Lukas Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Tim Borowski will have felt a strong sense of deja-vu as they stepped onto the catwalk in Bayern's brand-new kit for 2008-9. The background music was Seven Nations Army singing "The white stripes“, the official Euro 2008 pre-match anthem which Lahm and Co last heard on 29 June ahead of the tournament final in Vienna.
The occasion on Tuesday was the official unveiling of the club's new away and Champions League strips at the Allianz Arena, in a show staged by premium partner and equipment supplier adidas. "Both kits are wonderfully successful," commented head coach Jürgen Klinsmann.
Podolski thrilled by new kit
"It's a fantastic shirt – no need to say anything more than that," commented Podolski, kitted out along with summer signing Tim Borowski in the new all-white European strip. Schweinsteiger and Lahm modelled the away kit in a brand new shade of dark navy. "It's very special. I've never played in a colour like this before," remarked Lahm.
Bayern will thus go in search of away Bundesliga points in deepest blue, although the Reds reckon their new kit has nothing whatsoever in common with the colour favoured by city rivals, the Blues of TSV 1860. "We went for this colour because we thought it was fantastic," commented general manager Uli Hoeneß.
Bayern inspired by United
"Manchester United, whose club colours are red and white, have a similar range of kit. And they have fierce local rivals who play in light blue, namely Manchester City. That was always somewhere in the back of our minds, and when adidas showed us this kit, we fell in love with the colour. And now, here it is," Hoeneß continued, going on to shed some light on the selection process for a new kit.
"adidas present us with a recommendation, which we discuss at board level. We then share our thoughts with the coach and fan club representatives.“ In the current case, 13 months passed between the first presentation and the kit becoming available in fan shops.
Bayern boast four stars
Bayern have now worn adidas kit for the last 40 years. Some years ago, the Herzogenaurach-based sports equipment manufacturer took a ten percent stake in holding company FC Bayern München AG. "It's a perfect partnership, even more intense now that it ever has been, and characterised by huge mutual trust," commented chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
A new design element on both shirts as presented on Tuesday, and also on the existing red-and-white hooped home shirt, is a fourth star above the club crest, uniquely allocated to Bayern as the sole club to have won the Bundesliga title on 20 occasions. "It's something we're very proud of," commented Rummenigge, "I don't believe any other club will make it even as far as three stars in the next decade.“
