Since 1982, Bayern Munich have had at least one player in the final of every single World Cup. Except this one. With both England and France now eliminated in the semi-inal, Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Dayot Upamecano have all exited the tournament.
Just to recap, here is the incredible streak that Bayern Munich have maintained all these years, most of them coming courtesy of strong German performances at the biggest stage. Data courtesy of Bundesliga.com:
1982 final: Italy 3-1 West Germany Bayern
players: Paul Breitner, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Wolfgang Dremmler (all Germany)
1986 final: Argentina 3-2 West Germany
Bayern players: Lothar Matthäus, Dieter Hoeneß, Norbert Eder (all Germany)
1990 final: West Germany 1-0 Argentina
Bayern players: Klaus Augenthaler, Stefan Reuter, Jürgen Kohler (all Germany)
1994 final: Brazil 0-0 Italy (Brazil won 3-2 on penalties)
Bayern player: Jorginho (Brazil)
1998 final: France 3-0 Brazil
Bayern player: Bixente Lizarazu (France)
2002 final: Brazil 2-0 Germany
Bayern players: Oliver Kahn, Thomas Linke, Jens Jeremies (all Germany)
2006 final: Italy 1-1 France (Italy won 5-3 on penalties)
Bayern player: Willy Sagnol (France)
2010 final: Spain 1-0 Netherlands
Bayern players: Mark van Bommel, Arjen Robben, Edson Braafheid (all Netherlands)
2014 final: Germany 1-0 Argentina
Bayern players: Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller, Mario Götze, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jerôme Boateng, Manuel Neuer (all Germany)
2018 final: France 4-2 Croatia
Bayern player: Corentin Tolisso (France)
2022 final: Argentina 3-3 France (Argentina won 4-2 on penalties)
Bayern players: Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard, Kingsley Coman (all France)
2026 final: Spain vs Argentina (result TBD)
Bayern players: No one
Germany represented the Bayern contingent in five occasions, while France were the next best with four. It is no wonder that the decline of the German national team has coincided with Bayern Munich losing their streak in the finals. France kept it alive in the last two World Cups, but this one was one too many.
Things, of course, should be said of how the main representatives went out. France were soundly outclassed by Spain, while England played like cowards against Argentina, trying to nick a 1-0 win after Anthony Gordon scored in the second half. The loss was reminiscent of how Bayern Munich succumbed 2-1 to Real Madrid back in 2024, with the late goal from Joselu. Thomas Tuchel was the coach in both occasions.
Well, so it goes. Streaks don’t last forever. It’s just a shame that a Bayern Munich player will not win a World Cup this year. Olise and Kane in particular had a good chance of winning a Ballon d’Or if they did.
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