DHL and FC Bayern: 2016 in review

On the heels of FC Bayern Munich’s latest victory in the Bundesliga that saw the team take first place heading into the winter break, DHL takes a look back at a thrilling season with Germany’s most successful football club! Here are 10 highlights from an outstanding year:

Italian road trip part II

During the 2014 season, we joined FC Bayern in traveling to Rome for an away match in the Champions League. At the start of 2016, we headed back to Italy with the team again – only this time, to Turin! The opponent was Juventus Turin – the runner-up in the 2015 Champions League final – and DHL was once again in charge of transporting the team’s equipment from Munich to Turin.

League and Cup titles

Winning never gets old with FC Bayern! The squad had their 26th German league title wrapped up a week before the end of the season. The win marked Bayern’s fourth Bundesliga title in a row, a new league record. Just two weeks later, Bayern added their 18th German Cup title after a thrilling penalty shootout with league rivals, Borussia Dortmund. It was the last match for Pep Guardiola after three years at the team’s coach, and the players graciously turned over the job of lifting the trophy – normally handled by the captain – to Pep.

The Global FC Bayern Munich Family

The league and Cup titles were the perfect occasion for DHL to invite fans to join the Global FC Bayern Munich Family. Throughout the summer, more than 18,000 FC Bayern supporters from 140 different countries became members of the Global FC Bayern Munich Family. Many submitted selfies for our Global Fan Wall, and we were even lucky enough to travel around the world and meet some of the fans in person!

New faces

In addition to the thousands of new fans who joined the Global FC Bayern Family, the team itself welcomed a few new members into the fold. First and foremost was Carlo Ancelotti, the famed Italian coach whose previous stations included AC Milan, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. Mats Hummels also joined the squad from Borussia Dortmund, as did Renato Sanches from Benfica.

Headed to America

Just like the summer before, DHL accompanied FC Bayern on the team’s summer tour. While the 2015 edition of the Audi Summer Tour saw the team travel to China, the destination in 2016 was the USA. Starting in Chicago before moving to Charlotte and New York City, DHL was in charge of transporting the team’s equipment around each city for the duration of the tour.

DHL fan reporters

In each city, DHL worked with fan reporters to deliver behind-the-scenes access to FC Bayern Munich during the tour. The fan reporters spoke with players in the mixed zone, participated in the press conferences, and even got to give away some tickets to lucky fans! American soccer supporters got a special treat when none other than former US national team player Jimmy Conrad picked up the mic as the DHL fan reporter in New York.

Match ball delivery

FC Bayern Munich played three matches as part of the International Champions Cup. At each match, a DHL courier was tasked with making a very important delivery: the match ball to the pitch. In front of stadiums full of thousands of people, each DHL courier delivered the ball flawlessly so the match could begin.

DHL Fan Event in NYC

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the entire Audi Summer Tour was DHL’s fan event in New York. With sweeping views of New York City in the background, DHL was proud to host Juan Bernat and Rafinha at an event exclusively for lucky fans who won tickets through DHL. The players signed autographs, took pictures, and even organized a pick-up game with the little kids! Icing on the cake: DHL and FC Bayern cupcakes.

Global Family Premiere

After spending the summer meeting fans from all over the world who signed up to be a part of the Global FC Bayern Munich Family, we were proud to introduce some of them to the rest of the FC Bayern fan family with a special video that documented a single jersey traveling around the world with DHL. Twelve special fans in 12 cities: check it out here!

A promising season

As the players head into the winter break of the 2016/17 season, FC Bayern Munich can look forward to a promising second half. FC Bayern spent the first half of the season struggling with RB Leipzig for control of the table, but after their direct duel in the last match before the break, Bayern emerged victorious and will spend the holidays at the top of the table.

In the Champions League, FC Bayern’s first match of 2017 will be at home against English giants Arsenal on February 15. The German Cup continues February 7 with a top-tier standoff against Wolfsburg. As in year’s past, FC Bayern will travel to Doha for the team’s winter training camp – we can’t wait to see them come out fighting again in 2017!

Thanks for joining DHL for all the amazing memories of the 2016 season, and we’ll look forward to seeing you again in the New Year. As always, Mia San Mia!