Bayern Munich sweeps the Bavarian Sports Prize Awards

The awards keep piling up for Bayern Munich and its stars.

At the Bavarian Sports Prize ceremony, held at the BMW Welt, the achievements of FC Bayern were recognized in multiple categories. For starters, the team received the ‘Personal Prize of the Bavarian Prime Minister-President’ in honor of its fantastic run over the past year. As we all know and remember fondly, FC Bayern won an eighth successive Bundesliga title, and successfully defended their DFB-Pokal title as well. Not only that, but they completed their second ever continental treble by winning the UEFA Champions League, and added to their silverware by winning the UEFA and DFL Super Cups.

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Captain Manuel Neuer commented that he was “proud of what we have achieved together” as he accepted the award on the team’s behalf with president Herbert Hainer, who added that the team’s successes were “even more notable” in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Bayern’s star midfield duo Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka received an award of their own due to their charity work during the current world health crisis. The two started an initiative called #WeKickCorona earlier this year, and have so far raised over five million euros for various organizations. Kimmich and Goretzka were hence presented with the inaugural ‘Special Award for Exemplary Commitment to Overcoming the Coronavirus Pandemic.’

“It’s nice to receive an award that’s only partly related to football,” said Kimmich. “We’re both very proud of it, and we feel like we’ve done something right.” Goretzka described how well the campaign has gone, saying “it’s been very successful with hundreds of donations from private donors and colleagues in the world of sport and society.”

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Last but not least, former FC Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger received the ‘Outstanding Bavarian Sports Career’ award in recognition of his illustrious career in Bavaria. Der Fußballgott played 500 games for FC Bayern, winning eight Bundesliga titles, seven DFB-Pokals, one UEFA Champions League, and more. He was also capped 121 times for the German national team, winning the FIFA World Cup in 2014. Apart from footballing awards, Schweinsteiger also received the Bavarian Order of Merit in 2018.

As a Bayern fan, it is nice to see the team and its stars win multiple awards for multiple reasons. Hopefully the team continues to be as successful as it is now, and also continues to be “an ambassador for Bavaria around the world,” as put by Joachim Herrmann, Minister of State for the Interior, Sport, and Integration.