Chapter 31: Bayern Munich's Invitation

In Germany, in the state of Bavaria, lies the club of Bayern Munich.

For Bayern, being invited to participate in the German Telekom Cup is just a minor matter.

They don't really care about it; compared to the cup matches, the team's performance in the upcoming season is what truly matters to them!

The past few seasons have been quite disappointing for the giants of the Bundesliga, as they have gone two years without winning any titles.

Last season, they suffered defeats at the hands of their direct competitors Borussia Dortmund in the league, followed by a humiliating 2-5 loss in the German Cup final, completely dominated by Dortmund.

For Bayern Munich, this was simply humiliating!

If the disappointment in the league could be compensated with a championship trophy in the Champions League, it might have been acceptable.

But sadly, the team has had no luck in the Champions League either.

They were eliminated in the round of 16 in the 2010-2011 season and again in the final in the 2011-2012 season...

Bayern really feels like writing a big "tragic" on the ground...

Fortunately, under the leadership of the old coach Heynckes, the team's form has steadily improved.

Reaching the Champions League final last season was already a good proof of that, and they believe that given some more time, Heynckes will surely lead Bayern back to the top.

However, under these circumstances, Heynckes has entertained thoughts of retiring, which caught Bayern off guard.

The importance of a good coach is very clear to Bayern Munich.

When they previously hired the famous coach Van Gaal, the team suffered its worst start in history, with defeats in the league, cup, and Champions League.

This angered the club so much that they fired him before the season ended and brought back the old coach Heynckes.

It turns out, the old coach is still more suitable for Bayern.

After Heynckes took over, he not only stopped the decline but also led Bayern to the Champions League final.

If it weren't for a bit of bad luck, losing to Chelsea in the penalty shootout, the team would have won the Champions League trophy last year.

This season, Bayern's young players have further matured, and the team's tactical system has become more sophisticated.

They are determined to win both the league and the Champions League this season, as achieving these two important titles would signify Bayern's return to the top level in Europe.

But just as they were filled with ambition and ready to rebuild the Bayern dynasty, Heynckes announced his retirement.

This has left everyone at Bayern feeling a bit lost!

Heynckes, born in 1945, is now 67 years old, which is indeed quite old.

But Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United, who is four years older than him, hasn't retired yet. The old coach can still stay for a few more years!

Facing the club president Rummenigge, who came to persuade him, the old coach shook his head:

"President Rummenigge, thank you for your retention and strong support over the years.

But I have made up my mind. You know I'm not someone who enjoys living in the spotlight too much.

At the age of 68, I'm getting a bit old, and I'm afraid I won't be able to handle leading the team any longer.

Moreover, I want to retire and go home to tend to some flowers and plants while I'm still mobile, and enjoy a rural life.

So, please don't try to convince me anymore. I promise you that I will complete this season in its entirety, and I will leave the team only after the last match of the season.

During this time, you will have enough time to contact other excellent coaches, listen to their coaching philosophies, and find the most suitable candidate for Bayern.

Of course, if necessary, I can provide you with some references and advice."

Heinckes just wanted to inform the club in advance, so they could prepare.

Otherwise, if he suddenly announced his retirement next year without the club finding a suitable successor, Bayern would definitely be in chaos.

Upon hearing Heinckes' words, Rummenigge felt extremely disappointed.

Good coaches aren't so easy to find, after all. In today's football world, the best coaches are mostly already taken, and it's not easy to poach them.

Although Bayern dominates in the Bundesliga, their financial power pales in comparison to the top clubs in the top five leagues.

So, upon hearing about Heinckes' retirement, Rummenigge felt very troubled.

He even considered bringing back the legendary coach Hitzfeld, who coached the Swiss national team, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

The team's poor performance in the past had already proven that Hitzfeld's style was outdated and no longer suitable for the current team.

He needed to find a coach with outstanding coaching ability, a deep understanding of the latest tactics in football, especially possession-based tactics.

"Chairman, there's someone who seems to meet our requirements, and he's currently available, not working. Why don't we send him an invitation and try to contact him?"

Upon hearing Rummenigge's request, club manager Uli Hoeneß immediately thought of someone.

Moreover, he had heard rumors that this person had visited Germany a few months ago, possibly receiving coaching offers from Bundesliga clubs.

If that were the case, it would indicate that he might be willing to coach in the Bundesliga.

Apart from Borussia Dortmund, Bayern isn't afraid of any other team in the Bundesliga, and Dortmund's Klopp wouldn't leave anytime soon either.

So, the club inviting this person wouldn't be Dortmund, and as long as it wasn't Dortmund, Bayern was confident they could lure him over.

"Who?"

Rummenigge asked curiously.

"Former Barcelona coach, Guardiola!"

"Him?!"

Hearing this name, Rummenigge's eyes lit up instantly!

In today's football world, there are many top coaches, but the biggest names are only two: Guardiola and Mourinho!

Both of them are at the top level in terms of strength and fame, especially the former.

Guardiola's possession-based system, created by him, has been all the rage in football in recent years, becoming the object of imitation worldwide.

Inviting him to coach Bayern Munich and bringing Barcelona's style to Bayern, wouldn't Bayern skyrocket?

Thinking of this, Rummenigge couldn't help but feel excited inside.

Now there was only one question left: "Will Guardiola agree to our invitation?"

He wasn't very confident; if the other party didn't want Barcelona, would they accept Bayern's invitation?

The competitiveness of the Bundesliga is quite different from La Liga, and the commercial development is not as good, so the attraction to top coaches has never been very strong.

"Why not give it a try? I heard his stepson plays football in the Bundesliga, and his team happens to be our opponent in the Telekom Cup next month.

I think we can invite him under the pretext of watching the Telekom Cup matches. When he comes, Chairman, you can personally meet with him and show him our sincerity. Whether it works out or not depends on the outcome of the discussion between both parties."

Hoeneß's preparation was obviously very thorough, even investigating in advance the relationship between Lin Quan and Guardiola, as well as his football playing in the Bundesliga.

Obviously, the idea of inviting Guardiola to coach wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision but a long-planned scheme.

Rummenigge stared at Hoeneß for a few seconds, and after looking at him, the two of them smiled at each other in agreement.

"This matter is up to you to handle, just don't mess it up!"

Regarding the update issue:

Many readers have urged me to update more frequently, saying that I update too slowly, and I have to admit that I haven't updated much, only two chapters a day.

Although I'm not a fast typist, I do have some drafts on hand.

Unfortunately, it's the start of a new book, and I dare not post too much, because I haven't been on trial push yet, and under normal circumstances, I should have already reached 30-40,000 words, but I've already reached 80,000 words, which is a week behind.

If I update too much at this time, I may not be able to finish the recommended updates before the word count reaches the shelves.

So even if I have drafts, I can only keep them until I'm on the shelves, and then I can explode. I'll update at least ten chapters when I'm on the shelves.

Of course, you can also urge me to update. If you reward me with at least 5000 starting coins, I'll add an extra chapter. If I receive at least 100 monthly tickets, I'll add an extra chapter.

I won't say anything more; I'll go type now and try to save up dozens or even hundreds of chapters when I'm on the shelves!