Tag: Bayern Munich

A.J. Dillon clarifies strange Lambeau Leap situation with police officer at Man City-Bayern Munich match

What a bizarre moment at Lambeau Field.

Saturday night at Lambeau Field saw Manchester City and Bayern Munich go toe-to-toe in a stunning exhibition. But while Erling Haaland, Sadio Mané, and Co. had a ton of fun on the makeshift pitch in Green Bay, a minor kerfuffle developed on the sidelines.

During the match, Packers running back A.J. Dillon tried to get fans in attendance hyped up with the classic “Lambeau Leap” — just as we see in many Packers games. However, before Dillon’s initial jump, a Green Bay police officer stopped him in what appeared to be a somewhat tense situation.

A whole host of theories developed over Twitter. Did the officer not recognize Dillon? Did he think Dillon didn’t have the credentials to go onto the field?

Eventually, the Packers’ back did get to leap into the stands. And on Sunday, he clarified what might have happened during the commotion:

Ah, okay. That makes sense. Not all of the security on the field is necessarily communicating with each other at any given moment. So, it’s entirely possible that this officer missed Dillon getting an escort onto the field before their weird argument.

Even still: Dillon plays for the Packers! Honestly, he probably should have a lifetime pass to perform a Lambeau Leap at the stadium whenever he wants.

14 stunning photos from Manchester City’s soccer friendly against Bayern Munich at Lambeau Field

These pics are INCREDIBLE!

Lambeau Field is one of the most iconic venues in American sports. As the relatively unaltered home of the Packers for almost seven decades, there’s a classic, vintage feel to those bleachers that seat over 80,000. The stadium has also seen more than its fair share of iconic football moments over the years.

On Saturday night, the home of the Packers was utilized for a different sort of football. We, of course, mean soccer as European powerhouses Manchester City and Bayern Munich played a friendly inside the house that Vince Lombardi built. (Man City won the exhibition 1-0.)

Here’s a series of jaw-dropping photos from world-class soccer’s cameo at Lambeau Field on a beautiful (and stormy!) night.

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Erling Haaland’s first Man City goal came at Lambeau Field

It took just 12 minutes for Haaland to get his first Man City goal

Erling Haaland’s first on-field appearance in a Manchester City shirt saw him score his first goal since his £85.5m transfer from Borussia Dortmund.

Wasting no time as Man City faced Bayern Munich in a friendly Saturday, Haaland dove in to tap a Jack Grealish pass past Manuel Neuer just 12 minutes into his first appearance with the English champions.

The friendly, played at the American soccer cathedral that is Lambeau Field, was delayed due to lightning, and in fact began a second, lengthier lightning delay immediately after Haaland’s goal as storms moved through the area. It marks the first-ever goal scored at the venue, as the NFL stadium has never actually hosted soccer before.

Check out Haaland’s first-ever Man City goal

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Nagelsmann, Davies looking forward to ‘new Bayern Munich’ after Lewandowski’s departure

Without Lewandowski, Nagelsmann has plans to play two up top

Bayern Munich took the field on a sweltering day in Washington, DC, training and signing autographs at Audi Field Tuesday evening ahead of a Wednesday friendly against D.C. United.

New addition Sadio Mané was well-received, and fans serenaded Thomas Müller, but the major topic of the day was someone nowhere near the District. In the stands, Robert Lewandowski jerseys were arguably the most popular kit choice, and in a press conference just before the session, head coach Julian Nagelsmann and Canada star Alphonso Davies were both asked about the towering striker, who only just departed for Barcelona.

Nagelsmann brought Lewandowski up himself in discussing one of Bayern’s new recruits, defender Matthijs de Ligt (who, despite having just flown in to join the team, could possibly play Wednesday).

“We have to compensate that we miss probably 40 goals next season,” Nagelsmann told a packed media room. “We have a lot of players who can score goals, but we also need defending players who can score goals and Matthijs also has the capability to do to this.”

“It’s devastating, him leaving the club. He was a big, big part of this team,” added Davies. “It’s tough to see him go, but we understand his decision and we have to address it and play without him now. So I’m sure we have quality on the pitch, we’re able to do it as well.”

Nagelsmann openly indicated that a leading possibility for Bayern’s adjustment without Lewandowski is to play with two forwards rather than a three-man front line with a lone center forward.

“One of the solutions to compensate the 40 goals, we have the idea sometimes to play with two strikers,” said Nagelsmann, who expressed a desire to have more of a set formation after admitting he changed the team from that angle too often in 2021-22. “This season, probably will be solution to play with two forwards.”

Nagelsmann, who said he was particularly pleased with how Bayern played out of a 3-5-2 formation last season, and Davies both highlighted the fact that it’s not just about formation, but what kind of service Bayern’s forwards get.

“I think we have a lot of players who could play forward and think it’s not that easy to defend it. They can move quickly behind, between the defense lines of the opponents, between the midfield and defense lines,” explained the second-year Bayern boss. “It’s not that easy to get man-on-man coverage against our forwards. So I think our movement will be very dangerous for the opponent’s goal.”

“Whoever plays up there, whether it’s Sadio or whoever it is, we try to feed them the ball,” said Davies. “Sadio, he’s not as big as Lewandowski, but he has the strength to hold up the ball, make plays. He’s definitely quicker than Lewy, so balls in behind, I think that’s a little bit new for for the wingers.”

Nagelsmann had a positive spin on losing Lewandowski, which centered on the fact that teams knew where Bayern was going to go in the attacking third, and that his team can be a bit less predictable this year.

“When play against Bayern Munich, you know that you try to solve the situation with Lewy, and when you get a good man-on-man coverage against Lewy, it was a bit easier to play against Bayern Munich. Now, it’s not that easy to find the best solution—when I talk about the opponents—to defend us,” said Nagelsmann.

“We’ll have a good solution for the future… I look forward to see the new Bayern Munich, after Lewy.”

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Barcelona, Bayern agree to Robert Lewandowski transfer

After two months, Barca finally got their man

Barcelona have completed a drawn-out transfer saga, announcing “an agreement in principle” with Bayern Munich over a €50m move for Poland striker Robert Lewandowski.

Lewandowski, 33, has been Barcelona’s top transfer target for months, and the striker declared that he was done at Bayern back in May. Barca manager Xavi acknowledged that talks about a transfer even before that, and though the move has dragged on—Bayern held out for a €50m transfer fee that Barcelona, amid ongoing financial difficulties, didn’t want to meet—it is done in time for Lewandowski to join the Spanish side’s preseason tour of the United States.

Marca has reported that the final agreement is broken up between a €45m transfer fee and add-ons valued at €5m, and that Lewandowski’s contract runs for three years, with an option for the 2025-26 season. His salary is expected to be in the neighborhood of €9m. Barcelona’s announcement today says that the deal is still pending Lewandowski passing a club medical and all of the contracts actually being signed.

Lewandowski’s final season with Bayern was excellent, with the veteran marksman scoring 50 times in 46 competitive appearances with the German giants. In eight seasons in Munich, Lewandowski scored a staggering 344 goals in 375 games in all competitions, tacking on 72 assists to boot. Bayern won the Bundesliga in all eight of his seasons at the club, as well as the 2019-20 UEFA Champions Leagues, the 2020 Club World Cup, and three DFB Pokals.

Barcelona had some big names available at center forward in 2021-22, with Memphis Depay, Luuk de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang getting most of the minutes. However, the club lacked a dominant scoring presence, with Depay and Aubameyang leading the club with just 13 goals apiece. No one else scored more than seven goals.

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Lewandowski ya tiene acuerdo con el Barcelona y será nuevo jugador culé

Lewandowski tendrá que incorporarse lo antes posible a la gira en Estados Unidos que comienza pronto

Un fin de semana de ensueño para la afición de Barcelona con la confirmación del acuerdo entre Bayern Munich y Barcelona por el polaco Robert Lewandowski.

El presidente del Bayern Munich anunció que ya hay un acuerdo verbal entre ambas entidades y tras ocho años en el club bávaro buscará nuevos horizontes en LaLiga de España.

En la semana había trascendido que el ariete polaco se presentó a entrenar a la pretemporada del Bayern Munich y que en los últimos días había estado llegando tarde y se encontraba más en modo despedida que preparando la siguiente campaña.

“Estos 8 años fueron especiales y eso no se olvida. Me lo pasé muy bien en Múnich. Yo tampoco tuve tiempo para prepararme. Voy a volar pronto, pero volveré y me despediré como es debido de todos los empleados y organizaré algunas cosas, la casa, etc.”, dijo Lewandowski.

Lewandowski tendrá que incorporarse lo antes posible a la gira en Estados Unidos que comienza pronto e incluso pueda ver acción en El Clásico ante Real Madrid en Las Vegas.

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USMNT’s Malik Tillman joins Rangers on loan from Bayern Munich

The Scottish side will have an option to purchase the 20-year-old at season’s end

Rangers have announced they have signed Malik Tillman on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich, with an exclusive option to buy.

The 20-year-old came up through Bayern’s academy and represented the club at various youth levels before making his senior debut last season.

Facing an unlikely path to regular minutes this season, Tillman has opted to move to Scotland in search of more first-team playing time.

“I am really excited to sign for Rangers and I’m looking forward to getting started,” Tillman told Rangers’ website. “It is a new challenge for me at a huge club with fantastic supporters and I can’t wait for the season ahead.”

Tillman represented Germany at several youth levels before opting to switch to the United States, filing a change of association application with FIFA in May.

The attacking midfielder, who is eligible for the U.S. through his American father, made his senior debut for the USMNT last month.

At Rangers, Tillman will link up with his USMNT teammate James Sands, who joined the Scottish side in January from New York City FC.

“I am very pleased to welcome Malik to our squad ahead of the 2022-23 season,” Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst said.

“He is an exciting young talent who will further add to our attacking options and myself and the coaching staff are looking forward to working with him.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo looking at Manchester United exit

If you’re in the Champions League, Man Utd might have a player for you

Multiple reports say that Cristiano Ronaldo has informed Manchester United that if the right bid comes in for him, they should accept it.

The Times is reporting that Ronaldo, 37, wants to ensure that the final seasons of his career are spent playing in the Champions League, while The Athletic says new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has already had a meeting with Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes to discuss a possible transfer, and that Napoli is interested in bringing him back to Serie A.

That report also says that Bayern Munich have been told that Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer is looking for an exit.

Man Utd do have a place in Europe, as they qualified for the Europa League, but despite a lengthy career, Ronaldo has never played in UEFA’s second-tier tournament, and based on today’s news does not seem to want to start this coming year.

The Red Devils finished sixth this past season, missing the Champions League places by 13 points. Ronaldo returned to the club after spending the previous 12 seasons with Real Madrid and Juventus, but though he scored 24 goals in all competitions, the reunion has not been particularly fruitful, as Manchester City and Liverpool have moved out as a class by themselves in terms of contending for silverware.

The club is in the midst of a major change, with Erik ten Hag being hired as their new manager and transfer rumors pointing to some significant changes to the roster. Ten Hag has said he wants to keep Ronaldo at the club, even as there have been criticisms of how a perceived lack of defensive contribution has meant his goalscoring record comes with a cost.

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Sadio Mané departs Liverpool for Bayern Munich

Mané’s trading one red kit for another

Sadio Mané’s move to Bayern Munich is officially done, with the Senegal forward making his move away from Liverpool complete on Wednesday.

Bayern are reported to have paid somewhere around $35 million for Mané, with the 30 year old bolstering an attack that may lose Robert Lewandowski this summer.

“Obviously it is strange – really, really strange – to no longer be a Liverpool player after six years spent at Anfield,” said Mané in a statement to Liverpool’s club site. “But of course I had a great time, an unbelievable time.”

In a statement on Bayern’s site, CEO and club legend Oliver Kahn praised Mané’s track record. “With his outstanding performances and his great successes at the highest international level over many years, there are very few players like him in the world,” said Kahn. “We’re sure that Sadio Mané will delight our fans in the coming years with his spectacular style of play. He’s ambitious and eager to win more titles.”

In his time at Liverpool, Mané was prolific, scoring 120 goals and adding 48 assists in 269 total appearances with the Reds. He was a regular for Liverpool sides that won a Premier League title, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. He also won the Golden Boot in the Premier League in 2018-19, and was the 2019 African Footballer of the Year.

How does Mané impact Bayern?

Lewandowski’s reported determination to force a move to Barcelona leaves an obvious hole in Bayern’s attack. Mané did spend most of his final weeks at Liverpool playing as a center forward, but his playing style is much different from Lewandowski’s, so it’s not simply a one-for-one.

However, with Bayern, there’s a deep supply of wide forwards as well, with Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry, and Kingsley Coman all making over 30 appearances for the club last year. Thomas Müller was second on the entire team in minutes played, largely in the hole underneath Lewandowski, while 19-year-old attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala is also a player of growing importance.

The fact that Sané can play several positions complicates things, but in a good way. Julian Nagelsmann has the option of Sané leading the line in a different fashion from Lewandowski if the Poland striker does in fact move on, adding more speed to allow Bayern to make games more transition-oriented, but playing most of his minutes on the left remains a major possibility.

Sadio Mané nuevo jugador del Bayern Munich y nos encanta

El futbolista senegalés Sadio Mané será el nuevo refuerzo del Bayern Munich para la siguiente temporada.

El futbolista senegalés Sadio Mané será el nuevo refuerzo del Bayern Munich para la siguiente temporada.

Según información de la prensa en Inglaterra, el Liverpool y el equipo bávaro llegaron a un acuerdo para que le futbolista sea nuevo jugador del Munich .

La transferencia ronda los 40 millones de euros y el senagalés firmará con el Bayern hasta el 2025 para alegría de los hinchas alemanes que disfrutarán de su talento que lo llevó a marcar 23 goles en la pasada temporada.

Campeón de Champions League en 2019 y de la Premier League en 2020, el futuro de Mané luce muy prometedor en un equipo como el Bayern Munich que suele extraerle a sus jugadores su máximo.

Nos encanta el nuevo aire que toma la carrera de Sadio Mané pues su etapa en Liverpool fue muy productiva y ahora buscará ser el hombre de confianza de un nuevo técnico.

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