MAN Truck & Bus
Their faces simply couldn’t stop beaming. 20 young footballers from SG Püchersreuth/Wurz in the Oberpfalz region enjoyed an Easter that they’ll never forget this year. They spent a whole day as the exclusive guests of MAN and German record holders FC Bayern München. It was all made possible by the FC Bayern online advent calendar, with a superb goal by MAN waiting behind its tenth door.
Their faces simply couldn’t stop beaming. 20 young footballers from SG Püchersreuth/Wurz in the Oberpfalz region enjoyed an Easter that they’ll never forget this year. They spent a whole day as the exclusive guests of MAN and German record holders FC Bayern München. It was all made possible by the FC Bayern online advent calendar, with a superb goal by MAN waiting behind its tenth door.
After a journey of some 200 kilometres to Munich, the young players first fortified themselves with lunch at the Allianz Arena. That was followed by a visit to the FC Bayern Experience, Germany’s biggest team museum. There, they marvelled at the countless FCB trophies (32 German Championship titles, 20 DFB Cup victories and six European Cup/Champions League triumphs alone). Then it was time to visit the 75,000-capacity Arena, where star Bayern players including Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski recently celebrated landing their tenth championship title in a row.
The children had no idea. Their eyes grew bigger and bigger when the bayern bus suddenly drove past.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
The boys of SG Püchersreuth/Wurz stood in awe before the countless trophies illustrating 122 years of team history at the Bayern Museum.
STADIUM ATMOSPHERE
A tour of the Allianz Arena, opened in 2005 and with a capacity of 75,021 seats, was also on the agenda for the young players.
HALLOWED GROUND
The kids from the Oberpfalz enjoyed a taste of what it’s like to be a professional in the dressing rooms where Lewandowski, Müller and co. change for their matches.
It was great fun! However, i was grateful that the lads were only 12 or 13, otherwise the aches and pains tomorrow morning would be a bit worse.
An hour’s training with Claudio Pizarro
Then came the high point of the day: the legend training session at Säbener Straße with Claudio Pizarro. Now 42, he is not only the oldest Bundesliga goal scorer of all time, but he has also been an official Bayern ambassador since 2020. The good-natured former professional spent an hour with the kids, who clearly enjoyed the training, tips and tricks. “It’s great that MAN has given a youth team such an opportunity. Especially after the long pandemic period, it’s really wonderful and important for amateur football,” said Pizarro in praise of the event.
The former star striker arrived at the meeting in a MAN eTGE, a new addition to the Bayern fleet in 2021. The team uses the fully electric van for trips such as between the training ground in southern Munich, the Allianz Arena and the youth training centre in the north of the city. At the professionals’ home games, the zero-emissions vehicle, which has eight seats and a range of around 120 kilometres, is used to transport physios or equipment, for example.
GOOD-NATURED LEGEND
Bayern ambassador Claudio Pizarro handed out tips from his almost 25-year-long professional career to the eager young players who hung on his every word.
TRAVEL ELECTRIC
Claudio Pizarro arrived in a fully electric MAN eTGE (in the background) for the meeting that Gerald Lang (L) had won for his son, Lukas, and the SG Püchersreuth/Wurz U14 team.
The Bayern bus is cool – and comfortable
Pizarro, who scored 125 goals for the Munich team in 323 appearances from 2001 to 2007, and 2012 and 2015, was enthusiastic after the training session: “It was great fun! However, I was grateful that the lads were only 12 or 13, otherwise the aches and pains tomorrow morning would be a bit worse,” says the Peruvian striker, with a wink. The winner, Gerald Lang, was happy with his role as a spectator: “It’s much more fun for me to see how something like this is made possible for the children than it would be to stand in their place.” And the kids enjoyed the day from start to finish: “It’s good that we travelled on the Bayern bus. It’s not just cooler, it’s more comfortable too,” one of them said joyfully.
All-rounder: The MAN eTGE electric van has a range of 130 kilometres and carries FC Bayern team members and equipment around Munich.
Ten championship wins in a row: no one else in Germany has achieved that! MAN congratulates FC Bayern on this unique jubilee.
Text Christian Jeß
Photos MAN
