.
“It shows the development of this club over the years.
“It’s phenomenal, it’s a huge amount of work every year with a great team.”
Head coach Hansi Flick has now won seven titles in 18 months, but will leave to be replaced by RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann next season.
“That performance was worthy of champions,” said Flick.
Mueller scored Bayern’s second goal while Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane also got on the scoresheet alongside Lewandowski, who now has 39 league goals this season, one short of Gerd Mueller’s all-time Bundesliga record.
“We wanted to show on the pitch that we are German champions,” said Lewandowski, who insisted he will “keep stepping on the gas” as he chases Mueller’s record with two games left.
Flick says Lewandowski is writing himself into the club’s folklore.
“Gerd Mueller was my idol when I was young, but what Gerd Mueller was in my youth, Lewandowski is today,” he said.
“If he manages the record, it will have been more than deserved.”
Club captain Manuel Neuer admitted it was a “bizarre situation” to be crowned champions while still warming up.
“We were just getting ready, there are a few TVs in the dressing rooms,” said the Germany goalkeeper.
“We realized that we had become champions and started congratulating each other.”
Thomas Mueller, a one-club wonder who won his first Bundesliga title with Bayern back in 2009/10, said he never dreamed of such success when he joined the Bavarian giants as a schoolboy.
“When you play here as a little boy, you don’t think you’ll ever play in the first team at FC Bayern. You’re just happy when you get tickets for home games,” he quipped.
Mueller hails Bayern Munich’s ‘phenomenal’ ninth league title in a row
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Mueller hails Bayern Munich’s ‘phenomenal’ ninth league title in a row
- Bayern were confirmed champions before kick-off after Borussia Dortmund's 3-2 win at home to second-placed RB Leipzig earlier in the day
- "Nine titles in a row, that's crazy. And I was there each time," said Mueller
Dubai Basketball marks Ramadan opener with win and 3,055 eels donated to UAE Food Bank
- The ‘Basket for Basket’ initiative took place during the team’s 96-85 EuroLeague victory over LDLC ASVEL
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball won their EuroLeague round 29 game against LDLC ASVEL here on Thursday and celebrated by pledging 3,055 meals to families in need across the UAE.
The 96-85 win marked the club’s first game of Ramadan. Through the “Basket for Basket” initiative, every point scored by Dubai Basketball counted as a meal donated, with every ticket purchased adding to the total.
By the final buzzer, 3,055 meals had been secured in partnership with the UAE Food Bank to be distributed throughout the month of Ramadan.
Dubai Basketball Head Coach Jurica Golemac said after the game: “Thank you to the fans. It wasn’t an easy game to play, but we approached it with the right level of seriousness.
“We stayed disciplined, extended our lead step by step, defended well, and maintained our focus. I’m also very happy to say that during the holy month of Ramadan, we were able to donate more than 3,000 meals tonight.”
Co-CEO Dejan Kamenjasevic said: “To open this month with a win is special, but to do it while supporting thousands of families across the UAE is what truly matters.
“Basketball brought everyone together tonight, our players, our fans, our partners, together we created something meaningful.
“This is exactly what Dubai Basketball stands for: competing at the highest level, proudly representing this city while never losing sight of our responsibility to the community.”
The team delivered a strong collective performance at home. Mfiondu Kabengele set the tone early with a dominant scoring display, while Dwayne Bacon and McKinley Wright provided balance and control to secure the result.
