It has been clear since April that Bayern Munich would bring back Dante Bonfim Costa Santos — better known just as Dante — to the club to manage the Bavarian’s U-23s. Dante is of course best known at Bayern for being a key part of the 2013 treble winning team. After moving on from the Bavarians, however, he had spent the last decade as a player at OGC Nice in Ligue 1. He spent that time not only defying his age to become one of the most iconic Nice players in modern times but also earning his UEFA
Pro License. However, his body was breaking down and he suffered multiple serious injuries during the 2025/26 season, leading him to finally decide to retire at 42 years of age.
When this decision become clear, Bayern reached out to see if he was willing to return as U-23 head coach. It can be assumed that the Brazilian quickly agreed, but that the announcement was delayed until after OGC Nice’s season had ended. A climactic week of football that saw Dante and Nice compete in the Coupe de France as well as the relegation playoffs ended with Nice securing survival on Friday, May 29.
Four days later, Dante’s return to Bayern has been made official, via the official website, while a couple of prominent Campus officials gave their input on the situation:
Brazilian Dante Bonfim Costa Santos – Dante for short – will become the new head coach of FC Bayern Munich’s reserve team after ending his playing career with OGC Nice. The 42-year-old thus returns to Munich eleven years after leaving his playing career and succeeds Holger Seitz at the double winners. This job with Bayern’s U23 team is Dante’s first coaching position.
[Bayern’s Director of Youth Development, Jochen Sauer]: “First of all, I would like to thank Holger Seitz for his tremendous contributions to our reserve team. Over the past few months, we at the sporting management level have held many discussions about the future expectations for our oldest youth team. We jointly decided that we wanted to work with a young coach who himself played professionally at a high level. As a player, Dante experienced almost everything there is to experience in football, and even at 42, he was still a role model for his teammates in Nice in terms of attitude and professionalism. This mindset convinced us during our discussions. The fact that he is taking up his first coaching position here at FC Bayern, where he played a key role in winning the treble in 2013, makes this all the more special for everyone involved.”
Michael Wiesinger, Head of Sport and Youth Development: “As a player at all his clubs, Dante was always someone who took responsibility both on and off the pitch. He himself played for FC Bayern for three years and experienced many great coaches during his career. In recent years, he has pursued his coaching qualifications alongside his playing career. In our discussions with him, it quickly became clear how eager he is to now take on responsibility for a team. We are delighted that we were able to secure this personality for our reserve team and the entire campus, and we are convinced that our young players will benefit from him and his experience as a professional.”
Dante: “I’m incredibly excited about this challenge at my former club, FC Bayern, and I’d like to thank the management for the trust they’ve placed in me. Many talented youngsters are being developed at the campus, and they’ll be making their first foray into men’s football at the amateur level. My coaching team and I want to support them in the best possible way during this important step and try to bring them closer to their goal of becoming professional footballers. I’m looking forward to working with the players, all the staff, and the management.”
Finally, Dante’s coaching staff will be completed by two experienced and prominent personnel. Despite the rumors, Franck Ribéry will not be one of them:
Babak Keyhanfar (41), long-time assistant to Bo Svensson at FC Liefering, Mainz 05, and most recently Union Berlin, is also joining FC Bayern. The coaching team is completed by Christian Ströbel . The 34-year-old brings with him nearly ten years of experience working in the FCB academy. Last season, he was an assistant coach for the U19 team.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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