Munich: Bayern Munich officially lifted the Bundesliga trophy Saturday, celebrating their championship triumph by setting a new league scoring milestone fueled by a Harry Kane hat trick.
Kane recorded his fourth hat trick of the campaign during Bayern's 5-1 victory over Cologne in the final round of the season. The performance brought his individual total to 36 goals, leaving him five tallies short of the single-season league record established by Robert Lewandowski during the 2020-21 season. Tom Bischof and Nicolas Jackson also contributed goals in the dominant finale.
The victory brought Bayern's season total to 122 goals, comfortably breaking the previous Bundesliga record of 101 goals set by the 1971-72 Bayern squad that featured legends Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller. Leon Goretzka, who is departing the franchise after an eight-season tenure, scored the historic, record-breaking goal five rounds prior to the season's conclusion.
"We have a great group, a great togetherness, and to celebrate success with that is awesome," Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said after securing his second league championship with the franchise.
A Decade of Dominance
Excluding Bayer Leverkusen's historic undefeated domestic run in 2024, Bayern Munich has claimed every Bundesliga championship since Borussia Dortmund secured consecutive titles in 2012.
The final matchday served as an extensive celebration for the Bavarian club, highlighted by French winger Michael Olise being named the Bundesliga Player of the Season on Saturday. Olise concluded his impactful campaign with 15 goals and 22 assists across 32 appearances.
Although Vincent Kompany's squad clinched the league title with four matches remaining in the schedule, the players were required to wait until the final whistle on Saturday to formally receive the iconic "salad bowl" trophy.
Traditions and Future Focus
Team captain Manuel Neuer, who signed a one-year contract extension with the organisation on Friday, presented the trophy to Goretzka to raise before the crowd. The gesture initiated an explosion of confetti and a stadium broadcast of Queen's "We Are The Champions."
The ceremony quickly transitioned into traditional German football celebrations as massive pitchers of beer were brought onto the pitch. Players targeted teammates and staff alike, with defender Dayot Upamecano dousing Kompany in beer before the saturated manager retreated to join his family on the sidelines.
The team indicated that the celebrations would be brief as they look ahead to their next competitive fixture.
"I'd say today it's OK to celebrate a little," Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. "Then we have a week and then we'll be fully focused on the cup final."
Bayern Munich will travel to Berlin's Olympiastadion next Saturday to face reigning champions Stuttgart in the German Cup final.
With inputs from AP