Player, manager, president, honorary president: Uli Hoeneß knows all aspects of Bayern Munich like the back of his hand. Now the 70-year-old has spoken about the sale of Robert Lewandowski, revealed which coach he wanted to hire and explained what “main task” awaits coach Julian Nagelsmann in the coming months.
Uli Hoeneß watched FC Bayern’s first two games in his tranquil home on Lake Tegernsee. The 5:3 success in the Supercup against RB Leipzig and the clear 6:1 at Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of the Bundesliga impressed the honorary president of the German record champions.
“The way the team has played in the two important games so far, my heart has laughed. That was pure entertainment, that was real fun,” Hoeneß told Sky, adding: “You noticed: there A lot works, not to say almost everything. You can tell that the team enjoys the game, it has continued to improve, everyone is running, everyone is ready to help the other.” That gives hope for more, says the 70-year-old.
Hoeneß: Nagelsmann has this important task at FC Bayern
However, the long-time manager at Bayern does not want to talk about the title too soon. “Of course, if we continue to play like we did in the last two games, it will be difficult for the competition,” said Hoeneß, but warned at the same time: “We should make sure that we can maintain this form, this enthusiasm, this passion.” This is primarily in the interest of the fans, who can then go home happy on every match day.
In order for the Munich team to remain on the road to success, coach Julian Nagelsmann in particular has a lot of work to do, and spicy talks are pending with those players who are not currently playing first fiddle. “That will be the main task for Julian, that he keeps this huge, great squad happy, that he manages to keep the spirits high, which will not always be easy,” said the 70-year-old.
FC Bayern: Hoeneß on his statements about Lewandowski poker
In addition to the sporting ambitions, the Honorary President of FC Bayern also spoke about the sale of Robert Lewandowski to FC Barcelona. Just a few months ago, Hoeneß had said he “couldn’t imagine there being an amount that would make us weak” and that Barca could “save an offer”. About four weeks ago, the striker switched to the Catalans for 45 million euros (plus possible additional payments in bonus form).
“I always thought it wouldn’t have been bad [wenn er geblieben wäre]”Hoeneß now classified his words. “How it developed in the end, how the behavior of our fans towards Robert has changed, has also clearly changed my opinion,” said the 70-year-old and explained with a look at the world footballer: “And now I think it’s better for both sides.”
Hoeneß: I wanted to bring Streich to Bayern
The same could possibly apply to Christian Streich. The coach, who most recently led SC Freiburg to the DFB Cup final and the Europa League, was recently voted coach of the year. He has been in charge of the Breisgau professional team for ten years now.
In between, he could have almost ended up at Bayern Munich. “Christian Streich is one of my favorite coaches,” Hoeneß praised the 57-year-old and revealed: “We thought about bringing him to Munich. I was one of the people in charge there because I liked trying this story.”
In the end, however, the Munich team “didn’t have the courage” to hire the football coach.