Müller and Pavlovic take part in 'time travelling' interview
With the players having pictures taken in old-school football wear, young midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic struggled with the buttons on his trousers.
“Did they really play football with shirts back then? Should it be that big? Just getting dressed would take me too long. But I'd be very curious to find out what it was like to play in these clothes. How well you could walk in them, for example when it rained,” said the 20-year-old.
“I have to say one thing. This shirt is bluish. There's no way Bayern can do that today. I only know Bayern is red - Phonzy Davies, Konrad Laimer and Kingsley Coman have already told me that I look like a gangster from an old film. The look is actually more familiar from Hollywood. It all suits Thomas perfectly. He's a bit older.”
Müller responded, “Yes, I was already playing back then. My parents just lied about my age.”
In regards to both players being native Bavarians, Müller was asked whether he sees parallels between himself and his young teammate.
“Of course, on paper there are parallels between us in terms of how we came to Bayern. Aleks' path is mapped out, he has everything it takes. But it always depends on what he makes of his opportunities. He must never rest on his laurels, but he doesn't do that either.”
“Bayern has always been at its strongest when players who have grown up at the club have led the way. Aleks can become an important factor in the next generation, definitely.”
With the club fast approaching 125 years since its inception (27th February), both players were asked just what is it that makes Bayern München so special.
"Where do you start? Where do you end? Said Muller.
“I think there's a very special identity in the club. It certainly won't have been so firmly established around 1900, but has developed over the decades that you don't find elsewhere in this form.”
“The success story certainly began with the way Bayern established itself very quickly after promotion in 1965, both domestically and internationally. At that time, it was possible to retain that core of young players, many of them from Munich and Bavaria, that group around Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier and Gerd Müller. Then came Uli Hoeneß, Paul Breitner. We mustn't forget Katsche Schwarzenbeck and Bulle Roth - they all became icons. Something grew back then that is still the foundation of Bayern today.”
Pavlovic added onto his teammate's words: “And of course, this unconditional striving for success that emerged with this generation is still an essential and driving part of the club's DNA today. As a player, you get that from day one. In my eyes, the biggest secret of Bayern's success is the huge sense of solidarity, this family atmosphere at the club, together with the fans. You can just feel it, even on the pitch. We have this ‘Mia san mia’ inside us.”
“For me, ‘Mia san mia’ means being a family, standing together in good times and bad. That's what we live by here from a young age, that we always stick together.”
After missing out on their first Meisterschale since 2012 last campaign, Bayern are back at the top of the Bundesliga as things stand for now, carrying a six-point gap ahead of reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen.
As the celebrations begin, looking back at the sensational history of Germany's mightiest football club, the current era of FC Bayern München is certainly back on track domestically.
