The 2011–12 season of Bayern Munich began on 27 June with their first training session. In the yearly Forbes' list of the most valuable football clubs, Bayern Munich were ranked the fifth-most valuable team in the world.[1]
Nils Petersen of Energie Cottbus became the first official signing of Bayern's 2011–12 season. The next two signings were Schalke 04 goalkeeper Manuel Neuer followed shortly thereafter by former Schalke right-back Rafinha (after having spent one season at Genoa). On 27 June 2011, it was announced that Gamba Osaka's Japanese teenage prodigy Takashi Usami would be joining Bayern on a one-season loan (with an option to make the switch permanent). Usami became the first Japanese player ever to play for Bayern. On 14 July, Bayern confirmed the signing of the defender Jérôme Boateng from Manchester City, following drawn-out negotiations.
In light of the signing of Neuer, goalkeeper Thomas Kraft departed for newly promoted Hertha BSC.[2] Andreas Ottl also joined Hertha.[3] Hamit Altıntop joined Real Madrid,[4] while Miroslav Klose opted to join Lazio[5] after negotiations with Bayern over a new contract failed. All these players left on free transfers. Mehmet Ekici joined Werder Bremen for €5 million.[6]
On 1 August, Bayern played their first competitive match of the season against Eintracht Braunschweig.[7] The match was the competitive debut for Manuel Neuer, Jérôme Boateng and Rafinha.[7] The match saw the beginning of Jupp Heynckes' third stint in charge of the club.[7] Bayern won the match with goals from Mario Gómez, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller.[7]
Bayern finished runners-up to Jürgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund side in both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. They also reached the final of the 2011–12 Champions League, where they would face Chelsea. The match was played at the Allianz Arena, which meant that Bayern were the first team to have home advantage since Roma in 1984. Neither team would score until Thomas Müller gave Bayern the lead in the 83rd minute. Five minutes later, Didier Drogba equalised for Chelsea, taking the match into extra time, during which Bayern were awarded a penalty, to be taken by Arjen Robben. Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech saved his shot. The game then went into a penalty shoot-out, which Bayern would ultimately lose.
Bayern played in the 2011 LIGA total! Cup. The tournament was held in the Coface Arena and organized by Bayern's prime sponsor Deutsche Telekom. In this tournament matches consisted of two 30 minutes halves each. The Reds faced Hamburger SV in the first game and Mainz 05 in the second game. Borussia Dortmund was the winner of the tournament.
Bayern played the 2011 Audi Cup at home in the Allianz Arena, with Milan, Barcelona and Internacional from Brazil in a four-team, knockout tournament.
Bayern travelled to Trentino, Italy, in early July to play a Trentino regional XI and the Qatar national team in friendlies. After that, Bayern played Carl Zeiss Jena in a benefit match. Between the LIGA total! Cup and the Audi Cup, Bayern played the annual Dream Game against two official fan clubs in Passau. The season officially started on 1 August with the Round 1 of the DFB-Pokal against Eintracht Braunschweig. The first Bundesliga match was against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 7 August 2011. After the Bundesliga started, Bayern played a benefit match against the club from Thomas Müller's home town.
Bayern's winter training camp took place in Doha, Qatar, from 2 January until 9 January 2012. There, Bayern played against Al-Sailiya S.C., the "African Club of the Century" Al-Ahly S.C. from Cairo and a local U-19. After that, they played the Audi Football Summit in India against the India National Team and Rot-Weiß Erfurt in a benefit match.
Bayern played against the Netherlands national team in a compensation match for Arjen Robben's injury during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The 2011–12 Bundesliga campaign began on 7 August when Bayern played in the opening game of the season against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Last updated: 5 May 2012Source: DFB.de 1Bayern Munich goals come first. Ground's country's flag and opponent's country's flag shown when from a different country of Bayern Munich. Pos. = Position in league, Pts. = Points, GD = Goal difference, Ground: H = Home, A = Away, N = Neutral, HR = Home replacement, AR = Away replacement.
Bayern kicked off the 2011–12 DFB-Pokal against Eintracht Braunschweig in Braunschweig, where they advanced to the second round with a 3–0 victory.
Bayern Munich qualified for the play-off round of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League by finishing third in the Bundesliga in 2010–11.
Total spending: €43.8 million
Total income: €5 million
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.