Uli Hoeneß has added another major honor to a remarkable soccer career, receiving the Legends Award at the 2026 Sport Nild Awards in Hamburg on Monday (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):
The Bayern Munich honorary president accepted the award in person at the 24th annual ceremony, which brought together around 700 guests from the German sports world.
Notable attendees included Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer, former Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić and former Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller, president of the German Football Association Bernd Neuendorf, former handball stars Stefan Kretzschmar and Silvio Heinevetter, and German sprinter champion Owen Ansah.
Hoeneß is being recognized not only for what he accomplished as a player, but for the enormous influence he has had on Bayern’s development. Sport Bild editor-in-chief Henning Feindt praised Hoeneß’s ability to lead the club toward the top of the Bundesliga and European soccer, arguing that Bayern would not be the institution it is today without him.
The 74-year-old joins an especially distinguished group of Bayern figures to receive the Legends Award. Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller previously received the honor, putting Hoeneß alongside two of the most important figures in the club’s history.
Hoeneß’s connection with Bayern dates back to his playing days. After helping West Germany win the 1972 European Championship and 1974 World Cup, he became Bayern’s manager in 1979 at just 27-years-old and played a central role in transforming the club into a global powerhouse. Sport Bild notes that he has won 48 titles as a player and official.
For Bayern supporters, the award represents more than another individual accolade. It is recognition of a figure who has been intertwined with the club’s rise for more than five decades.
“Uli Hoeneß has always had the outstanding ability to lead Bayern to where he saw the club himself – to the top of the Bundesliga and the top of Europe. Without him, the club would not be what it is today after developing over so many decades,” said Henning Feindt, editor-in-chief of Sport Bild. “He belongs among the very greatest figures in the club’s history, like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller. A legend of Bayern and German soccer.”
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